. I would like to open by saying that I am truly very sorry for the previous chapter. Not my best work. That being said, I'm going to do my best to try and make it up to y'all this chapter. Promise.
Chapter Five: Dogs of War
Ed knew this train station better than any other. The cold cement beneath his feet, the cement walls that lined the short tunnel, where people could board or depart the trains, the benches lined up along the walls...everything about this place was familiar to him. He remembered the first time he had been here, just ten years ago when he was still trying to become a State Alchemist. His brother and he had been put to the test on the train ride over, confronted with a small insurrectionist group led by an automailer named Bald.
Ed still remembered meeting Roy Mustang and his people here at this station, as they disembarked. Mustang was there both to pick up the battered Bald and his men, and to greet Ed and his brother, Alphonse. He had manipulated the both of them into getting on that train, directly for the purpose of having Ed and Al take out Bald's men. This impressed General Hakuro, a very important, very powerful man in the State government, who had been riding on the train with his family. He was impressed enough to allow Ed to take the State Alchemy exam, even though he was underage.
Mustang had put his life and his brother's in danger, for the sole purpose of manipulating events the way he desired. That was Ed's first real impression of the man, and to this day, it hadn't changed much. He didn't know what to expect from Roy Mustang now, as he saw the man waiting for him at the station, with his bodyguard Hawkeye dutifully watching his back. Ten years can do a lot to a man, and it was true that they both had grown since that day way back when. But some things never change.
"Mustang," Ed muttered to himself as he stepped down onto the cement floor. He wasn't surprised to see him there waiting for him. The man always seemed to know what was going on at any given time, and this was no exception. The morning light, as the train ride had taken him from evening through to morn, seemed to shimmer around Mustang, outlining him in the cold, dark tunnel.
"I'm glad you could make it," Mustang greeted Ed, though his cold, neutral tone betrayed no hint of his true motives. "I was afraid you might be mistaken for luggage and left at the wrong station." Ed knew that smirk that grew across Mustang's face, and it made the old anger burn inside him again. There were very few things in this world that he could stand less than Mustang's sarcastic remarks.
Ed's scowl failed to hide the sting from Mustang's latest shortness remark. He didn't come for more sarcasm. "Look, can we skip the sarcasm part of this? I didn't come here to be insulted, and I'm still not entirely sure whether I'll be playing this little game of yours, okay?" Ed was trying to take the ball back into his hands, but deep down, he knew Mustang still had control of the situation. That was always the most infuriating part of any dealings with Roy Mustang, the man never allowed control of any situation to slip from his grasp.
Sadly, his latest attempt to take control failed just as miserably as all the times before. "Sure you're not," Mustang retorted. "You came to Central just because you missed having the grace of my presence, and not at all because you have nowhere else to go." Mustang's words cut like a knife. He had caught Ed's attempt at a shove and had pushed back, and like all the times before, Ed could feel it. Truly, the most infuriating thing about Roy Mustang was that Ed, to this day, had never won a verbal encounter with him. "Now, come with me. I would like to introduce you to the people you will be working with."
Ed heard the commanding tone in Mustang's voice, and a familiar bitterness rose inside him. Everything was happening just as it had before, and he felt a faint tinge of fear beginning to well up in the pit of his stomach, fear that he would be trapped in the old, familiar leash that Mustang once had around his neck. "What," he attempted to joke, "that's it? No pleasantries, just straight to business? I suppose you never were too good at chit-chat, huh?"
Mustang turned, signaling Hawkeye with his hand as he began to walk towards the open end of the tunnel, the end that lead to the main city. He didn't even look back at Edward as he responded, "I never had to be. You have more than enough chat to go around. You can't expect anyone to have enough chit to keep up."
Ed scoffed at Mustang's dismissal. "Oh, please. You're Roy Mustang. Everyone knows you're full of chit."
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It wasn't long before Edward Elric found himself following General Mustang through a long, familiar corridor in the Central HQ. He distinctly remembered this old hallway, he'd been down it more than a few times in his life. This hallway led to the office that had been Mustang's back when he was a colonel, but why they were walking this path was a question Ed couldn't help but ponder. Surely Mustang had been given a bigger, more glamorous office to go with his position, hadn't he? Ed couldn't recall Basque Grand or Fuhrer Bradley being set up in an office like Mustang's.
He didn't have much time to ponder, however, as they approached the door. There were five heavily armed men and women, each dressed in a blue soldier's uniform, lined up just outside the door, against the wall. Ed's eyes fell on them first, counting them down. First was a man with dark brown hair, cut short, and a rifled slung around his shoulder. He was a foot taller than Ed, which made the young alchemist tick a little. The next was a blond man with blue eyes, and a handgun in a holster at his side. While the first man stood with one hand holding his sling, the second maintained both hands behind his back, with a very serious expression on his face. Ed could tell this guy was determined to do his job. It also bugged him that this guy was actually a few inches taller than the last.
Next was a woman, with brown hair tied into a ponytail to keep it out of the way. She looked young, though definitely no younger than himself. Ed guessed mid twenties for the girl, early thirties for the last two men. Her hip was free of a gun holster, however there was no denying the dangerous look in her eyes. Eyes which Ed found to be the most hypnotic green eyes he had ever seen, which seemed specifically designed to draw people in. He made a mental note to avoid eye contact with this woman, for it could result in Winry beating him with a wrench.
After her was another man, with long, brown hair that came down to join his beard. He looked closer to the woman's age, and Ed noticed a screwdriver sticking out of his back pocket. The man had a looser stance than the last two, more resembling the first man. He stood with one leg scratching the other, and one hand on the back of his head. This man didn't take his soldiering quite as seriously as the second man and the woman, which Ed couldn't help but appreciate. He knew personally, those who lived by the book, died by the sword.
The last was another woman, with short, silver hair. Her hair looked uncombed and ragged, but she didn't seem to mind. There was a special red heart sewn onto the pocket of her uniform, and she stood as serious as the second and third, with her hands behind her waist and her hazel eyes looking straight forward.
As they passed the five soldiers, Ed noticed that each of them dropped to attention and saluted Mustang as he passed by. A smirk crossed Ed's face when he saw this; he knew Mustang had to be thrilled to receive that much respect from the lower ranking officers. "Hey, general," Ed felt the need to ask beginning to rise up. "What's with the lineup? Does it just not feel like a homecoming without people kissing your bum?"
Mustang, however, chose not to respond to Ed's question. Instead, he continued walking forward, until he reached the door. Glancing back at Ed, he stopped and stood against the wall, gesturing at the knob. "Go ahead," he smirked, "open it. I believe you should do the honors." As Ed, with his eyes carefully watching Mustang, cautiously twisted the doorknob, he couldn't help but wonder what game the general was playing now. The door came open easily, and Ed passed one last glance at Mustang's smirk before he stepped inside.
The room was dark, save for the light streaming in from the open window. Ed could see the large office, but was surprised to find it empty. There were two bookshelves, one along each wall, both of which were bare of even the most simple of volumes. The desk, which had been lined with papers every time he had been in here before, was completely bare. Not so much as a desk lamp could be seen resting upon it. The two couches that sat just in front of the door, facing each other, with the table resting between them...both were still there, but they looked so quiet, and Ed could make out a fine sheet of dust over them. The whole room looked bare and unused.
General Mustang stepped inside shortly after Edward, followed immediately by Major Hawkeye. "What do you think?" Mustang asked, but his voice fell only on confused ears. Ed was straining his mind to understand what had happened here.
"I don't understand," Ed confessed. "Where did everything go? What did you do to your office?"
"My office is upstairs, Edward." The general dropped his left hand on Ed's shoulder as he looked around the room. "This place is empty because I took my things when I moved upstairs, three years back. This isn't my office anymore. It's yours, and you'll be the one that needs to fill it."
"Mine, sir?" Ed heard the words but they weren't making sense. His office...this place was his? But...his office? "I don't...I mean, you really mean that? My own office? I don't understand."
"Edward," Mustang continued, "every officer, when he comes of rank, is given an office of his own. That's the reason I've brought you here. I'm putting together a team, to deal with the insurrectionist movements that have been rising in our nation. Those five men and women outside, I have hand-selected to be a part of this team. I'll introduce you in just a minute, but I want to make sure you understand this. The reason I've brought you here is because I need you for this team. Because I trust you, more than anyone else, to work with them."
"Oh, I get it," the skeptical voice of Edward Elric began to show its face once more. "You've brought me here to put down little squabbles in your cities. That's what this is about? You give me the neat office and I just say 'yes, sir'? You should know me better than that, general. I won't sit by and follow orders just because I've been bribed with shiny things."
Mustang's left hand traveled up to his face, gently rubbing and caressing his forehead. He should have known Ed would take this the wrong way, and he tried to clarify. "Edward, that is exactly why you're here. I didn't bring you back to follow orders, Ed. I brought you here to give them." Mustang emphasized those last two words, to ensure that Ed would not miss them. "That's why you're getting this office, Edward. Because it is only fitting that our newest colonel have a place to reflect his rank."
Ed's eyes widened as the meaning of what Mustang was saying struck him. His brain struggled to process this information. Colonel...giving orders...the office...it was just too much for him. He couldn't believe that he'd been plucked from Rizenpool for THIS. "I...I mean...colonel...colonel?"
Mustang's familiar smirk returned to his face, now that Ed was finally processing it. "Colonel Edward Elric. Has a bit of a ring to it, doesn't it? Now, come with me. It's time to meet the men."
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Ed's brain was still struggling to make sense of this huge promotion, when Mustang dragged him back out into the hall to meet the five men once more. "Second Lieutenant Marie Sinclair," he started, and the woman with the heart on her breast snapped to attention, drawing her right hand just above her eyes to salute the general. "Sir!" was all she said, as she stood strongly for him. "At ease," Ed knew those words. Upon hearing them, the soldier returned to her position. "Lieutenant Sinclair is a talented medical doctor. She has seen her share of the wounded from the war in Liore, and has been trained for combat. She should prove an asset. No team should ever be without a doctor."
Ed felt himself dragged to the next person, the bearded man with the screwdriver sticking out of his pocket. "First Lieutenant Francis Dubois," Mustang called out. This man, like the woman before him, snapped to attention, saluting Mustang. "At ease. Lieutenant Dubois comes from the Western territories. If there is a machine, he can fix it. If there is a weapon, he can build it or take it apart. A good technician can mean the difference between being stranded in the desert and a homecoming here in Central."
Ed was starting to register these names and this information, but he was still struggling with the promotion. "First Lieutenant Eva Massner." Next was the woman with the hypnotic green eyes who, like the other two before her, snapped to attention and saluted. "At ease. Lieutenant Massner is an infiltrations officer. She has been trained to enter into the enemy ranks and to report back any information she can acquire." Ed lingered for a moment on those green eyes of hers. There was something familiar in her face, something that looked like he'd seen it before...but after a few seconds, he shook it off. He was probably just seeing things.
Mustang moved on without stopping for Ed's hesitation. Next came the tall, blonde man. "First Lieutenant Erwin Panzlef." Ed had gotten used to the snapping and saluting, and tried to imitate one of his own, right as Panzlef moved. "At ease. Lieutenant Panzlef will be your information officer. I don't think I need to tell you what an information officer's job is." And it was true, he didn't. Lieutenant Colonel Hughes, an information officer working here in Central, had been one of Ed's best friends. Ed had even wound up helping to deliver Hughes's daughter, though it certainly hadn't been intentional. Ed still felt a tinge of bitterness towards Mustang, who had withheld the fact that Hughes had been murdered from him, in order to deal with Liore. It was Lieutenant Ross, finally, who had told him the horrible truth about his friend in Central.
The last was the man with the rifle slung over his shoulder. Ed felt he could probably guess what this man's talent was. "Last, we have Second Lieutenant Josef Grueder." Like all the others, Grueder was quick on his salute. "Lieutenant Grueder is a sharpshooter, which I am sure you have already figured out. It is always important to have at least one to watch your back." Ed could see Mustang glance at Major Hawkeye for just a moment before he continued, "I know I'm grateful to have mine. Colonel Elric, I've selected these five men to assist you. I've done pretty well for myself on five subordinates, and I trust you can too."
"Wait a second," Ed interrupted. "I still haven't said yes to anything yet. You're going too fast. Frankly, I'm not even sure I need anyone to go with me. I mean, what exactly are you sending me into, general? How bad could it be, compared to what I've already faced?" There was a tinge of paranoia in Ed's mind as he looked at these five that had been prepared for him. He didn't like the idea of military personnel watching his every move.
"Your first mission, colonel, is a bit of a training mission. I want you to get used to working with a team, because that is not your strong point. East City is having some difficulty with chimeras. We believe there may be someone there that is trying to build an army for the insurrectionists, and whatever is happening, there have already been...spills. People have been attacked by these creatures, and I want to send you and your team in to clean it up."
"So why do I have to take a team with me?" Ed argued. "I've faced chimeras before, and I've come out just fine."
"Fifteen at once?" That number took Ed by surprise. "Whoever's doing this, he's no slouch. He's been mass-producing. I want to know why, and I want him shut down, and I don't have time to deal with your anti-social issues." He could hear a slight frustration in Mustang's voice, and it was enough to tell him that he was starting to tick the general off. Ed took that as a small victory on his part, but it wasn't over. He didn't want to have military dogs watching his every move. He didn't trust them well enough for that.
"I'll go there, and I'll shut him down, but I'll do it on my own," Ed argued. "I don't need anyone to go with me, and I work much better when I'm free to do my own thing."
"This is different, and I don't want you to argue this. You're going to need all the help you can get."
"I've never needed help before," Ed insisted. "I have always worked just fine alone. I've never needed any support from you or the military, and you know it." Ed was going on the offensive, he knew, but he knew he was right.
"Yes," Mustang's voice lowered to a whisper, "and that worked out so well for your brother, didn't it?"
The soldiers that lined the walls stood silent, not wanting to get into this dominance battle. The tension that filled the hall after Mustang released those words could be cut with a knife. There was silence, an eerie quiet that crept over everything, and for almost a minute, one could hear a pin drop as the dominance battle raged in silence. Finally, Ed turned away in disgust, walking back down the hall. "Thanks for the office and the promotion, but you can forget it." Mustang's words had stung too deep. He had rubbed salt in a wound Ed was still trying to heal, and the death of his brother was something Ed didn't want to have thrown in his face. He broke into a run, not wanting to be stopped by anyone. Coming back here had been a mistake, and he should have known that.
"Edward!" Mustang called after him, but when he moved to follow, he was stopped by an arm from his left. The soft, delicate fingers that pressed against his chest were fingers he knew so well, and the steely gaze of Major Hawkeye was enough to tell him what she needed to say.
Hawkeye took a deep breath, before she spoke. "Let me go after him, general," she said with a quiet determination. "Another dominance battle between the two of you isn't going to help things. Let me try to talk some sense into him. I know what I'm doing."
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"Edward?" Major Hawkeye stepped softly out the front door, following after the young alchemist. She saw him standing there, just in front of the large, metal gate that shut off Central HQ from the rest of Central City. The gate was open, but he wasn't moving. She could tell there was something on his mind, and it didn't take long to imagine what. "Edward, listen...I'm sorry for what the general said."
She could see Edward's hands clenched in anger, the young colonel fuming over the loss of his only real family. "He hasn't changed. He's still the same sarcastic jerk he's always been, and I don't want to deal with that anymore." Ed spoke his words through clenched teeth, and Hawkeye knew he meant it.
"I know..." she tried to think for a moment, to gather her thoughts. "I know it's hard to see sometimes, and I know he doesn't always say the right thing, but...the general worries about you, Ed." Ed scoffed, and looked as if he were about to say something, but Hawkeye continued. "Do you know how long he's been working on getting this little unit of his approved? Eighteen months, Edward. And he did it specifically because he wanted to bring you back."
Ed looked back over his shoulder, at the major behind him. He could see the truth in her eyes, could feel the sincerity in her voice, but that only made it harder for him. "What does he care? He'll find someone else to fill my slot. I'm sure there are plenty of people here who would be more than willing."
"Not like you," Hawkeye sighed. "The reason Roy went to all this trouble is because he trusts you. Because you were there, at Liore, and you did what you had to do. Because you're not afraid to disobey what you know is an unjust order. That's why he wants you. Because you don't follow orders, and he trusts you more than anyone else here."
Ed sighed. The things Hawkeye was saying...they made sense to him. He was sick of playing these games, that much was certain. Tired of these dominance battles with Mustang, tired of jumping through hoops and trying to help people while the military waits to kick them in the butt as soon as he leaves.
He heard her footsteps behind him, heard Hawkeye step slowly closer to him. "Edward, I know this may be asking a lot, but if you can't trust Roy, then please, trust me. We need you. The State needs you, the people need you. Everyone needs you, because you're the only person we can really trust with this."
As Hawkeye finished, a dull silence fell over the both of them. Ed looked up into the sky, his thoughts soaring like an eagle through the soft clouds above. He wondered, back home, if Rose and Winry were staring at this same sky. If they could see the morning air as he saw it. No...Winry was probably still in bed, he guessed she'd had a long night of raging over his leaving. But Rose...heh, little Al would probably have woken Rose up, if nothing else.
Rose...his thoughts returned, as they had so many times over the past four years, to Liore. She had lost her home, lost...no, there were no words for it. What the military had done in Liore was inexcusable, but...what they had done to Rose...there were simply no words to describe the horror of what Rose had been put through. And he hadn't been there. Maybe...maybe if he could have been there...but he wasn't.
He had spent so long searching on his own. He had disregarded every loyalty he held as a State Alchemist, for the sake of his own journey to find the Philosopher's Stone. He had used them for his own means, and he had walked away. And he had believed he would actually get away with that, but the price had still been paid. So many prices were paid for his disloyalty, he could see that now. Maybe...maybe if he had actually been the soldier, for once, maybe something would have been different. Maybe if he had been there...
Hughes died, and he wasn't there. He was too busy chasing his dreams to the South, and Hughes had paid the price for it. A wife and daughter turned widow, when he might have been able to stop it. He could have been there, could have helped him...maybe then, maybe together, with him and Al, Hughes could have reported his findings. So much could have been stopped so much earlier if he had just stopped dreaming alone and started dreaming with the people that cared for him.
But the greatest example, what would always be one of the worst horrors in the State's history, was Liore. He had left them behind, left Rose behind, and forgotten. He had walked away from the city, believed his work to be done, and never looked back. He could blame the military all he wanted, for not telling him what was happening. But in truth, he never gave them the opportunity. Too busy chasing dreams, too busy searching for answers to questions that were better left unasked. So many had died in Liore, because he had turned his back on it for the sake of his dreams. Rose had suffered, tortured and...and worse...by the very military he had served. He should have known. He would have known if he had only paid more attention.
And what did he have to show for it all? Hughes died, Rose suffered, and what had he gotten in return for his dreams? Just how far had he chased them, what had he earned in place of the duties he had sworn to? His brother was dead. Not bound to a suit of armor, as he had spent the last seven years of his life, but dead and gone. Hughes died, Rose suffered, so that he could watch his brother die.
And here he was now. Maybe...maybe this was his second chance. Al had died so that he could live, but he had wasted the last four years. He had drowned himself in misery and refused to move forward. Aunt Pinako was right, it was time to move on. He had turned his back on the State, seen nothing but what he'd been told to see of them, and refused to believe that any good could be done from their ranks. And in doing so, he had sacrificed any chance of it. There were Roses in the world that needed to be protected. So many Roses were out there, and they were going to suffer if someone didn't do something about it. Maybe this was his calling. But he couldn't do it alone. He needed the resources. He needed the military.
"I'll do it." Those words were all that came from Edward's troubled lips at first. As he turned around to face Major Hawkeye, he saw the smile that slowly formed over her face. He knew she was relieved to hear him, but he had more to say. "But I have a condition. Tell Mustang I'm willing to be his attack dog, if that's what it takes. I'll lead his men. But this is my condition. My men are mine alone. They answer to me, and not to anyone else. If I find out even one of my men is taking orders behind my back, that someone else is working against me from within my own unit, then I walk away and never look back. I will not have another Liore on my hands."
A gentle smile crossed Hawkeye's lips, as she stepped forward. "You're starting to sound like a colonel already," she nodded. Ed watched as she slipped something from her pocket, something small and silver. It only took a second for him to realize what it was, as she took his right hand and deposited it gently in his palm. A sterling silver pocketwatch, with a lion insignia emblazoned across the top. The pocketwatch of the State Alchemist. "It's good to have you back, Fullmetal Alchemist."