Edward impatiently waited, kicking his foot against the leg of his chair. Winry and Alphonse were incredibly nervous as well. The FullMetal Alchemist was used to being in the presence of the ruler of the country; the other two weren't as much. King was kind enough to offer them tea and assorted snacks to help pass the time by. Even he felt the awkward tension in the air.

"So, um, Winry I've heard from Edward beforehand that you've been doing a lot of work in Rush Valley and helping out with automail. How are you liking it there?" King genuinely asked.

Red blush marks appeared on her face; she wasn't half expecting a normal conversation. She half expected the conversation to be about politics. "Well, thank you Furher. I appreciate you giving us drinks and some snacks. But, to answer your question, I quite enjoy it. My parents were the kind of people to lend a hand to those unfortunate; I guess it's something passed along in my blood. I just can't help but pick up a wrench and do something practical to help people out. I would say, I have a bit of a clientele list."

Even though Alphonse couldn't emote facially, he did put his hands together in delight. "That's right, I remember when you helped out Paninya and I've been slowly learning how this stuff works. I'm more of a book person, you can place me in a library and I'll be lost for hours on end. I've been doing a lot reading into alchemy and even alkehestry. Anything that can help Edward out because I know he's had a lot on his plate as of lately. It can't be easy to be both a doctor and alchemist at such a young age." His voice emanated such youth and innocence.

Blond hair perked up, he gave a big grin to his younger brother. "Even if we're separated by distance, the Elric brothers will make sure we not only accomplish our own personal goals, but to help everyone else. An alchemist may be a singular title, but what we do can help dozens if not hundreds of people."

A ring escaped from the Furher's allocated phone. "Would you excuse me for a moment?"

All three motioned to him that it would be okay.

"What's the status with Marcoh's location? Oh, he arrived? That's fantastic to hear. He was escorted by Major General Armstrong? That's even better, I'm a bit surprised to see that she was willing to go with him, I thought one of my own men would do it. Whatever, it doesn't matter. We need him here in the military base as soon as possible. I'm hoping he and Edward can help shed some light onto what's happening."

Edward paid close attention to what King was saying. Is he upset with Olivier being here? No, maybe he's just genuinely shocked to see that she made her way out here from Briggs. It's a bit of a hike and she's not quite as young as me, hehe.

In the back of his mind, Edward couldn't help but chuckle, however he made sure not to do it in front of someone of a high regard.

Doors were opened and he was greeted to the sight of Tim and Olivier. She glanced around the office of the Furher: badges, honors, awards, and even a photo of his family was front and center on his desk. "Furher King Bradley, it has been a bit since we last formally met." Her icy, blue eyes could stab a man, but King was used to many personality types that nothing fazed him.

He smiled at her and offered a friendly gesture. However, he made sure the doors were closed for the private meeting. "Major General Armstrong, I'm very happy to see that you and Marcoh got here safely. As much as I would like to chit chat, I need to hear from both Edward and Tim to understand what is truly happening to my country." His words cut like a sword; he furrowed his brows. However, he realized it would not be the best face to make in a high-stressed situation. "I'm sorry, if someone is supposed to rule a country, one should know what's going on."

For Edward, he always minced his words. "I think you damn know what's going on." His words scorched with a little bit of intensity. "This isn't just some run-of-the-mill virus, no this is something far beyond worse."

Winry and Alphonse didn't know what to say, they didn't want to make the situation any worse.

Edward carried on. "You see, I witnessed the people burning up. No, the burning part isn't the worse of it. In fact, something is causing people to transform into some kind of monster and they have no control. Her skin was covered in white scales and red marks appeared over her body. However, when she tried to fight me and Alphonse her body burst into a giant fireball. Nothing remained, just ashes."

Olivier turned her gaze to the older Elric brother. "You say monster, well I had my own encounter with a monster as well. Except, he had his arm covered in a scythe or axe. He managed to break my hilt in two and even when I tried to stab him, he quickly regenerated, and my sword was temporarily rendered useless. It seems a bit strange, the more and more we fight these beasts they keep on evolving. As if, someone's pulling the strings for these people to change their minds and bodies."

Both of them stared right at Furher, expecting him to react in some negative manner. He managed to keep his calm composure. "Edward, I can assure you that I know nothing what's going on. I can understand you getting all emotionally pent up, I talked to the older sister who lost her younger sister. I assured her that any funeral expenses will be covered."

No one knew how to react to that, but there were a few knocks at the door. King was a bit confused. "Huh, I didn't think anyone else would be joining us. Maybe they have an update. If you would excuse me."

He opened the doors and was a bit perplexed to see the Colonel and Riza. "Colonel Mustang, is there any reason you wanted to interrupt this important meeting? I am a bit perplexed to see why you brought the Lieutenant as well." His words had that tinge of anger.

Roy didn't falter and sat himself on a nearby couch. "You see Furher Bradley, what's really going on with this meeting is that we're gonna expose the truth in here. Plus, I always like to make sure I have eye-witness testimonies."

Winry couldn't believe her ears. Oh my god… I'm just a civilian, but to see someone in the military talk to a leader like that. Something's gonna happen, I can just tell. She kept herself quiet and continued to pay close attention.

King raised an eyebrow, as if some challenge was being presented to him. "The truth huh? Roy, it's kind of hypocritical for you to be talking about the truth when you can incinerate any evidence if you so desire. I wonder if the Flame Alchemist has his own agenda?"

The tension in the air was just palpable. Everyone was either looking right the Furher or keeping any comments to themselves. Somehow, Alphonse managed to finally break the ice. "ENOUGH ALL OF YOU! I'm sick of people arguing like children here! If we want to figure what the hell is going on, let's talk like actual people. Bickering back and forth accomplishes nothing!"

Edward was a bit shocked to see his younger, gentler brother lose his temper. As he recovered, he spoke up, "Alphonse is right. Look, I apologize for what I said. I think we just need to talk things out and see what's going on. I am on the same page that I think we all witnessed people transforming and not much later they ignite like a match."

And just like clockwork, another set of knocks were heard at the door. King didn't even want to look like he was mad. "Please come on in. We can use all the help, I guess."

It was Izumi escorted by Basque, but he didn't want to stick around. "You have fun, I've got my own accords to deal with."

Edward couldn't believe it, to see his teacher at the military base. "Teacher, what are you doing here? I thought you were helping out your husband in Dublith?"

She sighed, she didn't like being in a military base whatsoever. "Well, I hate to say it. But the reports of monsters in Central are true. It happened to me. A young girl who looked like she came out of a hospital, her clothes completely tattered and her face devoid of life, and not soon after when I tried to take care of her, she bolted. I ran after her to make sure she wouldn't run into trouble, when she ended up being some trouble for me."

No one in the room knew what to say or do next. It seemed like anything that came out of their mouths would deal with some wild speculation somewhat rooted in reality. Even Izumi could tell the situation wasn't ideal for anyone. "Look, no one wants to be in position of blaming someone for this or that. So, why don't we start from the top. Edward, I think you have something you want to say."

With a quick flick of his wrist, Edward reached inside his coat for his journal. Marcoh started to bring out the experiments he and Edwards conducted back over in Asbec. Flasks and tubes decorated the nearby coffee table.

Everyone in the room kept any comments or criticisms to themselves, while King enjoyed his favorite tea.

After enough fiddling around, both of the doctors were able to put all together in front of everyone to see.

Riza paid special attention to how the vials were arranged and the graphs Tim hastily taped onto a wall.

Edward wanted to put his best foot forward. "Gather around everyone, these bottles here contain the bodies of the deceased. Well, what remained of their bodies. Even in ashes they still have some DNA, a way to connect to humanity. No matter how much you try to erase something it will build back up. Just like I think all of us have seen when people transform and fight, nothing fazes them. It's as if," he paused for a second, a smirk almost formed on his face. "They're being built like a Homunculus."