Chapter Eleven

JJ and Hotch walked back into the conference room they'd been working out of to find the two alchemists sitting on the couch talking, surrounded by copies of the case files. The two Amestrians hadn't noticed them enter the room, so JJ and Hotch took the opportunity to study the two alchemists when they weren't aware they had an audience. They couldn't hear what the two were talking about, but whatever the topic, it was clearly interesting. Both alchemists had a sparkle in their eyes like they were enjoying it, but their body language read like they were arguing about something. They also looked completely relaxed, which was different from when they were around the team. Any time anyone from the BAU was around the two alchemists there was a thread of tension running through them, as if their military training had been so ingrained in them that they felt like they were in enemy territory.

Just the fact that they were now relaxed, when they were unaware of Hotch and JJ's presence in the room was enough to confirm that the two alchemists still didn't trust them completely, which they both understood. Even though the alchemists had provided valuable assistance on this case, they had only known each other for a few days. Given the things that the Colonel had told them about the Promised Day and the corruption of their military, it wasn't surprising that they would have some difficulty in trusting agents of another country's government, especially in the span of only a few days. JJ remembered that Mustang had mentioned to Reid that it had taken nearly five years before he was able to have a pleasant conversation with Edward, so trust was clearly something they didn't give easily.

Of course, to be fair, they couldn't claim that they fully trusted the two alchemists yet, either. So the lack of trust from Mustang and Edward wasn't something they could take personally. JJ decided to interrupt the arguing alchemists before she and Hotch got caught spying on them.

"Hey, it's good to see you up, Edward. How are you feeling?" she asked, walking over to the chair closest to the couch and barely managing to hide a small smile over the fact that she made both alchemists jump slightly at her interruption.

"Hey, Agent Jareau. I'm good; I just need to rest until we get an exact location on Harding." He smiled at her, an expression which JJ reciprocated.

"That's great! You had us a little worried for a while. Do you want some breakfast, or some coffee at least?" She had been worried about the teen and now that she knew he was going to be okay; her mothering side was starting to come out. She knew the others joked about her being the team mom, but she didn't mind.

Edward scratched the back of his head, grinning a little sheepishly. "Actually, that would be great. I'm starving."

"Big surprise," Mustang muttered loud enough to be heard by both blonds.

"Oh, shut it, you!" Edward snapped, immediately on the defensive.

JJ decided to shift Ed's focus back to food before an argument could break out. "What would you like to eat, Ed?"

Edward's attention immediately returned to JJ as he thought about it. "Do you guys have pancakes here?" he asked hopefully. JJ's nod made him very happy. "Could I have some pancakes and black coffee, please?" He could feel Mustang's bemused look aimed at him, but he refused to pay it any attention. He was about to get pancakes that weren't made by a stressed and exhausted Winry or an armoured Al! He loved both of them to bits but being overtired or having no sense of smell made them very bad pancake cooks.

JJ smiled. "Pancakes and coffee it is. Hotch, Colonel? Do you want anything different?" Both men shook their heads and so she left to make some phone calls and find a place that delivered pancakes.

With his focus off of food for the moment, Edward turned his attention to Hotch. "Did you guys find anything new while I was out?" he asked, leaning back into the couch. Mustang was also waiting for Hotch's reply.

"We've had a few tips come in that sounded promising and were in the area you indicated, Ed, so we've been following up with those. Garcia is checking every camera she can access for footage of him, trying to trace his route from the park to where he's currently hiding. Morgan, Rossi, and Reid struck out with their search, and they're on their way back now. Prentiss was following up on something, so I'm waiting for her to call in with her report. We're closing in on him. I can feel it. You should both rest up while you can. I have a feeling we'll need your help very soon."

Mustang and Ed both nodded. This sort of briefing was what they were used to, Mustang more than Ed, since Ed generally got his briefings directly from Mustang and they usually ended up yelling at each other until Al intervened or Hawkeye her gun, whichever came first. Ed stretched hugely and made himself comfortable; continuing his self-assigned mission to read all the case files while Mustang and Hotch exchanged more words, content to wait for his pancakes.

A few minutes later, Reid, Rossi and Morgan entered the conference room to find Edward surrounded by the case files. Mustang had left the couch and moved over to the table where he and Hotch were talking quietly while Hotch was working on the official profile that they would need to submit with their case report. The new arrivals greeted the two alchemists and expressed their relief that Edward was awake and feeling better before taking seats around the conference table.

"Edward, do you mind if I ask you a couple of questions?" Reid ventured after they gave their verbal reports to Hotch about their canvass results.

"Sure, what's up?" Edward asked, setting aside the file he was looking at and giving his attention to Reid.

"Why do you sometimes clap before you start your alchemy, and other times you have to draw out the array before you transmute?"

Edward paused for a moment, debating how to answer that question. He saw Mustang glance at him with a carefully blank expression that he could only read because they knew each other so well. It was their experiences with human transmutation that had given them the ability to perform alchemy by clapping through activating an internal array. For the most part, Mustang didn't use the ability even though he had it, since his transmutation circle was embroidered on his ignition gloves and he still needed the gloves in order to spark the fire.

"Clapping to perform alchemy is…an extremely difficult and very advanced alchemic technique," Ed said carefully. "Instead of drawing an array out, the alchemist activates an internal array, and the transmutation circle is formed when the hands are placed together and the power circulates through the alchemist. The difficulty is making sure that the alchemist clearly pictures, in full and exact detail, what the array needs to look like. Because of the detail that's required for advanced transmutations, the risk of a rebound is greater with the internal array. Most alchemists don't have the capability to learn it, but my brother and I can both do it. We first learned about the skill from our Teacher, and I figured out the technique a year after we finished our training with her. It took Al a few years to master, but he eventually learned it too."

"So if you can do it, why do you still draw some of them out?" Reid asked. "You drew out the array you used to make the dagger and the array you used for your trial run of the tracking array, but you clapped to transmute the wall in the parking lot and when you tracked Harding from the park. Is it easier to do in a stressful situation?"

Edward shook his head. "No, at least not for me. I've been able to do the clapping transmutations since I was twelve. For me, it's more natural to clap to transmute than it is to draw an array out. When we first got here and I made that dagger out of the table, I was trying to keep the full extent of our abilities secret in case it turned out that we couldn't trust any of you. When Harding attacked us in the parking lot of the hotel, it was just instinct that caused me to clap and the fact that I couldn't have drawn a circle quickly enough to block the attack. Teacher drilled Al and I to be able to draw circles quickly, but it still takes a few seconds, and when we were attacked, I didn't have enough time to draw an array. Whenever I use a brand-new array for the first time, I usually draw out the array because it helps me identify any potential flaws and potentially avoid a rebound. After the trial run of the tracking array succeeded, I felt confident enough to clap to transmute when I tracked Harding from the park."

He shrugged. "Clapping or drawing the array out are both valid ways of doing alchemy, but the clapping method is just exceedingly rare and difficult to master. It was another reason why I was able to become a state alchemist. The Führer was impressed that I had the skill and no doubt thought that it would be beneficial to the military if I ever had to go out on the front line, so I'm sure that it swayed him in my favour when I was certified, considering I was so young."

"Huh." Reid looked thoughtful. "That does make sense. You have an exceedingly rare skill, and it would be something that would be valuable to the military."

Edward nodded. "The military actually got access to two alchemists with that ability, since my brother's been travelling with me ever since I joined the military, even though Al didn't know how to transmute by clapping until I'd been in the military for three years."

Reid smiled. "Thank you for answering my question, Ed."

Ed smiled back. "Sure, Dr. Reid. It's nice to get to talk to someone who's so observant. With the exception of the rest of Mustang's team and a few others, most of the soldiers I've worked with aren't very observant when it comes to alchemy, and it can get frustrating sometimes."

Reid's smile turned into a knowing look. "I know what that's like. Sometimes it's hard to talk to people who don't see the world the same way we do."

Edward nodded and shifted his position on the couch a little, pushing himself more upright and ignoring the glare Mustang sent in his direction.

"I swear, getting you to rest when you're recovering is a mission in itself, Fullmetal," Mustang grumbled. "How Alphonse ever puts up with you, I have no idea. I'm surprised he hasn't tried to tie you to the bed whenever you get injured."

Edward snarled at him in response. "Don't mock our relationship bastard. Exhausted or not, I'll put you through the outer wall of this building and out onto the street."

"Alphonse is your brother, right?" Reid interjected, hoping to prevent a fight between the two alchemists.

Edward blinked and nodded. "Yeah. He's a year younger than I am. Why?"

"How is he doing? Is he going to recover from his stay in the hospital?"

Edward blinked. "Huh? How'd you know that Al was in the hospital?"

"You mentioned it when you were explaining how you got to our dimension," Reid said. "You said that Colonel Mustang came to Al's hospital room to ask for your help."

"Oh." Ed's expression shifted and his face softened a little as he thought about his brother's long recovery. "Yeah, he's recovering, but it's going to take a while."

"What happened to him?" Hotch asked, curiously. "Is he sick, or injured?"

"A little of both, actually," Ed admitted, his face going neutral. "During the coup, he was fighting alongside us to save the country and he ended up sacrificing himself to save my life."

"Wait…he died?" Morgan asked. "Were the doctors able to resuscitate him?"

Edward shook his head. "He used alchemy. After the battle was over, I performed a transmutation to see Truth and I made a bargain with it. If it would give Al back to me, I'd owe it a favour that it could cash in any time. Truth accepted the bargain and gave Al back, but he was really weak. The transmutation took a lot of out of him and he's been recovering really slowly. He's gotten sick a couple of times during his stay in the hospital because of how badly he was drained by the transmutations, and that's just been prolonging his recovery."

"I thought you said that raising the dead was the greatest taboo an alchemist could commit?" Hotch mentioned.

"It is," Ed agreed. "But I'm not the one who brought him back. I just made the bargain with Truth. Truth is the closest thing there is to an alchemy god, so the rules are a little different for it, I guess."

The agents looked thoughtful, and perhaps a little uneasy. After all, it wasn't every day that a teenager mentioned that he had come face to face with God, or a god-like being, anyway.

"It doesn't really matter at this point." Edward shrugged. "There's not much I can do about it except be there for him and help him through it. We're both just glad to be alive, considering the way things could have gone."

His expression made it clear that he wouldn't welcome any further discussion on the topic and the agents wisely turned their attention back to their profile notes. Mustang looked at Edward with a carefully neutral expression, but he knew that his sympathy and concern was in his eyes when Ed's own expression softened slightly. He knew all too well the sorts of emotions that Edward was feeling in regard to his brother. There would always be some guilt over the human transmutation that had trapped Al in a suit of armour for nearly five years, but there was also relief that their quest had come to an end and Al was back into his human body again. And of course there was concern and worry over Al's physical and mental health while he was recovering.

Eventually, Edward would have to start taking missions again, since he was still a State Alchemist, but after everything the brothers had been through, Mustang was doing everything he could to give the two of them time to heal and recover. He turned his attention back to the agents, listening quietly as they worked on finalizing the profile that they would submit along with their final case report.

An hour later saw a very happy, well-fed, and well-rested Edward. JJ had had the foresight to order enough pancakes and coffee to feed twenty people, but after Ed was done with them, there were just enough to feed everyone else, a fact that amused everyone, even if the agents were a little surprised by just how much food Edward was able to put away.

Prentiss had called in while they were eating to let Hotchner know that she was on her way back. She'd located a homeless woman who had told her where Harding was supposed to be holed up, and she and three regular patrol officers had staked the place out, hoping to get a glimpse of the man so that they had solid evidence he was there. Once they confirmed that he was there, she'd notified Garcia of her location so that the analyst could keep an eye on him with the city's security cameras while she made her way back to the station so they could come up with a plan to arrest him.

She rejoined the team twenty minutes after calling in. Reid was the first one to notice her, greeting her from where he was sitting next to Edward, who was currently reading a rather thick book.

"So you're a reader, Edward?" she asked as she moved over to the table and accepted one of the remaining containers of pancakes that JJ held out to her.

Edward nodded. "Al and I grew up reading our father's library of alchemy books, and whenever Mustang didn't have a mission for me, we spent most of our time researching new alchemic techniques in the libraries in East City and Central."

"Colonel Mustang mentioned that Ed had snuck out of their room last night and borrowed books from the hotel's lost and found," Rossi said with a chuckle. "Reid decided that just wouldn't do, so he's letting Edward read the book he had in his messenger bag."

"Other than the people who have been bringing food, it's the nicest thing anyone has done for me," Edward declared.

Prentiss laughed and quickly finished her pancake. Now that they knew where Harding was, there wasn't any time to waste. The last thing they wanted was for him to realise that his hiding place had been discovered and move so that they had to track him down again. "All right, well, three officers and I located Harding about two miles from the crime scene. After a quick stake-out, I can confirm that he's inside an older building, one that looks to be shut down or used by squatters. We didn't see any evidence that anyone else is there, but it is a large building so we can't be certain. I don't think that there will be any chance of a hostage situation or that he's armed with the gun he used on Edward's double, but we should still consider him to be such, especially if Edward is right and he does have a Philosopher's Stone."

"We should probably put SWAT on standby –" Morgan began, but Edward shook his head.

"We can't. I don't know what SWAT is, but Mustang and I can handle Harding – we're the only ones who can. That's the reason why the Truth sent us here. We also can't let the knowledge of alchemy or our home dimension be revealed any further than this group."

"Fullmetal is right," Mustang concurred. "The fact that some of the local officers have already seen where Harding is already complicates things immensely. They'll wonder where he went after we bring him back to Central and why he's not being prosecuted here in your country."

"But if he does have a Philosopher's Stone, will the two of you be enough to take him down?" Reid asked. "Colonel, you said that you and Edward would be at a huge disadvantage because of the Stone's power."

"A disadvantage, but not an inevitability," Edward corrected. "We have our absorbing arrays, and I've faced another alchemist wielding a Stone before and survived. Mustang's combat skills compliment mine, because he specialises in long range and I'm better at close range." He turned to Mustang. "How did Harding normally activate arrays back in Amestris?"

Mustang thought about it for a moment before answering. "I'm pretty sure he has a leather cuff that has his array carved into it. I think he wears it on his right wrist."

Edward raised a skeptical brow. "You don't sound very sure, Mustang."

"What do you expect? I've never had the displeasure of working with the man, let alone learning his alchemic quirks," Mustang retorted.

"Whatever, old man. Anyway, if Mustang can keep Harding dodging his flames, I should be able to get close enough to him to cut his cuff off and perhaps steal the Stone from him." He looked over at Prentiss. "Did you see anything unusual about how he was acting that might give any indication of if he has a Stone and where it might be? He would have to be holding it to make it work."

"There was something on the ground in front of the entrance to the building, but we couldn't get a clear look without being spotted. Harding was pacing around the room, and it looks like he's gearing up for a fight."

"Did he do anything else? Other than the pacing?" Mustang asked after a moment of considering.

Prentiss nodded. "He kept glancing at his left hand, like he was reassuring himself that something was there."

"Makes sense. If we're right about the Stone, he'd be paranoid about losing it just before he goes up against us. So I'm going to go with the assumption that he'll have the Stone in his left hand during the fight. He also has a gun and there's possibly an array armed in front of the entrance. Did I miss anything?" Head shakes all around were the only response he received. "Okay then, so how do you want to go about doing this?" Ed asked, looking directly at Hotch.

Mustang's jaw dropped. "Since when have you ever asked before acting?"

Edward raised his eyebrow again. "Mustang, even I'm not irresponsible enough to go after a wanted fugitive by myself in a country I have zero understanding of. I'd prefer them to come up with a plan of attack since they have the experience of working in this country and within its laws."

Mustang couldn't believe what he was hearing. A sign of honest-to-God maturity from Fullmetal of all people?

"Well, given what Prentiss just told us, you two are going to be exceptionally vital to our plans. I'd like for you two to stake out Harding's hideout and disable whatever traps you can. We'll get the blueprints of the building from Garcia and decide our position based on it to cover the two of you. I'll be positioned on a rooftop with a good sniper point, if possible. While I wish that Harding would simply surrender, I doubt it'll be that easy, so you two will need to draw him out into a trap. We can finalize that when we get a map of the area in here. I'm willing to wager that an alchemic fight won't be predictable, but I'm hoping that if you get him in a position where we can surround him, he'll give up."

"I'll do everything that I can to get it away from him. If I can get the Stone and his cuff away from him, the rest of you shouldn't have any trouble taking him down," Edward agreed.

"If he doesn't give up, we'll leave his capture to you two. All I ask is that you don't get yourselves or us killed and that you try not to kill him." Hotch added that last part as an afterthought. He fully expected Harding to make everything difficult, so he decided to make sure the alchemists knew they had free rein if the first plan didn't work.

"Okay. That's a plan I can work with. You?" Edward asked Mustang, who simply nodded. "Let's get those documents you need so we can get going."

"Morgan, call Garcia and get her to find us some blueprints of the building. Reid, find us a map of the area around the building, and let's plan out our positions."

Fifteen minutes later, they had both items laid out on the table in front of everyone. Morgan took command this time and was studying the maps intently. "Okay, so this is the blueprint for the building. It's a one-story building that was once a clothing store. This means we have a few areas where he might be hiding in. There's the changing room area, with four changing rooms in it. There's the main shop floor, the office, the storeroom and the staff toilet and break rooms. That means he could be in any one of these nine places. It's also possible he may have booby-trapped these places which means that if our plan to lure him out doesn't work, only Mustang and Edward can go in. If it comes to that, your job," he looked at the alchemists at this point, "is to defuse any traps you can and secure Harding, if possible. The arrest has to be made by one of us since neither of you are law enforcement nor citizens here. Got it?"

Mustang and Edward nodded in agreement.

"Now, here's the map of the area. The building is here. It's got shops on either side of it, but you can't access either of those buildings from inside. There's an alleyway running behind it that's blocked off at one end, and a door leading out to it, so I want JJ and Rossi watching that door. There are all these buildings across the street, but according to Garcia they're either abandoned or used as storage or warehouses, so there shouldn't be many civilians around. Harding could get out onto the street by the front doors or the two display windows if he's willing to crash through plate glass. I'd like Prentiss on the right of the building to cover that window and door, and Reid on the other side to cover that window and door. I'll be here at the mouth of the alley to provide backup in case he slips past anyone. Hotch will be across the street positioned here," he jabbed a finger at a two-story warehouse directly across from the target building. "Hotch will provide sniper assistance for Prentiss and Reid. He'll also have vantage points of the buildings next door, in case Harding decides to try to ambush us by moving to one of the other buildings. Any questions so far?"

The rest of the agents shook their head and Morgan looked to the two alchemists. "Where do the two of you think you should enter the building if you have to go in?"

"Mustang, can you use your flames to blow a hole through the wall?" Ed asked.

Mustang shot him an affronted look. "Of course I can."

"Good, because I think you should go through this building," Edward indicated the building to the left, "and blow a hole in the wall that separates it from that one. I'll do the same, but from the other side. That way, we can make sure Harding isn't hiding in the adjoining buildings and it'll be a really good way to make sure he can't use the Stone to create and opening himself to escape through." Ed sounded very pleased with his plan.

"You just want to blow something up," Mustang accused, sounding amused.

"Do not!" Ed immediately said, but lowered his voice and mumbled "Shut up," when Mustang raised a skeptical brow.

Mustang chuckled but returned his attention to the agents. "It's a good idea. Any traps on the other sides of those walls could be triggered by the falling debris so that'll save us some extra work. And Harding would probably not expect me to let Fullmetal destroy anything, so it'll be an added surprise and should give Fullmetal a chance to close on him and disarm him before he can react."

He saw some skeptical looks and headed off the objection he could see coming. "Plus, we can fix the walls after we've got Harding secured," he added.

Morgan nodded, seeing the value of the plan. "Any objections?" When nothing came up, he continued. "Is here anything else anyone has to add before we head out?"

"Yes. Mustang and I will be activating our absorbing arrays just before our grand entrance. That will give us fifteen minutes of being able to fight at our normal level. If we can get the Stone away from him, we'll be on more even footing, but there's no way to know how strong the Stone is. If you get the opportunity to shoot him, take it. He won't lose any of his personal energy using the Stone, and once our arrays run their course, alchemy will drain us twice as fast as it would if we were in Amestris. The sooner Harding goes down, the less chance there is of someone being killed."

"Fullmetal's right. If you've got the shot, take it. Don't worry about us. We'll focus on getting that Stone away from him and trapping him so we can secure him."

"Okay, so everyone is clear on the plan. JJ and Rossi will cover the rear, Prentiss will cover the front right, Reid will cover the front left. Hotch will spot from the opposite building, and I'll cover the alleyway's mouth. Ed will enter through the building closest to Reid, Mustang from the building closest to Prentiss. Hopefully Harding will be surprised enough for Ed and Mustang to capture him and we'll arrest him. If not, Ed and Mustang will try to subdue him or create an opening for someone to get a shot at him. Our aim is to capture him alive unless he proves to be too dangerous to do so. Got it?" Nods all around. "Good. Let's gear up and head out."

Everyone except the alchemists moved to do so. Morgan noticed. "I said gear up."

Mustang and Edward exchanged looks. "We heard. We are," Mustang replied.

"So you've got your earpieces in? Your mics are on?" Morgan asked doubtfully.

Ed wasn't the only one who looked confused. "And those would be?" he asked sarcastically.

"So that would be a 'no'?" Morgan sighed before grabbing a set. Holding up his earpiece, he explained. "You put this in your ear. It conveys messages from whichever team member happens to be talking into their mic at the time." He held up the mic. "This device lets you talk to anyone on the same frequency and in range of the device. You press it like this, talk into it, and release so others can talk back through the earpiece."

Edward looked fascinated by them, while Mustang looked mildly impressed. Morgan grabbed two sets of each and passed them to the alchemists. "Here, Reid will help you with them. Once you understand how to use them they're set up, we'll head out."

Reid turned at the sound of his name and moved over to the alchemists to help them. It took nearly twenty minutes because Edward had a lot of questions but eventually they were set up and knew how to use them.

"Everyone set?" Hotch asked and got seven affirmative replies. "Let's head out."

A/N - Chapter 11 all revised and everything for you! I'll be posting the revised chapter 12 straight after this so keep an eye out for it. Pretty please let me know what you think to the revised version of this chapter!