Title: The Heart of Everything: The Song of the Forge Volume 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.

Summary: When whispers of a Rebellion sweeps across Amestris and a failed assassination reveals a terrifying plot against the State, Brigadier-General Edward Elric and Colonel Alphonse Elric are dispatched with orders to stop the rebels at all costs. The only problem is that the rebels have traveled twelve years into the past.

Chapter 6

The day after the battle assessment, Maes found himself in Roy's office while his long time friend stumbled over his words, trying to explain something to Ed, whose poker face would be much more impressive if it were not for his lips twitching in an attempt not to start laughing out right. Maes suspected that this little show of respect was the only reason why Roy was forging ahead despite his uncharacteristic inability to find the right words to explain whatever the hell it was that Roy was trying to explain to the sixteen year old, who seemed to know what Roy was trying to say, and finding the Flame's tongue tied explanation hilarious. Maes sighed and decided for the sake of all involved, he should step in before Roy made a bigger fool of himself and Ed cracked a rib from holding in laughter.

"That's enough Roy," he said, "I can't understand a word you're saying, and Ed's going to bruise something if he has to stop himself from laughing at you for much longer." He turned to Ed, who had resorted to biting his lip to keep from laughing and said, "and you, let it out before you hurt yourself, kid."

Ed smiled, snorted, snickered, and somehow swallowed his amusement and straightened, all signs that he had been on the verge of uncontrollable laughter gone but the sparkle in his eyes. "Sorry," he grinned, "But I was told this particular lesson was going to be a traumatizing one. Of course, I understand that the material's no laughing matter, but the delivery…" the teenager snickered some more.

Roy glowered, "I'd like to see you do better, Fullmetal."

Ed shook his head, still grinning, "Nice try old man. Even I know better than to give a lecture on what I don't fully understand."

"Brat."

"And damned proud of it, Mustang."

Roy blinked and Maes chuckled. Ed smirked and stuffed his hands in his pockets and Maes blinked as the teenager rocked back on his heels in a very familiar manner. The pieces clicked, and then two very confused alchemists were watching him as he collapsed in uncontrollable laughter.

"Um… Lieutenant Colonel Hughes?" Ed ventured. "Are you alright?"

"Maes, get off the floor and stop making a fool of yourself," Roy growled.

"Oh, it's just too cute!" Maes howled in laughter.

The snap and crackle of alchemy drew all three men's attention to the barrier which vanished and a smug looking Brigadier General Elric stood there with a giggling Major Jean Havoc behind him. The Brigadier raised an eyebrow at Maes, "What's with him?"

"No clue. What's got you so smug?" Ed asked.

"Ch-Chief went and stole Boss' date last night! The look on his face!" Havoc guffawed.

"The old womanizer's loosing his touch," the Brigadier General purred as he raked a hand through his bangs. "And you really shouldn't be laughing, Havoc. I stole your date in addition to Mustang's."

"It was worth seeing Mustang's face! As long as I get to see Boss go down, steal all the dates from me you want, Chief!"

"Oh? Is that a challenge, Major?" Edward smirked in a way that was eerily familiar to Roy.

"Watch out Central!" Havoc cried, "There's a new lady killer in town, and his name is Fullmetal! Move aside Flame Alchemist!"

"Now, now, Major," Edward purred, "You're embarrassing the children."

"Um… Back on track, sir?" Ed called tentatively.

"Oh, that's right," Edward's smug smile became nostalgic as he glanced at his younger self, "How are lessons coming along Ed?"

"Mustang's having trouble forming a coherent sentence," Ed replied, grinning, "Thus far, all the Colonel has managed is a very convoluted string of gibberish along the lines of insert tab A into slot B, and the Lieutenant Colonel seems to have lost whatever was left of his sanity due to amusement."

"Ah, I remember that," Havoc grinned, "The look on your face when you realized what the Boss was trying to say was hilarious. The fact that he was trying to give you "The Talk" on the Military Express on our way to the frontlines just made it even more so."

"Good times," Edward agreed, smiling softly, "One of the last before everything went downhill." He turned his attention back to his younger self, "And now, I think it's time for some lessons in marksmanship, yes? Our Major Havoc has saved our life more often then he'd have liked in Drachma, so he knows our fighting style as well as Alphonse. Learn from him first; believe me when I say you'll need it." His smile was sad, "It's been years and I'm still trying to break habits from a style meant to kill Drachman alchemists on the off chance that I might need it against Cretans."

"Ack!" Maes cried, leaping to his feet and clamping his hands over Ed's ears, "Don't tell him that!"

Edward raised his eyebrow in yet another very familiar way, and then it clicked in Roy's mind. It was himself that he was seeing! His smirk at a perceived challenge that he knew he could win! His nonchalant gloating! His amused eyebrow lift! Edward would grow up into a near carbon copy of him! For some reason, concern overshadowed the pride of being someone the teenager looked up to and emulated. No one knew Roy Mustang's faults better than Roy Mustang himself, and he knew without a doubt that he was not the sort of person Edward should be emulating in any sense of the word.

Edward shrugged, looking dismissive, "He'll learn," there was no sign of a young man teasing friends in his posture and tone. He was suddenly a General through and through. Maes had only seen that sort of sudden shift in gears from Roy, though young Ed was coming in close second. "It is inevitable if you want him to live through Drachma. He'll learn or he'll die," Edward said, "Better he learn it now in a controlled environment where there are people he can trust to catch him if he falls then in the field where one mistake can cost more than just his life because there is no one there to help him."

He nodded curtly at Havoc, spun around, and settled behind his desk, which was piled high with paperwork and began studiously working his way through it. Havoc glared at Maes.

"Thanks a lot, Hughes," he growled, "And we'd just gotten him loosened up, too. Jeez! Hawthorne's report tomorrow is probably going to say he'd got nightmares about Drachma again! Shit! After almost two days worth of work too!" He released a breath in an angry huff and searched through his pockets for a cigarette, and strode toward the door, "Come on, Ed, we're going to break you into the recoil of a rifle."

Ed squirmed out of Maes's grasp and followed Havoc. The last thing either Roy or Maes heard from him before the door swung shut was the question, "Why'd the Brigadier send you? Why not just ask this side's version of you or Hawkeye?"

Maes turned to the Gate. "Uh, Ed?"

"Don't come through," the Brigadier General said firmly as he flicked through a sheaf of papers, "While the Gate is open, your presence here theoretically shouldn't have any effect on either future or past, but that's not a theory that should be tested." He pulled open a drawer and selected a pen and quickly scrawled something, his signature as likely as not, and shoved the drawer closed as he set the papers in their folder and dropped the entire thing into the out box. He sighed. "Leave for a few days and the entire office becomes one large fire hazard. Damn bureaucracy to hell."

There was silence as he pulled another file toward him and flipped through it. "If you have something to say, spit it out. Despite popular opinion, I'm perfectly capable of listening while I work, as my staff can tell you if you can get a hold of one of them. In which case, kindly inform First Lieutenant Clyne that her gun proficiency certification is overdue, and if it is not completed within the next week, she will be suspended from active duty until said certification has been completed." He glanced up and shook his pen patronizingly, "I'd do it myself, but as you can see, I'm a bit busy."

"Damn," Roy muttered, "You do realize I'm not exactly the best person in the world to pick up habits from?"

"Circumstances were such that it was impossible for me to not pick up habits from you, Mustang, since we were spending time in close quarters. I've already spent the better part of a year beating that into your head, I am not inclined to repeat the experience."

"Yep, need to break you of your habits before Edward-land becomes Mustang-land entirely," Maes chirped.

The Brigadier General froze and looked up, a strange expression on his face. "Edward-land? Mustang-land? Hughes, is Mustang and my younger self aware that you refer to them as if they were some cheesy amusement park attraction?"

"I know now," Roy glowered.

"In either case," Maes said quickly, "Was what happened in Drachma that bad? What can we expect to happen to Ed?"

"Mustang would be the better person to ask," Edward said shortly, "As he was the one to compare my actions in Drachma to what he had done in Ishbal, only I did it on a much larger scale." His smile was cold and sharp edged, "There is a very good reason why my unofficial title in the North is the Blood Rain Alchemist, you know."

As he returned to his work, Edward wondered if he was a horrible person to enjoy the shock on their faces after having dropped the bomb of the sort of reputation he'd made for himself. Granted it was not as pristine as the reputation he had in the rest of Amestris, but it was one that was useful in the military in comparison to the one he capitalized on among the civilians. Mustang and Hughes were both just as much soldiers as he was, he decided, they would understand. It wasn't as if it hurt their reputations any, being the only officers beside the Fuhrer that the Fullmetal Alchemist would take orders from.

Roy cleared his throat. "So how's tracking the Rebels on our side going?"

"Slow," was the immediate reply.

"We could help if you want," Maes offered.

"No thank you," Edward replied, "Save your resources for Drachma." He quickly finished off the last of the pile, and scooped the stack of files up into his arms and strode out of the office with nary a glance backwards.

~*~

After his commanding officer had secluded himself in his office with his old friend and the youngest member of his staff, Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc followed the rest of the staff in their usual duties. The last thing they expected, though considering that the future was present in their past, was for the door to swing open, and for a very familiar person to stride through, Ed close behind his heels asking, "So why'd the Brigadier send you? Why not this side's version of Hawkeye or you?"

"He told you already Ed," Major Jean Havoc said around the cigarette clenched in his teeth, "I know your style best out of all of us, except for maybe you and Al. Besides, Hawkeye had the easy job for most of it, sit in a high perch and shoot soldiers in Drachman brown and grays. I had to follow you on a two year tour of Amestris, and while you talked the people out of outright rebellion, I had to keep anti-military factions from killing you. Half the time, I was shooting into the crowds because of some idiot with a gun or a knife. The other half, I was shooting chimeras. You attracted trouble like mad, kid, and frankly, you still do. Mustang and Al were probably the only ones who won any money off you when your staff didn't all request transfers after the first time they had to bail you out after you ended up neck deep in trouble." Havoc paused at the door and added, "But then again, it's not as if you actively go out looking for trouble… Anyway, if I remember correctly, Mustang wouldn't let you so much as hold a gun before you turned sixteen. Has Hawkeye started you on the basics of how to take care of a rifle yet?"

Ed looked slightly confused, and Major Havoc sighed. "With Scar running around too… We were idiots back then to think that attaching a pair of bodyguards could keep you safe. I'm surprised you even survived long enough to be promoted when we didn't think to try and give you some long range backup that did not require Alphonse to drag your ass out of the fire. But thanks to the Chief, we're going to fix that. Come on then, to the range with us."

~*~

Out in Central City proper, Colonel Alphonse Elric, with his aide-de-camp, was busy investigating the part of the city that had, in the future, gone up in flames after Edward was shot in the defense of his commanding officer. What they had found thus far was not promising, if only because there was nothing to be found.

"Strange to think that there's nothing here," Alphonse murmured. "This was believed to be the meeting place between the two organizations… Maybe we're here a few years to early?"

"Impossible, sir," Lieutenant Alicia Herne said, "Reports from this time indicate that the Perfect Peace People was already an established organization here in Central City and was already well on its way to fracturing to form the more militant People's Army. It would be impossible for them not to have a headquarters here somewhere."

"The only question is where."

"Sir… Colonel, is it possible that the Rebels may be in Eastern City? Evidence indicates that Liuetenant General Mustang and Brigadier General Elric are considered high priority targets. It may be that they are waiting for us to lower our guard so they can attack."

"If we were to return to Eastern City, who would shield the Generals in Central?" Alphonse asked rhetorically, "No, brother is in Eastern City. He'll make sure nothing happens to the targets out there. Strange though, that something like this would happen… They must be hiding out somewhere near their targets. A large group like the Perfect Peace People suddenly up and vanishing? No way can they not have a place to gather. I hope General Mustang and General Hughes are dealing ok. Brother said that the People's Army is getting more active back home."

"I'm sure the Generals are doing fine, sir."

"I know, but I don't feel right, being out here chasing Rebels when the country is on the verge of civil war with tensions with Creta on the rise. I know brother feels the same."

"We all do, sir."

Alphonse shook his head and began moving toward the military car, long strides eating up the distance quickly, "Well, it doesn't seem like we'll find anything more out here. Let's get back to Central Command and see if the others have found anything."

"Yes sir."

~*~

"Nothing?" Edward's eyebrows seemed to be trying to disappear into his hairline at his brother's news.

"Nope. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. The PPP is no where to be found, and neither is the PA."

"I remember seeing a report about not too long after we were transferred to Central," Edward frowned as he clasped the phone to his ear with his shoulder and reached for another file of paperwork. "An organization like the PPP that is having an internal struggle due to a fraction of the members wanting to go militant does not simply drop off the face of the planet."

"That's the problem, brother," Alphonse said, "Because they are not there. I'd like to take a team into the sewers sometime tomorrow, just in case."

"Al, no one with half a brain is going to go down into the sewers," Edward said, "Not unless you're absolutely desperate. There are all sorts of weird things down there. Remember the little fiasco with the Serpentine Alchemist?"

"Natalia Kruger. Specialized in the creation of chimeras for use in espionage and assassinations. Fused her commanding officer with a serpent as revenge for passing her over for a promotion only to be killed and eaten by him. The former Colonel Joseph MacDougal was immediately hunted down but not before he killed and consumed several other civilians and soldiers."

"And he wasn't the only nasty hiding in the sewers. Al, be careful when you go down there."

"Don't worry, brother. I will."

"Let me know when you leave."

"You'll be the first know when I get back."

Edward smiled dryly. "I'm smothering aren't I?"

"It's alright brother," Edward could practically hear Alphonse's smile, "After everything we've been through, you have every right to smother."

"You deserve to be your own person, Al, not a tamer version of me."

"Brother, we've had this discussion before."

"And I have the feeling we'll be having it again." Edward sighed. "Just be careful, Al."

"Again, don't worry brother."

"I'll try not to jump to conclusions. Elric out."

"Likewise, Brigadier. Elric out."

Edward set down the phone and frowned. Oh, he did not like where this was going. What would happen if they did turn out to be in the sewers? Rouge alchemists liked the warehouse districts for large stretches of level ground to draw on. The sewers were a breeding ground of druggies, chimeras, and other nasties.

"Shit," he growled, and pulled a blank sheet of paper toward him. He was going to need to send a few teams into the sewers then. Just in case.

~*~

The next morning found several squads of soldiers assembled on the parade ground, all of them armed to the teeth and toting heavy duty flashlights. They had formed ranks and wore grim faces and did not talk quietly amongst each other as soldiers waiting for the command to move out were wont to do. It was this tense atmosphere that more than one officer found disquieting as they had to walk past the gathered soldiers to get into the Command Building. Not a single officer or enlisted man could miss that first of the five ranks was made up entirely of alchemists and the other four ranks were foot soldiers of varying ranks. When teams were put together to have at least one alchemist each, there was trouble, and any soldier with eyes could see that the order that these soldiers had formed ranks in was no accident.

It was into this tense atmosphere that Colonel Roy Mustang arrived to start another day in Eastern Headquarters. He'd just made it to the foot of the front steps and was on his way up when Brigadier General Edward Elric, wearing a sword belt to which was clipped a rapier and at least one gun under his military issue overcoat, and his staff, consisting of his two lieutenants, a major, and a corporal, appeared at the top and made their way down.

"Found a new lead then?" Roy asked.

Edward shook his head. "It's as if they disappeared into thin air. The only place left to look is the sewers."

Roy frowned, "The sewers? No one in their right mind would be fool enough to be down there! Not with the chimeras and rogue alchemists taking over the underground."

"It's the only place to look," Edward shrugged, "Previously gathered evidence indicates that you and I are high priority targets, so until we have new evidence that says otherwise you'll want to keep an eye on the people around you and Ed. Stay away from windows, and avoid being alone if you can help it. I've already been forced to step in front of a bullet for you, and I am not inclined to repeat the experience."

"Uh," Roy just knew he was gaping in an unseemly manner, "Thank you?"

Edward nudged him gently with a shoulder, "What are friends for, Mustang?" he murmured and descended the rest of the way down the steps to stand in front of his men.

"There have been no sign of the Rebels past or future thus far," Edward said softly, his voice somehow managing to carry across the parade ground and up to Roy's ears despite being several dozen steps from the very top, "and Colonel Elric is of the suspicion that they may have gone underground, in the most literal sense of the word. As of 0600 hours today, he has led fifteen teams of five into Central City's sewer system. They will be scouring Central City's underground for any sign of either the Perfect Peace People or the People's Army over the next few days."

Roy reached the top of the steps and turned to watch, marveling at how Edward's voice could reach him even from this distance despite talking in a soft and gentle tone that he'd only heard the blonde use with Elysia. He'd only ever seen the older Fullmetal filling out paperwork though more than one person had alluded to his prowess as a soldier and commander. He'd have to have some skill, he'd never have made it to Brigadier General otherwise, and Roy was curious to see the older Fullmetal in action. In the distance, Roy could see different officers pausing at the Front Gate and waiting there, in deference of the importance of what was taking place on the Parade Grounds. Certain things in the military was sacred, one's comrades, the chain of command, the military protocols that dictated a soldier's life, and most especially, the trust one's commanding officer had in his troops to follow orders. In the military, a mission briefing is especially sacred, and not a soldier, from the lowliest of privates to the highest general would dare cross the parade ground and thus disturb the sanctity of this obviously very important mission briefing. The day's work was going to start a little late because of this it seemed, but no one was going to complain.

"We have had about as much luck determining the whereabouts of the rebels as our comrades in Central," Edward was continuing in that same gentle tone, "and there is only one place we have yet to look. Beginning today, and over the span of the next several days, we will be searching the sewer system of Eastern City for any sign of the rebels. You have already been assigned sections of the sewer to search and have been designated into teams of five. Each team has been assigned an alchemist to combat any rogue alchemists or chimera you may encounter. Ultimately, your mission is not to clean out the sewers, lovely though it may be, but to seek out any information that may be found on the whereabouts of the enemy. This is not an excuse to indulge in any frivolity or to slack off. The sewers are much more dangerous than the streets in the lowest slums. One wrong move and your life will be over. Except in an extreme emergency, Lieutenant General Mustang will not be assigning any more men to this mission, so if we loose one man here, that is one soldier less we have to defend our future with. Which means," here, Edward's tone changed to the no-nonsense roar of a general who fully expected his men to be in the air before asking how high when he told them to jump, "NO FOOLING AROUND! I WILL PERSONALLY FLAY YOU IF YOU SCREW THIS UP, DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!!!"

The assembled soldiers immediately barked in reply, "Sir, yes sir!"

The Brigadier General nodded in approval. "Very well then," his voice was soft again but no less crisp, "Remember to stay in radio contact. Men, move out!"

The assembled soldiers saluted, did an about face, and marched out the gate, where there was an organized scramble to clear the way. Mission briefings might be sacred, but soldiers on a mission… Move out of the way. The country's future depends on it. And in the case of the soldiers that were leaving, the country's future quite literally rode on their successfully completing their mission.

The Brigadier General shrugged his shoulders to settle his great coat more comfortably and checked his sword belt and strode toward the gate, his staff following close behind.

"There they go," Roy glanced over his shoulder at the sound of Maes's voice. "Who would have ever thought that Ed would grow into that?" the Lieutenant Colonel said thoughtfully, "I look at our little Fullmetal and I have trouble seeing the Brigadier General he will eventually grow up to be, even when the Brigadier General is standing right in front of me."

"I have the feeling that our older selves struggle with that same problem everyday," Roy murmured, "And there's Al to think of too. A Colonel? Color me surprised."

"Ed told me the Brigadier General told him to stop coddling Al so he'd grow into his own person," Maes murmured, "And the one time my own elder self came through on his way to Central, he told me to use my eyes and see the obvious. Which leads me to believe that Ed might just be right. Al is already very much like Ed, just calmer."

~*~

Lieutenant General Roy Mustang glanced at the papers in his hand, and then at his friend who was for once not grinning at him like a lunatic. "So Ed and Al are going into the sewers," he said, "I can see why it might be cause for concern, but if the Rebels have gone underground, we have to follow."

"That's just it, Roy,' Hughes said, "Central City has more than one underground."

"Xerxes," Mustang agreed, "If it comes to that, we'll just switch Elrics."

"Would it really be that easy?"

"Knowing the trouble those two seem to constantly get into? No."

Hughes grinned. "Right, so how much do you want to bet that Ed's well into the process of changing the past?"

Mustang flicked a pen at the grinning man. "No bet, Maes. No bet. This is Edward Elric the walking repository of guilt and regrets we're talking about."

"Would you stop him?"

"No." Mustang lowered his eyes, "If he can change anything for the better, I won't stop him. Ed has the best chances, his plans look weird sometimes, but the end result is always a benefit. I wonder if he doesn't plan it that way sometimes."

"He doesn't," Hughes chuckled, "Remember how we ended up with a treaty with Xing?"

"Which reminds me, did Ling Yao ever get back to us on what the hell he thought he was doing on that field to begin with?"

"Looking for Ed, apparently."

"I figured that much, but what for?"

"He told me to ask Ed."

"Ed told me to ask Ling."

The two men blinked, then said in unison, "Al."

"I'll see if I can contact him later," Hughes said thoughtfully, "Both Ed and Al should in be in the sewers by now…"

~*~

Colonel Alphonse Elric slapped aside an airborne chimera with the flat of the blade of his officer's sword and sidestepped a clumsy knife swipe from a grungy filth covered creature that looked as if it was a human under all that muck with a frown. He could see his staff ahead of him, methodically firing into an advancing herd of chimeras, and distantly, he could hear the sounds of gunfire and the snap and crackle of alchemy. His soldiers had been set upon by the denizens of the sewers almost as soon as they had dropped down. He only hoped his brother was having better luck in Eastern City.

~*~

Brigadier General Edward Elric slapped aside a chimera with his automail hand, disregarding the crunch of breaking bones and the yelp as the chimera slammed into one of its fellows. "It seems that Al was on the right track," he murmured as he unclipped the radio from his belt. "Change of plans!" he said, "Push forward! They must be down here somewhere!"

The radio crackled and there were twenty replies of the same, "Yes sir!"

"We're running low on ammunition, sir," First Lieutenant Alexandria Clyne said in her calm, toneless way.

"Then we will send someone to fetch more," Edward agreed as he lifted the radio once again, "Teams five, nine, and fifteen, go topside and get us more ammunition!"

The radio crackled once again, "Sir, yes sir!" the radio fell silent, and then, "Any preferences, sir?" asked a female officer.

"No, just the general things. See if you can't requisition some explosives from the Goldenrod Project, though."

"Understood sir. Although…"

"Ask my younger self or the Colonel Mustang. I didn't level all of those towns with alchemy alone you know."

"Understood sir. Alchemist Fifteen out."

Edward smiled as he clipped the radio to his belt and pulled out his sidearm and fired it into the face of a chimera that seemed to have a lion base. "Lieutenant Hawthorne!" he called.

"Yes sir?" the lieutenant replied as he fired his rifle into the advancing mass of chimeras.

"Remind me to take a look at the file on the alchemist on team fifteen."

"Yes sir!"

~*~

Colonel Roy Mustang rubbed his temples gingerly. Reports had been coming in all day about the sounds of a fight coming from the sewers. What happened to the mission being one for information gathering?

"He obviously came across a lead," Hawkeye's lips curved in a smile, "Nice to see Edward doesn't change much, although being called unofficially the Blood Rain Alchemist must have come as a surprise after years of being the People's Alchemist."

"A lead. In the sewers? From the racket, it sounds more like a war!"

"It may well be," Major Jean Havoc rolled his eyes as he ambled through the door, an exhausted Fullmetal slung over his shoulder. "Ed knows best, no matter what people think."

He set the teen onto the couch and added, "You might want to requisition some explosives from the Goldenrod Project, by the way. Knowing Ed, he'll be sending several teams up to pick up more ammo, and at least one of them has orders to get some Goldenrod explosives. Kid really likes the stuff. Comes up with the weirdest ways to use them. Kind of like his arrays."

He smiled down at the dozing teen. "Wish he never had to fight Drachma sometimes, especially when he wakes up screaming, or something triggers a flashback," Major Havoc murmured, "But such things do happen…"

He quickly shook himself out of the melancholy and grinned at the younger version of his commanding officer. "So, Colonel, how about bringing down the barrier so I can get back? Other than a few new scars, Hawkeye doesn't change much over the years, and I'm late as it is."

Roy found that he had to smile at the Major's words as he left his seat. It was nice to see that although a great many things would change over the years, that some things would stay the same.

~*~

It was near midnight that Colonel Alphonse Elric was able to get his troops out of the sewers. Other than a few rogue alchemists, druggies, homeless folk, rogue chimera, and weird scientific experiments by ambitious physicists, there had been nothing to be found. On the bright side, the sewers had been cleared of unsavory characters during the march through, not that it had been hard. Ultimately, it hadn't been until after Liore and the outlawing of the creation of chimeras that the sewers of any city in Amestris had gotten truly dangerous.

As he stumbled into the bathroom attached to his quarters, Alphonse wondered if his brother was having any luck in Eastern City.

~*~

"Rest?" Brigadier General Edward Elric said sarcastically into the radio as he emptied his handgun into a pack of hyena based chimeras, "What on earth is that?"

"Please sir! We can't keep this up much longer!"

Edward sighed. The alchemist who had identified his team as number thirteen was right. If this kept up, they would die, and that was not good. The teams had already taken injuries, not enough to stop them from fighting, but enough to severely hinder them.

"I understand," and he did, but he couldn't give up the ground they had gained. They were encountering human soldiers and alchemists more often now. He wasn't going to retreat, but it did not mean he couldn't compromise, "If the wounded can get out and get us some relief, we can get some rest. Until then, hold your ground!"

"Understood sir!"

~*~

Injuries among soldiers were not unusual things. Their line of work often meant that injuries of some sort were inevitable. Rarely though, would a soldier come running into the Command Center, exhausted, bleeding, and covered in sewer muck and chimera gore, and on this particular evening, there were almost twelve of them, all racing to the same destination at different times.

Location in question? Not the infirmary as some might think. No, these were the soldiers who had been briefed on the parade ground that morning, and were therefore the troops from the future. And so their destination? Colonel Mustang's office. Reason? To get more troops. Why was more troops necessary? Because a war was quite literally taking place in the sewer system beneath Eastern City, and had been raging for the better part of the day.

Colonel Roy Mustang blinked at the soldiers that dashed into his office near the end of the work day, one after the other, bloody, exhausted, and covered in muck and gore, gasping a request to be let through the gate, and very obligingly undid the barrier to let them through. This was certainly a day to remember. And then he remembered who it was that had led a mission into the sewers and groaned. It seemed that even after fourteen years, Edward Elric's ability to get in trouble did not change. He was still going to be the Fullmetal's commanding officer in the future. He was doomed. Doomed, doomed, doomed. Utterly and completely doomed.

~*~

Lieutenant General Mustang, who had moved his base of operations into Eastern City temporarily, resisted the urge to groan when yet another muck covered soldier darted into his office. Major General Maes Hughes, in a chair a little to the left of the desk, gave his friend an amused look tinged with concern.

"No, no, let me guess," he said wryly, "Fullmetal is waging war in the sewers of Eastern City and needs more troops." He shook his head, glancing at the chain covered in a thin sheen of red, "You're the sixth one to tell me this, major. Get to the infirmary."

The bemused and exhausted alchemist saluted and left.

Hughes turned his attention to his long time friend. "It looks like Ed's found a lead. He really doesn't do things half assed does he?"

"He's waging a war under Eastern City," Mustang dropped his head onto his desk with a thunk.

"He doesn't pull harebrained stunts without reason anymore, Roy," the bespectacled man pushed gently, "Not after Drachma, you know that."

"You really do want me going after him, don't you?"

"Do you have much choice? They were only sent through with a certain number of troops, and even if they can get word to Al, there is no way he can get his soldiers from Central to Eastern City in time. Ed might be known for achieving the impossible on a battlefield, but not even he can stand his ground in pitched battle for three days with no rest, Roy."

"We have a lot riding on this project," Mustang sighed as he sat up and reached for the phone, "But to take more troops through… I don't know if Madame Fuhrer will authorize it, especially with the People's Army becoming more active."

"Like you said," Hughes said calmly, "There is a lot riding on this project. She'll authorize the troops. You'll see."

Mustang paused halfway through dialing the Fuhrer's extension and glanced at his old friend and asked dryly, "And I'm assuming you'll be coming too?"

Hughes gave the alchemist a hard look. "Just try and leave me behind, Roy."

Mustang rolled his eyes and muttered, "I wouldn't dream of it," as he finished dialing the Fuhrer's office.

Hughes gave his friend a cold, tight smile, and Mustang flapped a dismissive hand at him as he spoke to the Fuhrer's secretary. The entire military knew that Maes Hughes felt somewhat paternal about the Elrics, and the first time Edward had gone out on a date, Hughes had fussed like a mother hen, and when he'd broken up with the girl, Maes had nearly scared the poor thing out of her skin. Say nothing of what had happened when Edward had somehow dragged himself into Eastern Headquarters with his throat slit at fifteen. The city had never been as law abiding since.

~*~

One hour later, a force of eighty soldiers and fourteen alchemists (not including Mustang and staff and Hughes) had been put together along with two alchemists and four foot soldiers to replace the ones that had returned with the request for reinforcements. Mustang and his staff immediately ushered them through the Gate, and Major Havoc found he couldn't resist making a final crack as the soldiers dashed through.

"Guess we're off to save Ed's ass. Again. For the thousandth time."

Mustang glowered and the Major blanched and darted through the gate. The Liuetenant General adjusted his gloves and stepped through the gate, Hughes close behind him.

~*~

TBC…