I know...I know...It's been almost two years since I updated and it's a small one at that. Real life got extremely busy after that last update. I got a new job and I had to focus all of my time on that. I've got this chapter done and I'm five pages into the next. Expect it sooner rather than later...it won't be two years that I can promise. Anyways...I went back and corrected some errors in the previous chapters. Grammar, continuity, so on and so forth. Things that seemed OOC even for fanfiction or things that just didn't make sense. I'd recommend you go back and read them just to know what was changed. Now then...as is tradition...I shall now make a joke...

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My social life. HA! But seriously I got no friends T.T

I DON'T OWN FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST!

"Those guys? Shit. I didn't think they'd make it past day one. Sure showed me..."- Colonel Elena Parris

Camp Rodger Young

January 10, 1905

Ed winced as his head was again subjected to a pair of scissors wielded by a rough sergeant. He watched in the mirror has his head transformed into something that looked more like a potato than than the head of a sixteen year old. A razor blade came out and a little blood was drawn as the sergeant turned the sides of Ed's head into whitewalls. The sergeant slapped Ed's shoulder when he was done. Ed stood up and steadied himself but the sergeant pushed him.

"Move it recruit! Haven't got all damn day, Beauty Queen!"

Ed winced at the nickname and thought back to less than half an hour before in the transient barracks as he jogged over to where an ever increasing line of potato headed recruits were gathering.

Flashback

Ed awoke to the sound of screaming and crashing. He sat up in bed and found soldiers tossing teenagers out of bed and pushing them into a line in front of their beds. Riza slid off the top of the bed and stood in front of their bed. Ed quickly joined her. A peek to his right revealed Mustang and Hughes had also figured it out quickly. One of the soldiers looked at them and clearly found them unsatisfactory as he sneered and moved over to them and began pushing and pulling their bodies around.

"Hands cupped! Fingers along the seam of your trousers! Heels together and feet at a forty-five degree angle! Stand up straight Goggles!" The sergeant directed the last part at Hughes who seemed bewildered by the nickname. The sergeant walked away and the screaming continued for several minutes until the group of soldiers was satisfied. A tall and broad man bearing the insignia of a captain walked inside the barracks. His blond hair gave way to a hard face and severe jaw line.

"I am Captain Charles Jackson, your recruit training officer! I am in command of this training company! You will address me as Captain or Sir at all times! You will address the cadre next to me as Sergeant or sir at all times! Is that clear?!"

Several shouts of confirmation came from the recruits.

"Sound off you miserable little shits!"

Ed and Riza joined in this time. The barracks was louder this time.

"Sir, yes sir!"

"Louder!"

The barracks rocked with sound as over one hundred recruits screamed with all of the air in their lungs.

"SIR, YES SIR!"

The captain turned around and waved the instructor cadre over. In front of all of them was a short woman with the stripes of a Sergeant Major on her shoulders.

"I am Sergeant Major Elena Parris! You will address me as Sergeant Major or Ma'am! Turn towards the rear of the barracks and move towards the door! Follow the yellow footprints! Move fuckers we don't have all day!"

The recruits entered the door and found themselves in what looked like the Army's interpretation of a barber shop. Parris turned around and pointed at Edward, seemingly because of his long hair.

"Beauty Queen! You're up first! Sit down!"

Ed sat down and felt a pit in his stomach as a large sergeant took out scissors.

Present

Ed stood next to Riza and almost laughed at her face. Riza had been a tomboy for a few years now, but having her hair cut like this still grated on her. She had received exactly the same haircut as Edward. White walls and one inch of hair on top. So degrading.

'Though I suppose that's the point.' Riza shrugged internally as she was too frightened to move at the moment lest one of the cadre find a reason to stab her with scissors. Before long all of the recruits were in the line, which was slowly moving through the door. Through the door they found room stacked with boxes. A sergeant was directing females to the left and males to the right. Edward found himself in front of an instructor and the man looked him up and down before saying,

"Small."

Ed twitched but was cut off when a pile of clothes was thrown at him and he was pushed along by the recruit behind him. Next a pair of boots was dropped on top of his new clothes and he was forced through a door where he found a multitude of recruits stripping and pulling on their newly issued clothing. Ed pulled on the blue and black fatigues and was given a paper bag. He stuffed all of the things he'd arrived with, including clothing, inside and a sergeant took it from him and wrapped it in twine before writing, Elric, E. Division 142. The bag was dropped in a box and Ed was directed out of a door on the other side of the room. He joined a line of recruits in clothing identical to his. Blue fatigues, heavy black boots, and a blue patrol cap. Everyone's cap had a small black R on the front and RECRUIT was written across the back of their fatigue jackets and undershirts.

This process went on for what seemed like hours until finally there 152 tired, bruised, and confused recruits standing in a big group outside waiting for orders on what to do next.

"Company, fall in!"

The recruits looked towards where the shout originated and Captain Jackson was standing on a crate. He waved them over. They all gathered around. He looked at them with contempt.

"I said, fall in. That means in formation…" He looked as if something had dawned on him.

"Oh yeah, I forgot. You're just kids playing dress up. That's ok. I came prepared! Sergeant Major! Unfuck these recruits!"

Edward felt a shiver go up his spine as he heard Sergeant Major Parris start bellowing orders at the back of the crowd of teenagers. The other cadre members were forcing the recruits into something resembling a company formation. Ed found himself in the middle next to Andrea Barrett. He was astonished to find that the ravenette looked cool as could be. Focused on what was going on and directing other recruits into formation. The innuendo spouting teenager was gone and a driven woman had replaced her. Andrea turned to Ed and shoved him into line.

"Elric! Get right here! Next to Hawkeye! That's right! Move it guys!" Barrett quickly jumped into line herself when the Sergeant Major made her way to the front of the formation. Everyone was quiet as the captain looked at them and then sighed.

"Well I guess that's as good as we're gonna get at the moment. More of a gaggle of retards in the shape of a square than soldiers in formation but whatever. Pay attention! I'm gonna explain to you how this works!"

Jackson gestured around him.

"Everything you see around me? That's Camp Rodger Young! You'll come to know and respect the name! Now! We're starting day one ladies! Behind me you'll find a bell! Ring it and your training is over. We'll send you home in a gift wrapped fruit basket, back to mommy and daddy. But you can't ever come back! No retries! No do-overs! Any of you who feel like this ain't for you, feel free to ring out now!" The captain crossed his arms and watched the group for movement. No one moved and the captain nodded.

"Alright. We'll see how you feel in a few hours. Sergeant Major! Take'em out!"

As the Sergeant Major began to instruct on the finer points of marching Ed took a long look at that bell. He didn't really want to be here. He was here because Riza was here. That was all...but now...now...he'd been issued a challenge. Ed smirked as he listened intently to Parris' commands and followed closely along with his unit.

Camp Rodger Young

January 24, 1905

The rifle bucked in Edward's shoulder as he squeezed off another round. Maria Ross was to his left with a spotting scope.

"Impact to the right of the target."

Ed adjusted the knob on his sights slightly before settling behind the rifle again. Maria nodded when Ed's bullet punched a hole in the ring just outside the bullseye.

"On target."

They'd been at Rodger Young for two weeks and Ed was finally getting used to not sleeping and being abused at all hours of the day and night. At the end of the first day ten recruits rang the bell and were shipped home and at the end of the week It hadn't gotten easier though.

Today they were on the firing range making use of the M1 rifles they'd been issued on their first day. The heavy rifles had been their constant companions since they'd gotten them. They marched with them, ate with them, and slept with them.

It wasn't all physical though. A good portion had been classroom stuff as well. So far just basic things like grooming standards, drill, and the phonetic alphabet, but classroom nonetheless.

Ed fired again and again until the sights on his rifle were zeroed. He then sighed and switched places with Maria as the young woman picked up her rifle and laid down in a prone position. She settled her rifle on a stack of sandbags and got comfortable behind it as Ed adjusted the spotting scope for himself.

"Set up. Fire when ready."

Maria fired her first round and Ed winced when it didn't hit within his field of view.

"Didn't see it. Again."

The rifle barked as it jolted her and Ed blinked as dust kicked up the left of the target.

"Impact to the left of the target."

Maria adjusted her sights before firing again.

"Impact to the right of the target."

Maria tried again and hit the bottom left corner of the paper, but she wasn't within the target circle.

"Bottom left."

Again and again Maria fired until she had exhausted two magazines of ammunition without landing a single round on target.

"Problem, recruit?"

Maria's blood turned to ice as the Sergeant Major's voice sounded from behind her. Maria turned around and looked at Parris and tried to stand up, but the Sergeant Major waved her off.

"Why are you wasting my ammo, recruit?"

Maria froze and then looked at Ed, desperately.

"I'm waiting, recruit."

Maria turned.

"Ma'am, this recruit is having difficulty getting her rifle zeroed ma'am."

The sergeant major didn't look impressed.

"Oh? Let me see."

Maria safed the weapon and then handed it to Parris who stepped up to the line.

"Eyes on the spotter, Beauty Queen."

Ed didn't even grimace at the name anymore. He just put his eye up to the scope.

"Ma'am, on spotter. Eyes on target, ma'am."

The rifle barked once and a hole appeared in the target.

"On target. Right of the bullseye."

The sergeant major adjusted the sights once and then brought the rifle to her shoulder again. The rifle barked three times in a row and Ed's eyes almost boggled at three holes punched in the center of the target. Parris safed the rifle and handed it back to Ross.

"Seems to be working fine, recruit. Don't suck so much ass."

Maria laid back down and kept shooting. She never punched the center but her skills progressed throughout the range time until a whistle blew and the sergeant called for the recruits to safe their weapons and turn in their ammunition. Maria and Ed checked their weapons for live rounds before turning on the safeties and walking towards the truck serving as the ammo dump. They walked down the firing line to where several fuel drums surrounded by sandbags had been set up. The fuel drums were full of sand and a hole had been cut in the top. Ed put the muzzle of his rifle in the drum and pulled the trigger, only getting a click. As Ross ensured her weapon was empty as well, Ed turned over his spare ammo clips to the instructor in charge of collecting the ammunition. He had begun to walk over to disassemble their spotting scope when a gunshot split the air. Ed whirled to see a recruit standing in front of a fuel drum. He had his rifle in the drum and was pale as a ghost as the instructors collapsed on him. The rifle was ripped from his hands and the smoke session began as the instructors all exercised their vocal chords at once.

"This motherfucker here-!"

"Type to fuckin' kill someone-"

And of course the classic.

"Stupid fucking pissant!"

Ed shook his head and began to disassemble the scope.

"Down!"

Riza slowly let herself descend towards the ground until her arms were a perfect L- shape.

Up!"

"Ten, Sergeant!" Riza grunted as she pushed herself back up from the floor. The instructor in front of her watched her every move. The sergeant had demanded push ups from Riza after she had averted her eyes from him in formation.

"Eleven, Sergeant!"

"Twelve, Sergeant!"

A hand appeared next to her as Ed assumed a position for push ups as well. Hawkeye didn't dare look at him or the instructor. She didn't move at all in fact.

"Why'd you stop, Princess?! Taking a break?! Well alright we're gonna start over from zero now that you're good and refreshed. Down! "

As Riza descended, Edward followed suit.

"Up!"

As they came up together, they shouted as one.

"One, Sergeant!"

The other recruits remained standing as the duo pumped out their push ups.

Outside of Camp Rodger Young

Mount Riviere

February 7, 1905

Ed and Riza panted as they continued to run up the gravel road. Their M1's and rucksacks were quickly getting heavier, but they didn't slow down. Ed looked at Hawkeye out of the corner of his eye. His friend was pouring sweat. He could tell that she was tired, but was refusing to slow down. Ed turned his eyes forward and grunted in irritation and exertion as they turned another switch back and headed for the top of Mount Riviere.

"Agreed." Riza's voice was hoarse but when Ed turned to look at her a ghost of a smile was on her face. Despite himself Ed chuckled, sending himself into a coughing fit. He didn't stop running so neither did Riza, but his friend was running closer to him now, prepared to catch him. He looked down the rocky mountain to where a whole battalion of recruits was strung out all over the mountain, instructors standing on large boulders or in watchtowers, monitoring them all. Ed and Riza turned the final switchback.

"You ok, Ed?" Riza adjusted her ruck to a more comfortable position and moved her fingers so that sweat would stop running down her rifle.

"I'm fine."

Riza scowled at her friend for lying , but kept running. As they came to the top of the mountain they found a flat area on top. A stone the size of a truck was in the middle of it all and Captain Jackson was sitting on top of it. As the recruits ran towards their goal Jackson held a hand up in the air. An object was in his grasp.

"That bastard has water…" Riza stepped up her pace to keep up with Ed. The former alchemist grunted in pain as his legs began to throb again. They'd gone numb on the way up, but now he was slowing down and feeling was coming back.

"He's got ice in it to…"

"Bastard…" Edward and Riza mumbled as they came to a stop in front of the boulder and touched it. Jackson actually smiled at them.

"Congratulations, kids! First to the top, and in under forty-five minutes to. That might be a battalion record...have to find out."

The smile turned wicked.

"Now...first to the top...first to the bottom…"

Edward and Riza groaned aloud as they both began to turn.

"What was that sound recruits?"

Ed and Riza both came to attention and faced Jackson.

"Sir, we groaned, sir." Ed barked in his most respectful tone. Jackson sneered at them.

"Tired, huh? If you ain't first to the bottom, you don't eat tonight. Go."

Ed and Riza turned and sprinted away from the boulder and their commanding officer. As they were starting to head down Roy Mustang crested the mountain and started towards the boulder. He looked at them both over his shoulder.

'Them? Those two were the first to the top?'

"Roy! I'm so tired!" Hughes complained as he ran behind Mustang.

"Keep running! We're almost finished!"

Edward, down the hill and almost out of ear shot of Roy's shout, caught the last part and snorted with a smirk on his face.

"Halfway done, Golden Boy…"

Riza snorted as they turned the first corner on the way down.

It was late in the day when Ed and Riza were found sitting on their rucksacks panting. Riza took a sip from her canteen and passed it to Edward, who sipped as well.

"Holy shit!" Edward handed the canteen back to Riza. The girl poured a little water on her neck and nodded before agreeing.

"Holy shit…"

"Mind if we join you?"

Ed and Riza looked up to see Mustang standing in front of them, M1 in hand. Riza and Ed looked at each other before Riza gestured for Mustang to do whatever he liked. Roy dropped his rucksack and sat on it, imitating the duo. He took the canteen proffered to him by Edward and took a swig before sighing and looking at the blondes.

"So what's the story with you two?"

Riza shrugged.

"Not much to tell. Grew up in Central together. Our parents died at about the same time so we got dumped in the same orphanage. Got dumped out of the orphanage and the Army was offering three hots and a cot..."

Mustang seemed a little uncomfortable before nodding.

"Orphans, huh?"

Edward rolled his eyes.

"That's all you got out of that?"

Mustang chuckled.

"No I was just saying that could form a club."

Riza and Ed looked at each other then back at Mustang before beginning to snicker.

Riza looked at Mustang.

"What about you, Mustang?"

Roy looked at them and then nodded.

"I joined the military to protect people. I'm an alchemist, you see. Our motto is that we are always to be for the people, so I thought what better way to do that than to protect the country?"

Ed raised an eyebrow.

"State Alchemist, huh? Why aren't you in officer school?"

Mustang grunted as his shoulder popped when he flexed it.

"I had the option of greasing straight for officer or going through basic training first. I decided that I'd better go through basic. Not gonna be much of an officer if I can't do the things my men can…"

Ed and Riza nodded, accepting that reasoning. A large group of recruits jogged into the staging area and began giving out their names to the instructors timing the run. Mustang stood.

"It was good meeting you. I'd better get back to Hughes before he does something stupid like hit on the Sergeant Major."

A shiver ran up the blondes spines at the thought of the Sergeant Major's reaction to that.

"See ya, Mustang…" the duo said simultaneously as they stood up themselves. Mustang ran and climbed into a truck with Hughes who greeted him with a grin and a wave. Ed and Riza headed for the trucks themselves and were astonished to see them drive away, leaving the two recruits behind. The trucks were driving back to Camp Rodger Young, a little over a mile away in the distance. The few dozen recruits still trickling into the staging area were all groaning and complaining at the fact they had to walk all the way now.

"Are you serious? That's fuckin' twice…"

Ed turned and Andrea Barrett was standing there with her rifle balanced on her hip glaring after the trucks. Ed eyed the insignia of recruit squad leader on her shoulders and then turned his eyes back towards the trucks.

"Did those assholes just leave half the battalion out here without resupply? Jackson is such a dick..." Riza sighed as shook her empty canteen forlornly.

Andy looked at Riza with sudden mischief in her eyes.

"Hehe...Parris is screwed…"

Every recruit within earshot, and there were dozens, turned to look at Andy.

"Captain Jackson was still at the top of the mountain waiting for the last couple stragglers when I left."

Andy burst into laughter. It spread quickly and before long a full company of recruits were laughing at the titanic screw up of their seemingly unflappable Sergeant Major.

"What's so funny, kids?"

Every recruit came to attention instantly as Captain Jackson walked into the staging area. He looked around as if searching for something and then looked towards Rodger Young where the last of the trucks was pulling through the gate. He took on a bored look.

"Oh that's great. Well...let's get walking kids. I was the last man off the mountain."

The captain walked onto the road leading towards camp and turned around before coming to attention.

"Fall in!"

The hundred something teens quickly formed into ranks in front of Jackson.

"Right, face!"

There was a clatter of boots as the recruits turned together.

"I'll be damned...y'all almost looked like soldiers when you did that…"

Despite himself Edward felt pride at the praise from the captain.

"Anyway...Forward! March!"

There was another clatter of boots as the recruits began marching down the road. As Ed focused on staying on step with the rest of the unit Jackson bellowed into the air.

"Alright, kids! Try this one on for size! In cadence!"

"Mama, mama, can't you see?!"

Edward repeated the words in a yell.

"What this Army's done for me?!"

The recruits bellowed their return.

"Put me in a barber's chair! Snip, snap, and I had no hair!"

A little laughter was mixed in with the return.

"And if I die in a combat zone!"

No laughter that time. Edward glanced at Riza out of the corner of his eye and found her eyeing him with a smile. Captain Jackson had never cadenced them before. All he'd ever let them do was shout which foot they were on.

"Box me up and ship me home!"

Edward finished the rest of the cadence with the rest of the troops as they marched towards home under the light of the rising moon.

So that's how it goes. The next chapter will be up sooner or later. I won't give an exact time frame because I think you guys would probably just doubt my words, haha. It's been real home dog! Dog of the military that is!

Microzombie