Ed's yawn could probably be heard on the other side of the building.

"Couldn't you sleep?" Major Blitz was leaning against the wall.

"Nah, not much," said Ed. "Couldn't stop thinking about everything that's going on."

He leaned to one side and looked past the soldier, and saw two soldiers – a man and a woman – standing on either side of the door to Aerrow's room. Both looked stern and ferocious; the woman in particular looked as though she could kill somebody at any moment.

"What's with that?" asked Ed. "Are those two guarding him?"

"They're ordered not to let anybody in without permission," Blitz explained, "though it's really more of a case of not letting Aerrow out. They're only on duty for the night, so I'm going to go and relieve them. With what happened last night, I don't want the kid to try anything funny."

"Last night?" Ed was baffled. "What happened last night?"

"Gimme a sec."

As the blond watched, the Major walked over to the guards and saluted, and said something that Ed couldn't hear. The woman briefly caught sight of the ex-alchemist and did a visible double take, but the other guard pulled her away before she could do anything.

Now even more confused, Ed walked over to Major Blitz.

"He hit a real dark spot last night," the soldier explained before the ex-alchemist could complain about being kept in the dark again. "I went into his room to check up on him, but he wasn't there. I found him on the roof and he said he'd wanted to jump off, but he got to thinking about his friends back home and couldn't bring himself to. Poor kid was a mess."

"So how long has it been since the attack?"

"Three nights. So this is the third day. To be honest, I'm surprised he didn't try anything like that sooner."

Ed looked through the window and saw Aerrow curled up again, but this time he was not only facing the door, but had a book in his hand that he was fixed on so intently he looked as though he was hypnotised.

"Looks like he got it," Ed commented. "No trouble?"

"I don't think he knows it was me that left it for him to find," said Blitz, "and I'm not going to tell him that since it's not important, but it's helping to take his mind off what happened to him, so we should be glad of it."

Ed didn't know why, but the expression on the Dust Storm Alchemist's face was rather familiar. Where had he seen that look before?

"You're still giving me déjà vu, you know," he said. "I just know that I've seen you somewhere before. How long have you been with the State?"

"About six weeks, give or take," Blitz replied. "I was in Central during the battle against that Cyclonia place. In fact, I was getting my uniform fitted while it was all raging outside. Seeing it through the window made me feel kinda left out."

"No, trust me," said Ed. "You didn't miss anything."

"That's not what I've heard," said Blitz. "I've heard that Alphonse Elric and that kid right there sealed the universes together with alchemy. You don't think that was worth seeing?"

Ed shrugged. The man had a point, he couldn't argue with that.

"What happened to his coat?" he asked. "He's got a red coat. I should know, I gave it to him as a memento and I think he kinda likes it. Did it get destroyed?"

"I've sent it to be laundered," said Blitz. "He should get it back soon."

Looking through the window again, Ed considered that Aerrow himself would probably want to be laundered.

"Has he eaten?" he asked.

"I'm making sure of that," Blitz said. "I know hospital food's not the best, but this kid needs all the help he can get."

"Yeah, I know," said Ed. "With all that you're doing for him – how you're keeping him guarded and eating and all – anybody would think you were his father or something!"

He and the soldier shared in a brief laugh.

"Yeah, imagine that," said Blitz, "but the truth is, I'm just doing all that I can for him. I found him, right? That makes him my responsibility. I'm trying to keep him grounded while the investigative department tries to find the bastards that did this to him."

He got that look on his face again. Where had Ed seen it before?

Never mind. It would come to him later.

"I'm going in," he said, and knocked on the door. "Wanna make sure he's doing as well as we hope he is."

He entered the room and immediately found himself feeling oppressed by the silence. It was so eerie: there were now two people in this room, but the noise level was as though it was completely empty. The silence was only broken when Aerrow turned a page in the journal. He didn't look up at all.

"You're looking a little better," said Ed, and sat down in the chair. "How do you feel?"

"Mmm."

Ed had been trying to smile, but dropped his attempt at a cheerful demeanour when he realised it was probably going to be this kind of conversation.

"I see you got the book," he said. "Your squad mates found it stashed away on the Condor and they thought it would be best if you had it to read for yourself, rather than somebody else trying to-"

"Lightning Strike was my father."

Aerrow closed the book over his finger and lowered it so that his face was visible, but he didn't look up at Ed.

"What?" Ed was confused – he'd only been given the bare details of what was inside – he only knew that it was Lightning Strike's journal, not all the information that had been inside it.

"Lightning Strike," Aerrow said, his voice still blank. "The leader of the Storm Hawks before me. The one who died trying to take down Cyclonia for good over eleven years ago. He was my father and I never even knew it."

Ed had no idea what he was supposed to say. He guessed that he should say something comforting, since he himself had experienced more than his fair share of troubles with his father, but nothing immediately sprang to mind, and trying to compare it to these experiences would only make him look selfish.

"I don't remember him," Aerrow said softly. "I don't remember what he looked like. There're photos in this book, but they're all of other people. I guess he was a better photographer than I am. There's another thing I'm useless at."

He blinked, and his eyes fell further down.

"I would have been four years old by the time he died," he said. "Wouldn't it make sense for me to have some idea of what he was like? You remembered your father, didn't you? And you were even younger when he left. How come I don't remember Lightning Strike?"

"But I don't really remember much of my dad," Ed explained. "When I do, it's either him studying at his desk or him leaving. Those are the only two real memories of him that I have. I was barely even potty trained when he left."

"See?" Aerrow responded. "You were younger, but you still remembered what he looked like, didn't you?"

Ed knew what the answer was, but didn't dare to say it.

"And I don't remember my father at all," said Aerrow. "What his voice sounds like or what his face looked like, what colour his eyes were…"

"You will someday," Ed pointed out. "Four years' worth of memories can't have just up and vanished, can they? You're sure to remember your dad at some point."

"It gets worse," said Aerrow. "I don't remember my mother either."

These words were like a punch in Ed's stomach.

"I know what she looks like because there's a photo of her," explained the Sky Knight, "but she doesn't look familiar at all. The only parts of her I recognise are her eyes because I guess I must have inherited them from her. And I want to remember her. I know I should, but I don't!"

He wiped at his eyes, clearly trying to avoid crying again.

"The only thing I remember from that time," he said, "is a lullaby."

"A lullaby?" Ed was careful not to sound amused (he wasn't, but to sound it wouldn't help his case).

"Yeah," said Aerrow. "I must have come from that time, because I don't recall hearing it anywhere else."

Ed vaguely remembered the night he'd explained himself to the Storm Hawks and suffered a breakdown from the stress of his situation following that event. Aerrow had comforted him, much like he himself was now in desperate need of comfort, and there had been a song at some point.

What had the lyrics been? Care not my wild… Carry on my wayfaring… something along those lines.

"My first memory," said Aerrow "is arriving with Finn on Terra Nimbus. I don't really recall how we met or made friends, but we've stuck together ever since then."

He gulped.

"Do you think you could tell them?" he asked. "Could you tell the others that I won't be coming back?"

"Wouldn't you rather see them again?" said Ed. "You know-"

"I can't. They won't want me. Not like this."

Ed frowned as he stood up.

"They still wanted you after you lost your arm," he pointed out. "Maybe you should think about that."

He walked over to the door, but paused once he had taken hold of the handle.

"I mean, I still want to be your friend," he stated. "I want you to make a full recovery and get back into action. I want you to pull all your crazy stunts and kick all kinds of ass and laugh about it like you always used to. Why wouldn't your family, who've known you for ages longer than I have, want the same thing?"

With that, he stepped back into the corridor and closed the door behind him.

"He's not doing as well as we'd hoped," he said to Major Blitz. "He doesn't seem to be taking the news of his predecessor being his father very well."

"Why not?" asked Blitz.

"He says he doesn't remember anything about him," Ed stated. "Not even what he looks like. Doesn't remember anything about him or his mom. He's hating himself for it."

"Poor kid," Blitz said as he looked through the window. "As if he didn't have enough to think about already."

He still had that look on his face.

"Well," Ed said as he stretched his arms, "I think I should update Al on what's happening. He's probably still worrying. I know what he's like."

"Yeah," Blitz said solemnly, "you do that."

Ed tried not to dwell too much on his tone as he left in search of a phone.

That expression…

Now he remembered.

It was the same kind of look that Hohenheim had worn on the Promised Day, when he had been pleading with Ed to trade his soul for Al.

Ace has already suggested a load of names though. They're all quite good, but the one that stands out the most to me is 'Aerrow'. I don't know... it just has a nice ring to it. I'll make sure to suggest it to Oiseau in the morning. Can't wait to rub this in Harry's fat smug face.

Aerrow didn't know how many times he'd read and reread that last passage. He was almost too frightened to go on any further, in case it turned out his father lost interest in him. In case it turned out the main reason he didn't remember him was because he hadn't wanted to be there.

But by the sounds of the earlier lines, he had been over the moon at the very thought of being a parent, let alone actually having a son.

Try as he may, Aerrow just couldn't summon up any mental images of the man. Presumably his hair was red, since this Oiseau woman had hair that was dark green and he knew this colour would have to come from somewhere, but that was literally the only thing he could imagine. He had no idea what the man would look like; how tall he was, his hairstyle, his eye colour…

He heard the door open, but didn't look up. He still didn't feel comfortable with looking at people's faces.

"Good read?" asked Major Blitz.

Aerrow couldn't think of anything to say.

"I expect it must feel strange," said the man, "reading your father's thoughts like that."

Slowly, Aerrow nodded.

"Whatever happened to him, I'm sure that he loved you."

"I don't know," said Aerrow. "I haven't had the courage to go past the bit where he talks about my birth. I don't…"

He trailed off, unable to stifle a yawn.

"When did you wake up?" asked Blitz. "2am? 3? Far too early, that's for sure. You should go back to sleep. Don't think about it too much: it's normal for people in post-traumatic stress to have messed up sleeping patterns."

"I don't know if I'll be able to," Aerrow confessed. "I didn't have any dreams last night, but what if-"

"You don't know until you try," Blitz pointed out. "Just try not to read too much of that journal at once. It's good to learn from the past, but not to dwell on it."

He departed.

Alone again, Aerrow shuffled up so that he was sitting against his pillows.

He took a deep breath and turned several more pages, coming to a rest on a passage set a whole year after the previous one he had read.

1901

28th February

Aerrow's first birthday today. It's hard to believe that a single person could ever be so adorable! I just want to pick him up and cuddle him forever! Strange how he was born with black hair but now he's a little blondie - Oiseau says it runs in the family. It's going to be interesting seeing what colour it is this time next year. Will it be like mine or like hers? Either way, he's bound to look awesome.

Hard to believe he's walking already. Seems like only yesterday he was so small I could hold him in one arm.

He's playing with Ace at the moment. I swear those two are thick as thieves. I must admit, I was worried they were going to try to compete for attention, but Ace loves him. I can just picture us teaching him how to fly, showing him how to do stunts just to see the look on his face when he inevitably pulls it off flawlessly.

Hard to believe it's been almost five years since I brought Ace in. We're gonna have to do something special to celebrate.

PS Harry wants me to stop calling him with updates about my son. I'm not going to. He's just jealous. I bet he wishes he had a kid as cute as Aerrow.

18th April

I'm glad I was able to spend time with Aerrow on his birthday, because to tell the truth, I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to spend with him and Oiseau. I keep hearing that Cyclonia are rallying their forces for an attack, but I still haven't heard anything concrete yet. Ace keeps telling me not to worry, but I know he just wants me to feel better.

I know I could probably invite them both to stay on the Condor - we have plenty of room, and Oiseau and Jubilee are quite good friends, plus Aerrow would just love to explore - but the thing is, I can't. If I take into account just how many fights and bad situations we find ourselves in on an almost weekly basis... it's no place for a toddler to grow up. It's far too dangerous. I couldn't stand to lose either of them, even temporarily.

I think I'm going start carrying a picture of my family around with me - not just to rub in Harry's face (much as he may pretend to dislike it) but as a reminder of what I'm fighting for. I want a safe world for my son to grow up in. I'm going to teach him how to fight when he's old enough, but the point is that I shouldn't need to. Ace agrees with me on this - I think he suspects Cyclonians burned down the orphanage he used to live in.

I'm glad I took him in when I did. Just imagine if he'd become a Talon!

Aerrow, I promise you now. I will gladly let Cyclonis blast me into the Wastelands if it means you will be safe.

Wow. So Lightning Strike did love him. Aerrow found himself running his fingers along that last sentence several times, wondering just how many passages his father had devoted to him.

The next few pages brought nothing too thrilling - that is, until he landed on an entry in the middle of 1902.

21st June

I'm still trying to figure out what's happened.

It was in the middle of the battle and I was fighting off Talons left and right, but then I had to go back down to my ride and leave the rest to Spike and Jubilee because Ace wasn't there anymore. I didn't see his parachute open and I didn't hear him shout anything to me. It was like he'd just vanished into thin air!

My best guess is that the Talons captured him, but I don't have any idea why they'd do that. Is it because he's a teenager and they're hoping they can brainwash him into becoming one of them? If that's the case, I swear I'll tear that entire terra apart, stone by ugly stone, until I get him back. He's more than just my co-pilot, he's my best friend! (best make sure Spike doesn't read that)

Oiseau and Aerrow are calling later tonight, but I'm not sure what I'm going to say to them after today. Maybe I was wrong about them. If I can't even hold onto my co-pilot, how the hell am I supposed to be a husband and father?

No.

I have to keep going. For their sake, I have to keep fighting. I swear I'll find you, Ace. Just hold on.

22nd June

Set out with Spike, Floyd and Jubilee to look for Ace. No luck.

23rd June

Left again to search for Ace. Jet says it would be too dangerous to get too close to Cyclonia, so we're steering clear for the time being. Still no sign of him.

24th June

Jubilee says it might be best to stop searching and just get some sleep, but I'm not going to. I know Ace is out there somewhere; I'm just not looking in the right place, that's all. I have to find him. I HAVE to.

25th June

Thank. GOD.

So just as I was about to give up the search, the radio starts crackling and just who does it turn out to be? That's right: my awesome co-pilot went ahead and found his own way back to the Condor. I knew I couldn't give up! And he's gone ahead and come back all by himself!

But whenever I try to go near him, he just tells me to stay away. Hasn't told me why. I swear, if somebody's hurt him...

He's sleeping at the moment. I must say, the idea does sound rather

The entry just cut off.

He must have fallen asleep mid-sentence, Aerrow realised, and the beginnings of a smile ticked his lips.

28th June

Something is DEFINITELY wrong with my co-pilot. I found him earlier today huddled in the storage locker with Jubilee trying and failing to coax him out. He kept saying he would hurt us if he came out and that he didn't want to. He's never been like this before, can you blame me for being worried?

And then, when I did finally convince him to come out, he knocked me to the ground and started punching me! It took Jubilee, Jet AND Floyd to pull him off and then the kid had no idea what was going on! I mean, this is going to make for an interesting story when I talk to Oiseau and Aerrow later, but... WOW. I'm glad I got out of that with all my teeth intact!

But I digress.

Ace has never acted this violent in all the time I've known him. It was like he'd become a completely different person, and I'm really worried that if we don't get to the root of it soon he's going to end up hurting somebody.

It must have been something that happened to him during his disappearance, but he still doesn't want to talk about those days. I'll try to convince him to trust me again and talk to me about it, but I'm beginning to wonder if the Ace I knew is gone. If he is, I sincerely hope there's a way to get him back.

30th June

I am going to fly out to Cyclonia and tear it to pieces with my bare hands for what that evil BITCH has done to my co-pilot. I'm glad I finally got him to open up, but...

Okay, I'll try not to get ahead of myself.

He told me that the Talons captured him and took him back to that horror of a place, and then he was brought before the Master herself in all her ugliness. That she looked at him like a dog looks at a hunk of meat. That she poured some kind of glittering red powder into a goblet and then he was held down and forced to drink the contents, and they didn't even have the good grace to keep him prisoner! They just threw him out like they didn't even want him! If all they wanted was to make somebody drink something, why him? Why my co-pilot? If they wanted to hurt me or my team, surely it would make more sense to hurt me or my team!

I guess it does explain quite a lot. Every night since then, he's been writhing and convulsing in his sleep, and talking as well. This wouldn't be half as strange if he wasn't also replying to himself. It's like... I'm not quite sure how to put it. Did that red powder contain a personality or something? It's almost as if Ace is now two people in a single body, and from what I can tell, they're fighting for control.

If this is the case, I really hope Ace can win.

2nd September

Well, that was... an experience.

I figured Ace must have wrestled back some control by now, so I asked him if maybe I could talk to the person who was put there by Master Cyclonis - the second being that occupies his body. I have to admit, it was very nerve-wracking. I didn't even know if I was going to walk out of that room with all my limbs still attached to my body!

But then... how can I put this? Ace... he went all stiff and shivered a little, but then he opened his eyes and it was like he was an entirely different person! His eyes were narrower, his voice was deeper, and there was something really sinister about the way he smiled at me. Like he was trying to figure out the quickest and most efficient way to kill me and didn't even care how much I knew about it.

That conversation, next to the wait while my adorable son was being born, is probably the single tensest experience of my life. I got this sense that whoever it was that controlled Ace's body, they could snap at any second and try to destroy me by any means possible. I won't lie, it was damn scary, and I'm glad it's over and done with. He refused to tell me anything about where he'd come from or what he wanted, just that 'a reckoning is coming' and that I should be prepared. Man, was I glad when the real Ace came back.

I've had a word with the team, him included, and we all think it's best that he be confined to the Condor from now on and that he only leave during missions. Like it or not, I still need my co-pilot. For convenience's sake, we've also come up with a name for the second personality, and thanks to Jubilee's ever-wonderful naming skills, it shall henceforth be known as Dark Ace.

Wait.

What?

Aerrow reread the final paragraph.

What?!

Then he reread the entire entry at least three times.

WHAT?!

All this time... the Dark Ace... was... Lightning Strike's co-pilot?!

No wonder that kid in the photograph looked familiar! No wonder the mere sight of that bastard's face caused him to be completely consumed with rage! The thought that he had lived on the same ship as that son of a...

He'd named him. He had actually named him. The Dark Ace – the Dark goddamn Ace – had given Aerrow his name.

He felt sick. He felt sick somewhere further down than his stomach.

Part of him wanted to throw the book down and never touch it again, but a much stronger part urged him to keep going, to see what the outcome was going to be, even though his inner pessimist was already putting the pieces together to form a large and extremely tragic picture.

1903

1st March

I swear, I'm spending longer and longer away from home and it's getting harder and harder to leave every time I go back. Aerrow's little face when I had to try to explain it... he's only three! What was I supposed to say? And seeing those big green eyes looking up at me under that mass of red... I want to bring him and Oiseau onto the Condor permanently, I really do, but that would probably be more dangerous than if they just stayed on Tranqua!

I'm beginning to wonder if confining Ace to the Condor was the right thing to do. We're not letting anybody else know what's happened to him: not Harry, not Oiseau and certainly not Aerrow. If word gets out about what's happened to him, the whole of Atmos will be out for his blood! He's only seventeen and I can tell, ever since we got him back, that he is completely and utterly terrified. Whenever it seems like Dark Ace is gone for good, he pops right back up again and starts pulling the ship to pieces. We're still cleaning up after last time and Jet still hasn't let him out of his room.

On top of that, Cyclonia seems to be buzzing a little more than usual. I'd compare it to a beehive, but that would imply that they actually do something there that would be of benefit, so it's really more like a wasp's nest. And it looks like the queen wasp is coming up with a way to overwhelm the Atmos with all her soldier wasps until we're all just wasped out of existence. Don't know anything for sure though, so it looks like we might just have to wait and see.

And I HATE that.

Amazingly, the next entry wasn't until a whole year had passed.

1904

1st March

Why did I feel such a lingering sense of dread as I said farewell to Aerrow and Oiseau yesterday? Is it because it was the first time I'd seen them in over six months? Is it because Oiseau had already accepted that I'd be away for long periods when I married her, but Aerrow is still holding onto the hope that I'll come home every evening to tell him the stories he loves so much? Or is it the knowledge that comes with every visit that it may be the last time I ever see their faces?

I'm glad I had that picture taken. It's going to be the one that I keep with me as a reminder of what I'm fighting for. Aerrow's beginning to get big and he has so much energy - I want to be able to teach him how to fight properly so that he can defend himself, his terra, his mother, because let's face it - no matter how hard I try, I'm not going to be able to watch the whole Atmos.

And the worst part is saying that I'll be back, when I can never know for sure if that's true or not...

Speaking of which, I've received confirmation that Master Cyclonis has rallied an enormous force (apparently she even recruited the Raptors) to mount a large-scale assault and attempted invasion of... well, pretty much everywhere. I'm going to speak with Harry about rallying for a counter-offensive.

PS: Haven't heard from Dark Ace for about two months. Don't know if I should be glad or worried.

20th April

This is it.

Tomorrow is the big battle. The day Cyclonia make their move. I'll be at the forefront of our forces with Ace by my side. I know there's still that other side of him, but he's my co-pilot and best friend of eight years. I trust him with my life.

And in case I don't make it back...

Oiseau, you are the love of my life. I've never met any one person more compassionate, more understanding or more beautiful in all my years in this world or any other. Know that I'll always be thinking of you, no matter what happens.

And Aerrow...

Don't be afraid.

That was it.

Aerrow flicked through the pages, trying to find another entry, but they were all blank. Every single one. That... that was the last thing Lightning Strike had ever written in this journal.

And it was addressed to...

'Don't be afraid,' Aerrow thought. 'I tried; I really did, but...'

His thoughts came to a stop as he found the inside back cover of the book.

There, secured by a single small strip of tape, was a photograph. It showed a family, and a happy one at that, sitting on the edge of a fountain hugging each other and smiling.

There was the mother, a woman in her mid-twenties with short spiky hair that was such a dark shade of green that it was almost black, and green eyes that sparkled in the light of the sun. There was the child, no more than four years old, hugging his mother and laughing happily, his red hair shining and green eyes glinting with innocence and...

...and the father, hugging his two companions with a happy smile betrayed by melancholy dark eyes of unidentifiable colour, and hair as red as his sons'. One arm was around the proud mothers' shoulders, the other playing with the little boys' hair.

Aerrow could have stared at this image for a lifetime.

It was him.

With his parents.

Happy.

Carefree.

Innocent.

And he stared at the two adults on either side of him, trying and failing to recall where he'd seen their faces outside this book.

Or in the man's case, this single photograph.

As far as he knew, this picture was the only proof that he even HAD parents.

He wished he could remember them. He wished he had a better chance to know them.

He carefully closed the book and, rather than placing it on the bedside cabinet, slipped it under his pillow and rested his head on it as if in some vain hope that closer proximity to the photograph and his father's writing would spark some recognition in his mind.

As he closed his eyes, a single silent tear trickled down onto his pillow, and he prayed that he would sleep dreamlessly again.

Corporal Messerschmitt looked round the corner.

He saw the Dust Storm Alchemist leaning against the door, surreptitiously peering through the window at the patient beyond.

There was no way the Corporal would be able to get over there without being caught.

So he turned and started walking, thinking with all of his might.

This situation had become far more troublesome than he had anticipated.