Okay, so to calm you people down a bit: Harold is staying with Alphonse in the bunker after they brought Fredricks there. And just to make sure, both Isaacs and Fredricks are currently tied to a chair each.

Chapter twenty-five

Carl was a bit unnerved. He knew that it was two in the morning, yet he hadn't gone home. No, they were all meeting here instead. At least a lot of them. The ones here in East City that were at risk if Isaacs did something stupid and told the Führer about their organisation. They were fifteen in total.

"Listen, people, if we're about to get taken out, I suggest that we go out with a bang!" General Stephens said.

There was a lot of mutterings at that, but they were mostly in favour of doing things this way. They had a noble cause and it was better to die a martyr than a coward. There would be more after them. Isaacs wouldn't be able to name all of their members. They were too big.

"I suggest we lie in wait at the train station. With a bit of luck, we can kill Isaacs before he gets going. The next train to Central leaves at six o'clock after all. We'll be able to take him if he gets there," Carl said.

It was a unanimous vote.

Ed had a feeling that something was wrong the moment he woke up. He was still lying with his head on Dad's lap, but there were urgent whispers and Dad was tense. Ed sat up, finding that all movement had returned to his limbs. He looked around the room where Hawkeye, Greg, Ezra and Angela were standing right in front of them. They had clearly been having a whispered conversation in order not to wake him up.

Ed turned around to look at Dad, his eyes were flashing with worried anger.

"What's going on?" Ed asked, swinging his legs over the edge of the couch and sitting up next to Dad. "What's wrong?"

"It's not an option. Use Isaacs himself," Dad said, ignoring Ed. Or maybe he was trying to just keep Ed out of the conversation.

"Isaacs is too old, he hasn't been in the field for thirty years," Greg said, looking apologetic. "We can't risk him, he's the only way to get to the root of these bastards."

"You're not using Ed as bait," Dad growled.

Oh, so that's it.

Ed knew that Dad had got angry about Ed being bait even when he was still just "The Colonel", but now he was pissed off that someone was even suggesting it. Dad had got a lot more protective these last few months, but now he seemed to have reached an almost over-protective level.

"I'm sorry, General, but we're in a fix. Ed is the only one who can create enough of a diversion now that things have gone the way they have."

"I'm not letting you risk his life. I've already lost him once, I'm not going to do it again. He nearly died yesterday because you guys didn't know that they had a guy here!"

"Do I have a say in this?" Ed said.

Dad turned sharply towards him, "No!"

"Would you at least let me know exactly what is going on?"

"We're not going to ambush the bastards at their homes, because they're already ready to ambush General Isaacs at the train station. They think that he'll be taking the six o'clock train. We need to lure them out so that we can get the upper hand despite being fewer in numbers," Greg said, looking worried and a bit exasperated with Dad.

"Of course I can do that," Ed said. That sounded a bit fun to be honest. "I'd like to see their faces once they realise that I'm not dead."

"There's no way in hell that I'm letting you do that!" Dad said.

Ed turned towards him. "I won't die! I've been in a lot of dangerous situations like that and I've come out safely!"

"Yes, but back then you still had your alchemy and could stop bullets with stone walls! Things are different now! I won't let you!"

"You can't tell me not to help these guys capture those bastards!"

"I can because I'm your father!"

Everyone in the room froze. Dad was still looking angrily at Ed though. Ed didn't really know what to say to that. He couldn't react angrily to that because he was actually touched. A part of him really just wanted to hug Dad for saying that. Ed had never had anyone try to boss him around by saying those words.

Dad seemed to understand what Ed was thinking though, because next second his face softened slightly and he pulled Ed into a hug instead. "I can't lose you again."

Ed hugged him back. "I get that, I really do, but we need to get these bastards so that they can't hurt anyone else."

"Then I'm going with you. And you're getting a gun."

Ed really didn't want to shoot anyone, even if he was actually a pretty good shot. He'd received shooting lessons from Hawkeye herself after all.

"I'm not shooting anyone. I'd rather use a sword."

"Then you're getting both. You need to be prepared to shoot if you're in a tight spot."

"I'm not killing anyone, no matter what."

"You're still getting a gun."

"Fine, Dad."

They were sitting in the back of a truck, Ed now equipped with a sword and a gun. He didn't exactly know where Walter had got all this stuff from, but once they were done getting Fredricks, Walter came with this truck loaded with weapons.

"This is what you guys did on the Promised Day, wasn't it?" Ed asked.

"Yep," Dad answered.

"Although you were getting ready to storm Central HQ back then. This time we're getting these racist bastards out of hiding in a train station. And we're not fighting those Ouroboros guys." Ed had begun referring to the homunculi this way when speaking about the Promised Day in order not to say anything that technically had a gag order on it. "I'd say that the odds are more in our favour this time."

"Maybe so, but you're not to take this matter any lighter because of it. We're still outnumbered and outgunned."

"But at least you've got your alchemy. You can just burn them to a crisp if you want to."

"That may be, but I'm still not bulletproof. And neither are you." He said the last part rather strictly.

"You know, you're being really pessimistic about this."

Dad sighed. "I'm just telling you that Greg's informant recognised at least fifteen officers walking into the station and we know that each and every one of them won't hesitate to kill you in order to silence you."

" – which is why we're smuggling Hawkeye upstairs onto the balcony with a sniper rifle," Ed reminded him.

"Edward, even I can't take out fifteen people if they decide to shoot you all at once," Hawkeye said, looking at him from where she was sitting across from them.

"So you think I'm gonna die?" Ed said, sighing with their pessimism.

Dad put a hand on his shoulder. Ed turned back to him. "Like I said, Ed, I won't let you. We just want you to take care so that you don't get shot."

"Fine."

"Good," Dad said, pulling Ed into a sideways hug. They sat like that for the next five minutes until the car pulled to a stop and Greg and Walter threw open the doors and jumped inside.

"Okay, here's how it's going to work," Greg began, putting blueprints of the train station down on top of a wooden crate between them. "The train in question is a cargo train, which is probably why they think General Isaacs will be on it. There won't be any other trains leaving before eight, which means that the station will be practically devoid of civilians. The train will be leaving from platform three at six o'clock, so in twenty-five minutes. I suggest that Ed and General Mustang walk in through the main entrance five minutes after Captain Hawkeye is positioned on the balcony here." He pointed towards the most strategic point for a sniper to be placed. "None of the officers involved are snipers, so there is no point for any of them to be placed up there, but you should be careful all the same, Captain."

Hawkeye nodded once.

"The most likely positions for them will probably be these five spots, although it's likely that they have lookouts." He began making a few red crosses on the blueprints. "Me, Ezra, Angela and Walter will take these four spots to cover you, but you two will have to draw the fire first, so it's really just up to you two." He looked at Ed and Dad. "So good luck, gentlemen."

"Sure! Let's kick some ass!" Ed said.