Authors Note: Hey guys, thanks for waiting so long for chapter two! I apologize for the wait. My mother had surgery last Thursday and things have been a bit hectic around my house. In addition, my keys have been a bit sticky and haven't worked quite right recently. I wanted to point out to you guys while I had it on my mind, that my inspiration for writing an FMA fanfic came from reading a fanfic called 'Different' by Nayru Elric. You really should read it if you haven't already. Also, any simililarities between the two are completely accidental! So please, no killy me xD Also, I did my research on the city in this chapter, but it may not be perfect. I couldn't find a whole lot of information on it, so I hope nothing is too messed up. Please, enjoy anyway

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist/Brotherhood or any of its cannon characters. I do however own Kylie, Carter, Major Owsen, and all Creta military officers & West City officers, though I do not own West City or Creta themselves.

Titanium

Chapter 2

My current predicament wasn't one I much enjoyed, what with being on a large, moving vehicle crowded with people and all. The window beside my seat displayed the vast water below us and the populated cities in the distance, both of which I wished were in opposite places. A spinning sensation in my head caused me to rest my forehead against my knees, which were pulled up to my chest, and take in several breaths of the cold air that flew in through the open window.

"Are you alright, Kylie?" Al asked me from his seat beside his brother, who was directly across from me.

I managed a quick nod of my head as I tried to control my breathing, squeezing my eyes shut as I did so. I would once and awhile peek one of them towards the window, to see if perhaps the tracks were on solid ground again as apposed to being stationed above the water. Alas, no matter how I looked, that never seemed to be the case, and it felt as if this line of dangling track would continue on forever. Yes, it felt that way indeed.

"Al," I called, swallowing the feeling in the pit of my stomach that was dying to come out, "would you be mad if I burrowed your head?"

I heard Al's armor move, and I assumed it had to do with the oddness of my question. "What for?" he asked, and I could hear the worry he was straining to keep down.

"I think I might be sick." I mumbled, wrapping my arms around my legs and rocking gently in my seat. If we weren't still traveling across the water I might have been able to lean out the window, but as that wasn't the case, I knew it wasn't an option to do so.

"Hey, what are you thinking? My brother's head isn't a toilet you know," Ed's voice became loud and I was quite sure he wasn't in his seat anymore, but I didn't pay much mind to that.

A groan came from my throat and I hugged my legs tighter, feeling two little streams leaking from the corners of my eyes. Both boys became quiet all of a sudden, yet I still heard a very soft noise of which I couldn't place its source. It took me a moment to realize that the noise was coming from myself, a soft set of whimpers that grew louder as the time increased.

"Brother, I think something is really wrong with her," I heard Al say, and I did my best at giving him a grunt of approval.

Ed made some kind of noise himself, one of slight detest, but it was squashed by the sound of metal moving. The movement continued on for only a second as few steps were needed to be made until the seat beside me had become occupied.

"I can't really give you my head," Al's voice said as a hand started rubbing small circles on my back, "but is there anything else brother or I could do for you?"

Ed didn't seem too happy with his brother by offering his assistance as well, but he kept his protest largely to himself. I, on the other hand, gave no effort in masking what was on my mind at the moment.

"Unless you can get us on solid ground and make this train stop moving, I don't think so," I replied, "but thanks, Alphonse," I lifted my head a little to give him a smile, but that just made the feeling in my stomach come lurching back up.

I was up and out of my seat without saying another word to either boy, running between different cars until I found one towards the back that was completely vacant of any persons. Once there, I ended up crouching between two rows of seats, doing everything in my power to keep my eyes anywhere but towards the windows.

It was a few minutes before I heard the rushing of the wind against the metal door, indicating that someone was crossing over into the car. I didn't look up though, as the cold, metallic feel of car against my cheek was just too inviting to pass up, even for curiosities sake. As the footsteps grew closer, I realized that they were too light to be Al's, but by the slightly rougher step of one foot, I deducted that it was likely Ed, though I didn't assume it'd be anyone else aside from one of the two.

The footsteps would stop for a second every once in awhile, but after a moment they ceased all together and I heard a grunt of annoyance. "What the hell are you doing?" I heard Ed ask, but I only gave my own grunt as a reply. His footsteps came just a little bit closer and stopped again as Ed took a seat beside the one that I was facing.

"Considering what you said to Al, you either have Acrophobia or Aquaphobia. I'm hoping it isn't the latter," he said and I opened my eyes to look over at him.

"I have no problem with heights," I told him, "I have an issue with lack of land and large amounts of liquids."

In his obvious frustration, he groaned and leaned his right arm against his leg, holding his cheek in his palm. "I don't understand what you're so freaked out about."

I sat up a bit straighter and rubbed my hands against my eyes, attempting to explain the situation. "I am uncomfortable away from solid land. I am perfectly fine with water as long as there is land within a half mile radius," then as an afterthought I added, "and I'm a tad bit claustrophobic."

Ed didn't speak again for awhile, looking out the window as I slowly started to relax against the side of the car. My fear was slightly irrational, I assumed, but it wasn't something I had much control over.

"We should get back to Al before he comes searching for us," said Ed as he stood up from his seat.

I mentally cursed at him, suggesting that we get up and move just as I start to settle into a state of comfort. I did understand, however, his point about Al. Even I could tell that Al was a worrier, despite the measly twenty hours together. I ended up having to weigh the pros and cons of the situation. On one hand, getting up and moving about might trigger my irrational fears again, and thus might make me sick. On the other hand, not at least attempting to make it through the ride in my designated car with Ed and Al might cause unnecessary worrying on a little boy's part. Somehow, the former seemed like the bigger bargain.

However, I ended up following Ed back to Al anyway, mumbling curses about how having a train drive over water for such a long period of time was a huge waste. Once we got back though, Ed gladly pointed out that the tracks were planted firmly on the ground again. Even with the water still fairly visible, the fact that there was solid ground below us was enough to calm me down. I even became slightly happy upon hearing that we would be reaching West City soon and that Ed wasn't going to mention my fear to Al.

It would have been an understatement to say that I was elated when the train finally came to a stop and let us all pour out of its holes. There was definitely a huge difference between knowing the ground was right below and actually feeling it. There weren't quite as many people as I thought there'd be, but I assumed that was to be expected. Who exactly would want to go to a place that was constantly at war? Speaking of which. . .

"Ed? Al? Roy said he wasn't going to send us on any missions he deemed 'too dangerous', right?" I asked, receiving a nod from each boy, "That's what I thought. So could one of you explain to me . . . what about sending us on a mission to a place that's in the middle of a war isn't 'too dangerous'?"

"I'm not sure you could call this place 'at war', Kylie," Ed said, letting his hands rest in the pockets of his red coat, "Seems more like guerrilla warfare to me."

"There's still 'war' in the name," I corrected him as we started moving into the city itself and away from the train station.

We weren't supposed to wander too far off from the station since the head Military officer was going to meet up with us shortly after our arrival, but I wasn't exactly known for patience being a virtue of mine. The streets weren't too heavily populated, and there didn't seem to be any sign of the warfare taking place currently, but even I knew that didn't mean much. We stopped just outside the train station as Ed observed the people wandering about, probably trying to assess the situation, which seemed rather impossible given the lack of activity currently.

"Hey Al, can you brief me on the mission again?" I asked him as he came up beside me.

"In the last couple of weeks, Creta has downsized its attacks on West City. Within that time frame, several military officers have gone missing. West City authorities have reason to believe Creta soldiers have taken them captive, but don't wish to blindly bombard them. With the time they've spent analyzing and planning a solution to the situation, another military officer, along with his seven year old son were taken captive a few days ago. West City enlisted the help of Central in hopes of bringing the soldiers and the little boy home safely," Al replied.

I gave him a nod to indicate that I understood his words, but at the same time, I couldn't hold back my laugh. "Alphonse, did you memorize the mission sheet?" I asked him, raising my brow.

"To be fair, Kylie," he started, "You have asked me about it seven times since this morning," if he had a body, I could almost guarantee he would have given me the most innocent teasing look he knew.

In the end, I just laughed. I laughed harder than I had in quite a while. Both Ed and Al turned to me, expressions completely different from each other. Ed looked on in a state of shock. Al ended up laughing right along with me, and when he stopped long before I did, I knew we really had to get back to work, all joking aside.

We didn't end up waiting too awfully long, but we were met by a lower ranked officer as opposed to the Major who we supposed to meet. We were told that he would be waiting for us at the West City Military office, and the lackey was kind enough to escort us there without a problem. Of course, it wasn't getting there that held the problem, it was what happened after we had arrived.

"You want to what?" Ed asked, slamming his hands down on the table. "Why the hell would you even consider something like that?"

We'd probably been in the office for roughly twenty minutes, and up until the current point, everyone seemed to be on the same page. We all agreed that we needed to come up with a plan to get those who had been kidnapped out of enemy territory as soon as humanly possible. We even all agreed that the most effective way to do so would be have a trained officer, with an escape plan in mind, captured as well. That had been the last page before the Major and Ed had switched books completely.

"They may be military from another country, but even they must have heard of the Fullmetal Alchemist and his armored companion," the Major said, trying to explain his case to Ed, "Even if you are valuable to them, they'd never risk the trouble. They want to capture officers who are both important to the military and who won't be too difficult to detain."

It was obvious that Ed understood his point, but he didn't budge from his side of the argument. "I understand that, sir, but this is too dangerous of a mission to send an inexperienced officer into," he glanced over his shoulder and sent me a hard look, "Also, give note to the fact that she isn't a State Alchemist. She's only an Alchemist in training."

I completely understood and agreed with Ed's argument. I was in no way a State Alchemist, nor was I of any asset to the military. As stated earlier, I also believed that sending me out into a war was a mistake on Roy's part, but knowing him, he'd never admit to that kind of mistake. Considering we had to follow through with the current situation, I gave thought to the Major's idea as well. I could comprehend where his thought process was coming from. I was in no way a name the opposing country would recognize, and I didn't look like I posed much of a threat. That, however, left me with my own question.

"Major Owsen, if you were to pass me off as some unknown military officer, why would they want to kidnap me? If I'm so unknown, how would it benefit them?" I asked, receiving a relieved look from Ed.

"That's where the Fullmetal Alchemist comes in handy," Major Owsen said, "If they see you around town with him, they'll think you're someone important, if not to the military, at least to the boy."

Though I got the gist of what he meant, I had a feeling it still wasn't enough for Edward. I was, of course, right, but I was surprised to see that it wasn't Ed who spoke up next. It was Al.

"I have to agree with my brother, Major. This is Kylie's first mission in her training, and it does sound pretty dangerous. Couldn't we just send in one of your soldiers?" he asked.

At this, the Major shook his head. "I'm afraid not boys. They know my soldiers inside and out. We couldn't use this plan on one of them. We have no idea which ones are on their target list, and using a hand-picked, unknown person is the only option we have for this plan to work."

"Then think of a new plan," Ed said, sitting back down on the chair provided for him and crossing his arms. "Kylie isn't doing this."

I wasn't sure why, but some part of me resented Ed for that statement. I knew he was only trying to protect me, but something in me didn't want protection, it wanted respect. If I wanted to advance in my goal in becoming a State Alchemist, I needed to show everyone that I could handle myself, and that included showing Ed I could do this mission.

"I'll do it, Major," I said, trying my best to stand straighter and ignore the shocked expressions I was getting from those in the room.

"Are you crazy, Kylie?" Ed asked, back on his feet.

"Brother's right," Al said at the first sign of protest by me, "This is too dangerous."

I looked from Ed to Al and then to the Major. "They need my help. If this were just a mission to save a bunch of grown men, I wouldn't argue with either of you. But there is a little boy on the line here, and I don't think we have time to be wracking our brains for a new plan when we have a perfectly operable one on the table now."

Major Owsen gave me a smile and a proud glance, which contrasted the slightly angered look I knew Ed was giving me and the worried look I was fairly certain Al was sending my way. Somehow, I think Ed and Al both knew that trying to talk me out of this now would be futile, as they both kept quiet when the Major started discussing the details of the plan.

The boys and I spent the majority of the day talking to the soldiers that were stationed around town. Major Owsen knew Creta had spies that listened in on the soldiers, so he gave us a rundown of the kind of comments we should make. Ed and Al made sure to note to each officer that I was 'a very promising Alchemist who'd been training in solitude for the past three years.' They also made comments on how I was very talented at breaking and entering, as I was trained to be a spy used against enemy forces.

Aside from a select few, almost none of the West City soldiers were in on the plan and likely believed the story the boys told. According to the Major most of the Creta soldiers weren't very good at spotting out lies, but were very good at gossiping, which would help our case. If they heard about me, there was no doubt they'd go telling the rest of their soldiers, and that was just what we needed.

The sun had set by the time we made it back to the room Major Owsen had set up for us. As soon as we got inside, Ed plopped down on the couch and threw his arm over his eyes. He had to have been exhausted after the events of the day since him and Al did most of the work. All I did was smile, say my name, shake the soldier's hands, and let them know I would do everything in my power to bring the captured soldiers and the boy home. Of course, all of my work would come tomorrow, after getting captured. I had alluded to the Major that, with the help of the transmutation circles on my glove, I would have no problems when it came time to make the big escape. Though Ed and Al knew better.

Speaking of my gloves, they were currently in Major Owsen's office being tampered with. They were encrypting some kind of listening device into my gloves so that I could make contact with them once inside. They said I'd get them back in the morning, but I was still nervous about spending a night without them. I always need them at random times, and I didn't want to take the chance of needing them tonight, but this was the only way the plan could work.

I hadn't realized I'd spaced out until Al came over to me and put a hand on my shoulder. Ever since we'd come in, I'd been standing against the door frame, apparently just gazing about the room. I smiled towards Al and leaned my head back against the wall.

"You don't have to go through with this, Kylie," Al said sympathetically.

"Yeah, I do," I groaned, yawning, "and I need some sleep to do it," I gave Al another weak smile before stretching my arms and walking towards the bedroom.

As I passed by the couch, I could tell that Ed had long since been asleep. I assumed he'd fallen asleep right after he'd hit the couch, but I wasn't sure how long I stood staring off into space, so I couldn't exactly say. Looking back, I saw Al sit in the chair opposite Ed, and I felt a bit sorry for him. From what I'd been told, he didn't exactly sleep, and I could only imagine how lonely that had to be.

Major Owsen had set us up with two 'bedrooms' but it was really just one bedroom connected to the living room. The bedroom had a wall through the center that left just enough space to walk between the two halves of the actual room. No one occupied the other side since Ed had decided to sleep on the couch, probably before he realized there were two beds.

Before settling into the room, I had taken a quick shower, since walking around West City caused quite a bit of sweat to come about during the day. Now, I was sitting in front of the dresser mirror, brushing through my hair, watching the shades of brown as they slid through the brush. On most nights I crashed long before planning my own sleep, but tonight my actions were premeditated. I'd changed into a pink, flannel nightgown that I had almost long since forgotten about, and was in the process of wrapping my hair in its normal loose pigtails before crawling into bed.

I'd almost say looking in the mirror gave me comfort, and to an extent, it did. The mirror somehow gave me reassurance as I saw the person I was looking back at me. Some may say, looking at my reflection, that I looked frail, but it didn't seem that way to me. Looking at myself, nothing about me seemed weak. Compared to the face I used to see, three years ago, words like 'weak' and 'frail' were as far off base as one could get.

Seeing the strong yet twisted me reminded me of a time before I was the way I was. It reminded me of the me that lived at the Orphanage. And it reminded me of my reason for doing what I do.

"Carter, you're going easy on me," said a little girl with chocolate brown hair thrown into pigtails. She crossed her arms over her white karate uniform, huffing in annoyance.

Across from her, a boy with golden brown hair stood, wiping sweat off of his brow. "And what makes you say that, Cupcake?" he asked.

"You called me 'cupcake' for starters," she whined, tugging on the white belt fastened around her uniform. "You always call me 'cupcake' when you joke around. And I'm being serious here!"

The boy, who couldn't have been more than ten, tugged on his own yellow belt before sitting comfortably on the ground. The sun was dangerously close to setting and most of the home's inhabitants had gone inside long ago. Both the boy and girl were covered in sweat and welcomed the shifting breeze that came with the day's status.

The girl walked up to the boy and sat across from him. "Really, Carter. I can't learn if you don't honestly try to teach me," she said, "Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean you have to treat me like every punch or kick will crack me."

"If I'm not careful that's exactly what'll happen," he replied, crossing his arms and giving her a stern look. "And it's not just that you're a girl. It's that you're a six-year-old girl. Most people frown upon ten-year-old boy beating up little girls."

This brought forth a pout from the girl. "I can hold my own, Carter. I may be a little girl, but I'm also you're sister. I've seen the same things you have. Been through the same things you have. We're strong together, that's what you always say. I'm not gonna break any easier than you, four years younger and a different gender or not."

The boy looked at the girl for several minutes in complete silence with a look of pure shock on his face. When he finally recovered, he gave her the most genuine, softest smile he knew, and reached out a hand to ruffle her hair.

"You really are an old soul, Cupcake."

The bed was warm and soft the next morning, which was surprising considering I didn't remember going to sleep. I did my morning ritual as slowly as possible, which I didn't realize until I'd left the bedroom and met up with the Elric brothers. Ed took it amongst himself to throw a mini-fit on the extended amount of time I took that morning. I was sort of happy to see Al jump to my defense, saying something about how he thought I might have had a nightmare. I made a mental note to ask him about where he came to that conclusion once this mission was finished.

As a day starter, we stopped by Major Owsen's office and picked up my gloves. It felt great to have them back, but to my dismay, I was ordered to keep them in the pocket of my jacket for now. If the Creta soldiers were to notice them during my capture, it was highly likely they would take them away and the plan would be void. The pocket I was keeping them in was hidden in the inside of my jacket with a zipper that kept it closed.

After that point, it was all a waiting game really. Major Owsen was sure the plan would work and that they would come after me. He was also fairly certain they'd do it when Ed and Al left my side, which might have been why I clinged to them longer than I should have. We'd decided to spend some time really checking out the town, but I couldn't bring myself to enjoy it. Worry and anxiety were building up in me over the intensity of the mission. Ed and Al both promised to get me out of there as soon as they could, and that at any sign of distress, they would hijack the place no matter what. I assured them that wouldn't be necessary, but Al had made up his mind to try to keep my mind off of the matter.

It was well after noon by the time Ed decided to split from us. He insisted on Al coming with him, but something told me the younger Elric noticed my anxiety, as he was adamant on staying with me a little while longer. We didn't do much or talk much, though I had to give him points for trying. I honestly did try to hold up a conversation with him, but my mind just kept slipping out of it, and I eventually stopped trying. It wasn't until we stopped and sat on a bench outside of a noodle shop that he actually brought my slip of the mind to light.

"I know you're scared, Kylie, but brother and I will protect you," he reassured me as I sighed with my head in my hands.

"It's not just fear that's running me here, Al," I told him, looking up to watch the people walk about the street. "If I fail, Roy will yank me off this mission faster than I can ask for a second chance. Al, I need this to go well."

"Does this have to do with the person you're looking for?" he asked me timidly.

I pulled my hand up to my mouth and rubbed my fingers against my lips. "It has everything to do with it," I mumbled, letting my hand slip to cover my eyes.

The air around us shifted and I turned to Al with my brows furrowed. "I'm sorry I can't comfort you much. Words can only go so far, but since they're all I can give. . ." his voice faded off and I couldn't fight back a smile.

"You try, Alphonse," I said, "That's more than what can be said about most people."

That was all that lasted in our conversation and a few minutes later, we parted ways. Al seemed a little reluctant to leave, knowing what would come when he did, but when we caught each other's eyes, he seemed to understand just how important this was and took his leave.

I was a little lonely at first as I weaved my way through town, bringing myself closer to the border. With the time that ticked slowly by I found my anxiety and worry fade away. It wasn't replaced by confidence or anything like that. The part of me that controlled my emotions just seemed to numb up, which wasn't uncommon in these types of cases. It was fairly normal for part of me to shut down when I got too overwhelmed.

I ended up stopping to rub the sun from my eyes when someone grabbed me from behind. Despite being prepared for this, my natural instinct was to fight back, which I did. I wrangled my arms and kicked my legs, twisting and turning in every direction to get them to let go. Panic fell over me when I felt my arms and legs both lock into place as a figure appeared before me. I didn't get more than a half second glance at them before a pressure on my forehead made me close my eyes and I blacked out.

When I came to, I was walking. Exactly how I was walking without being conscious I didn't know, but I was very aware of my company. There was a figure both in front of and behind me, and neither seemed to acknowledge my awakening. I pulled my hand up to wipe the crust from my eyes and found that my hands were held in some kind of metal contraption. I could move my hands up and down to an extent, but there was no way they were going anywhere else.

I didn't try to speak to either of the people leading me, but I did manage a look around. By the looks of the dirt covered walls, we were definitely underground. Every couple of feet I would notice what looked like air ducts that were likely connection to whatever was just above us to bring down air. I also saw metal bars along the left wall, will hollowed out space behind them, but it was much too dark for me to see anything inside. However, once we'd walked for a while longer, a low stream of lights hanging from the ceiling came to life, and when I dared to look towards the hollowed out Earth, I couldn't help but stop dead in my tracks, causing both figures to stop as well.

Behind the bars were people. They varied between ages and genders and there were more in the first short strip of ground than all the soldiers in West City. It was obvious the cities soldiers weren't the only people down here, but that left me with the question: Who were they? These people looked miserable. They looked terrified. And an even more terrifying thought struck me. They looked tired. And not the sleepy kind. The kind of tired that you passed out from. . . and never came out of.

Suddenly, this mission became much more dangerous. There was more to this than we initially thought. There was no way they were just kidnapping important soldiers to get back at West City for something. Half of these people were children and could no way play an important role in society. Creta was up to something much bigger than just a war with West City, and I was right in the middle of it.

A sudden panic filled me and I was gasping. My vision began to blur and I was fairly certain I had fallen against the wall. My throat had gone numb but my lungs were burning worse than ever. My instinct was to bring my hands up to my mouth, but I realized I wasn't wearing my gloves, and they were in a secret pocket I couldn't reach. I felt my heart rate pick up and closed my eyes as the figures drew closer. I tried desperately to get air into my lungs with no luck. Without the ability to breathe or my gloves to supply my fix, I couldn't keep myself conscious and soon enough was forced to sit back as the world around me faded away.

Authors Note: That's it for this chapter you guys! I hope you liked it! Please review! Until next time, Toodles~