A/N: Nice, nice… You know, I haven't really thought about it until now, but Havoc has really stolen the spotlight. In case you're wondering, no, it's not because he is Trisha's love interest (nor will he ever be! He's way too old for her! Eww!) Rather, he's just such a likeable character, I found it easier to just have all of Trisha's background be through conversations with him than to drag in newer characters and start over. Anyway, it's really getting heavy now! Man oh man… please review!

I do not own FMA – I did own some tater-tots about five minutes ago, though…

…

Chapter 7: "Auto-mail"

"Wow… so, if you weren't born with your right arm, then…"

"What happened to my left leg? About 4 or 5 years ago – I guess I was around 6 or 7…"

"Oh, that's right – the funky alchemy thing with your body," Havoc suddenly recalled.

"Yeah. So anyways, I was about 6 or 7 and me and a bunch of other kids from Resembool were playing down near the river where the train runs by. Well, we had the train schedule pretty much figured out so we wouldn't be anywhere near the tracks when a train came. But something must have happened – I never really did figure out what – we heard a train whistle all of a sudden, and the train came speeding down the tracks going right past the station…"

"Some kind of emergency, maybe?" Havoc guessed.

"Yeah, maybe; but we didn't know about it, so we were on the tracks when we heard it coming from behind us. Well, we all jumped off the tracks and into the ditch on either side of the rails, except for this one really little kid who tripped trying to get out of the way. He panicked and started crying and wouldn't move, so I jumped up to try and get him…" Trisha paused, her voice trailing off.

"Well? Did you manage to get him in time?" Havoc prompted softly.

"Yeah… I did… but I tripped over the rail as I was trying to carry him off of the tracks… and my leg got caught under the wheels of the train as it was going by…"

Havoc sat in silence, patiently waiting for Trisha to continue her story.

"And well, that's why I needed auto-mail. My mom custom-made it for me. In fact, right before the night she got killed, she upgraded my arm and leg to the ones I'm using now – they were my father's. Apparently he was about my size."

"I see," Havoc said, wisely deciding that now was no time for a comment on Edward's height. "It sure looks beat-up, though – what are all of those scratch marks on your right hand?" Havoc asked, squinting to see what was on the back of the auto-mail hand.

"Oh…um, nothing really. Just… transmutation circles…" she said sheepishly.

"What! Transmutation circles? Let me see!" Havoc asked her excitedly.

"Hey, keep your voice down!"

"Wow…That's pretty cool… say, I've seen some of these before, but where…?"

"… I'll tell you later," Trisha mumbled, shrinking away from the stares of officers and personnel in the hallways who had heard Havoc's shouting.

"Oh, right, sorry, chief!" Havoc said in an embarrassed yet good-natured way. "Well, you had better pass the next part of your exam, then, because I know that Mustang would just love to see this," Havoc told her, still looking at the small, intricate circles engraved on the back of her auto-mail hand.

"Yeah… I bet he would…" she trailed off softly.

Havoc looked at her out of the corner of his eyes as they walked back down the hallways to her room in the section of the military headquarters designed for visitors. 'She looks so sad,' he thought. 'What happened to all that confidence and energy she had just a moment ago? Maybe it's just nerves…'

Trisha was nervous, she would willingly admit to that, but being reminded about the transmutation circles on her auto-mail hand – what's more, having someone recognize them! – filled her with a sadness she couldn't quite describe. Those circles reminded her of where she went, what she had done, who she had met, and, most importantly, who she was.

…

Wow… that's pretty deep… I love Havoc! Only 1 (or is it 2? I lost track… damnit…) more typed chapters to go! Please review! Let me know if anyone is OOC or if there are any passages that don't make sense. Thx! (NO flames, please! Unless they're from Roy! Lol!)