UNDERCOVER

Hiya, I just wanna say thank you to Hunter-Robin and Dailenna. Thank You! You really made my day. You have NO idea how happy you guys made me! Even if there's only one person reading my story, I promise to update just for that person! This chapter's for YOU!

Madwriterontheloose

Insert Standard Disclaimer Here

Chapter Two: Picking and Choosing

"Ugh…Sir, how much longer…" the usually stoic Hawkeye groaned. They had been shopping all day, and they still didn't find anything for their disguises. They had started at around six a.m. and now it was four p.m. Needless to say, Hawkeye felt frustrated and bored. But she was nowhere near as irritated as her superior.

"How am I supposed to know, Hawkeye!" Roy snapped. "And how many times do I have to tell you not to call me Sir! Gang members do not say sir! What do gangsters wear, anyways?!" He looked ready to rip his hair out. Darn that Hakuro, he thought, not for the first time.

"I haven't the slightest clue," Hawkeye replied, quickly regaining her composure. "Why don't you ask Major Armstrong?"

"I would, except he's nowhere in sight!" Hawkeye quickly scanned the area, and she realized he was right. There was not a glimpse of the Major among the countless shoppers and the many stalls packed with various goods.

"It will forever be a mystery to me how someone of his size and stature can disappear like that!" Roy continued is rant. Hawkeye coughed slightly, trying to catch his attention. When he continued talking, she coughed louder.

"What's with the coughing?" Roy asked, irked from being interrupted, "Do you need cough drops?"

"No Sir, I merely wanted to catch your attention," Hawkeye replied, pointing to a secluded stall, "because I have spotted Major Armstrong." Roy vaguely saw a large lump above the crowd, presumably the Major, and then turned to Hawkeye.

"Don't say Sir!" Roy growled as they headed over.

"Yes, Sir."

"Lieutenant Hawkeye, I'm beginning to think you're doing this to me on purpose."

"I would never dream of irritating you on intentionally."

"Then no Sir!" Roy yelled, but Hawkeye had already turned her attention elsewhere. She tapped Armstrong on the elbow, since she couldn't reach his shoulder, and he turned away from the conversation he'd been having with the stall owner, and noticed them standing there.

"Aha! So my faithful companions have arrived! I have found the perfect attire for our mission!" He crowed. The stall owner standing beside him eyed them suspiciously. His black, cropped hair clung to his forehead in the heat, and his mustache looked as if it could rival the Fuhrer's. His dark eyes flashed in the sunlight, and studied them intently. A brown shirt and white trousers was his outfit. Roy shook his hand, at the same time looking around.

"So you said you've found it?"

"Yes," Armstrong beamed, "It's perfect!"

"That's nice and all, but where is it!?"

"It's right here," Armstrong showed them the white shopping bag he had been carrying. It had become bulky, and white material was sticking out of the top.

"Can't we even see it?"

"Whatever for? They're perfect!"

"Yes but-"

"And I've already bought it!" Armstrong continued, seeming to not have heard Roy.

"What! Why didn't you consult us first?!" Armstrong deflated a bit, and seemed to get a little teary eyed.

"You don't trust my judgment? Well, at least now I know how much you appreciate having me on this mission! I'll just go to General Hakuro and tell him to place me elsewhere, since you obviously don't need me!" Armstrong wailed. Roy looked taken aback. Hawkeye couldn't keep a small smile from forming.

"Look, never mind. I'm sure the clothes are perfect. And of course we need you, Armstrong. You're very important." Armstrong recovered immediately, which made Roy wonder if he'd just been manipulated.

"Of course you need me! For without my wonderful muscles, this team would only be half as strong as it is now!" Hawkeye looked annoyed.

"Are you saying I only contribute 25 percent?" She asked dangerously. Apparently, Armstrong noticed the warning signs, because he instantly changed tack.

"Oh no, Lieutenant Hawkeye! You contribute 50 percent!

"Wait a minute!" Roy shouted, "Aren't you forgetting someone?!"

"No, Sir, I believed he's taken everything into account." Hawkeye told him, "And Sir, you're making a scene. People are beginning to stare." And she was right. The poor, innocent passerby's were baffled as to what was going on. This seemed to make Roy even madder.

"I do not only contribute 0 percent! I am worth 100 percent!" Hawkeye just sighed and headed back to HQ, Armstrong trailing behind. And Roy was left with no choice to follow.

"What is this!" Roy yelled. After they arrived at HQ, Roy and Armstrong headed to the Men's bathroom, while Hawkeye headed to the Women's bathroom. Armstrong had finished earlier than Roy, and went to wait in the office for him.

Roy hurried out of the bathroom and headed to his office. He slammed open the door an briefly took in the faces of Havoc, Breda, Falman and Fuery, before turning on Armstrong.

"Why do I have to wear this?! Sure, I don't mind this jacket, or these pants, but how come I can't wear any shoes?! And what's with these sunglasses?!" Just then Hawkeye walked in, looking disgruntled.

"What is this?"

"At least you get to wear sandals!"

"Hey now," Armstrong put in, trying to bring back the peace, "I'm not wearing any shoes, too."

"And you're not wearing a shirt, either!" Roy shot back. Havoc, Breda, Fuery, and Falman gaped at their superiors. They were standing in the middle of the office. Roy's face was red with anger, Hawkeye was annoyed, and Armstrong was trying to explain over Roy's retorts. But what REALLY caught their attention was what they were wearing.

Armstrong's outfit was the simplest. He had on navy green pants that went up to his section. A simple brown belt held it in place. He also had white bandages wrapped around his midsection and white socks.

Hawkeye had on a jacket with a long tail, a collar, and the kanji for 'love' written on her sleeve. She wore sandals and normal pants. But she was also wrapped with white bandages underneath (A/N:Kind of like how Motoko from Love Hina has bandages under her traditional clothes).

Roy had a jacket similar to Hawkeye's, but without 'love' written on it. He also wore pants with pockets on the side. He had black socks, and was currently holding a pair of sunglasses in his hand.

"Why do we have to wear this anyways?!" Roy snapped while Hawkeye nodded in agreement. Armstrong looked trapped, and he finally gave in.

"Geez," Breda shook his head, "Armstrong must have had a really bad day, or he wouldn't have given in."

"Well, I watched this play once," Armstrong began uncertainly, "And all the gang members in it wore these types of clothes."

"Let me get this straight." Roy's eyebrow twitched slightly, "We're wearing costumes that you saw in a play… for our VERY IMPORTANT MISSION!"

"Yep!" Armstrong replied, grinning, "Aren't they great?"

"…"

"Well…" Havoc hesitantly broke the sudden silence, "Er, so, How are you going to start?" Roy froze, then slowly turned to face Havoc.

"Say that again." He commanded in a dangerously quiet voice. Havoc gulped.

"How are you going to start the mission?" he asked again. Roy's face turned purple.

"Great!" Roy steamed, "Just great! Darn that Hakuro! How the heck are we supposed to find them when he can't!?" Everyone was stumped, when Hawkeye spoke up.

"According to the report I received from General Hakuro, almost every city has been hit except for Central. Perhaps it would be wise to start in a different location, such as East City or Reole?"

"Yeah." Roy sighed, relieved, "We should try Reole first, since they just had that revolt. I'm sure there's probably a lot of people there who are poor or ruined, and blame the military. It'd make sense if some of the people we're looking for are over there." Hawkeye nodded, and Armstrong jumped right into the conversation.

"Then let's head out right away! To Reole!" he declared. Then Falman stepped in.

"Sir, what about everything else? Like your paperwork or the Elrics?"

"My paperwork can go to-"Roy began passionately, but when he noticed the heated glare he was receiving from a certain subordinate, he sat down and wearily pulled the first paper off the large stack sitting on his desk. "I'll get started on it right now."

"And the Elrics?" Falman pressed.

"And what about Black Hayate?" Fuery put in, nervously fiddling with his glasses.

"The Elrics will be fine," Roy waved off their questions impatiently, "I'm planning to wrap this case up quickly, and they should be able to take care themselves. Then he began scribbling on his numerous sheets of paperwork.

"As for Black Hayate," Hawkeye added, "I want all of you to care for him. And if something happens to him, there will be trouble." All of the people currently in the office gulped. Threats made by Lt. Hawkeye were not to be taken lightly.

"What!" Breda piped up, indignant, "But I hate dogs!"

"Too bad."

"How can anyone hate dogs?! I love 'em! They are Man's Best Servants!" Roy declared, still doing his paperwork.

"Sir, have you given any thoughts to your alias'? You can't just go as Roy Mustang, people would recognize you right away," Falman suddenly commented.

"That's easy," Roy mumbled, not even looking up, "We'll just use our first names, because I doubt anyone would recognize me in this getup. So I'll be Roy, Hawkeye will be Riza, and Armstrong will be…" Then Roy looked up, "Hey, what's your first name, Armstrong?" Armstrong thrust out his chest proudly.

"My name is Alex Louis Armstrong!"

"Wait… is Alex your first name, or Alex Louis?"

"My name is Alex Louis Armstrong!"

"I only need your first name!"

"My name is Alex Louis Armstrong!"

"What are you, a broken record!"

"Why don't we just call him Alex," Hawkeye put in, "Is that okay?"

"Thank you Haw- Riza," Roy nodded, "Did you hear that, er, Alex?"

"This is so weird." Fuery muttered to Breda.

"You can say that again."

"Yes!" Armstrong bellowed, "I'm Alex!"

"Great," Roy sighed, "Now we can head to Reole."

Chapter Two-End

Yeah! One more chapter down! I had originally planned for this chapter to be longer, but I decided to post what I had already written. Gomen! I just thought it would be better this way. Oh, yeah, and also, if anyone has read a story with a similar storyline, could they please tell me? Hope you like Chapter Two, everyone!

Next Chapter

Roy, Haw-I mean Riza, and Arm-Err, Alex are finally headed for Reole. On the way they meet a happy-go-lucky girl who asks them if they were sent by the King. Does she mean King Bradley? Or is it a totally different King? And when Roy assumes she means King Bradley, and thinks she's a messenger from Hakuro, what does she mean by telling them that everyone is gathering? Find out in the next chapter, Mouse.