Disclaimer - I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist
Chapter Fourteen - Military Brat
Fuhrer Mustang was sitting in his office, doing paperwork, when he heard a knock on the door. "Come in," Mustang called out.
The door opened and one of the military's highest ranking generals entered the room. The general stopped a few feet from the Fuhrer's desk and raised his hand in salute. There was a concerned expression on the general's face that shone through the stiff formality of his actions.
"General Narita," Mustang said, placing his pen down upon the stack of papers on his desk. "Is there something I can help you with?"
"I have a problem Fuhrer Mustang sir," General Narita said.
Mustang gestured toward the chair in front of his desk. Then, once the general was seated, Mustang gazed at him expectantly. "What kind of problem General?"
"My wife and son traveled East to visit her parents," General Narita explained. "They're supposed to come home tomorrow but this morning I received a frantic telegram from my wife. It seems there's been a series of kidnappings in the area in the last few days and each child that was taken came from a prestigious and wealthy family. And now Leah's afraid that Shira may be targeted because of my high rank in the State Military. She's afraid to come home."
"Hmm," Mustang said, a thoughtful expression on his face. "I could assign an escort for your family but it would be more productive to catch the culprits behind the kidnappings. Where exactly are they General?"
"New Optain," General Narita said.
A smile spread quickly across Mustang's face. It was too good to be true and the head of the military found himself unable to believe his good fortune. "General Narita, how old is your son now?"
"He's nine," the General replied, not quite sure where the Fuhrer was going with this line of questioning.
"Hmm, a few years difference but with that kid it won't matter," Mustang said, more to himself than to the general. "Shira has blonde hair right?"
General Narita nodded, growing steadily more confused as the conversation progressed. He had no idea where his commanding officer was going with this line of questioning however he didn't want to be rude and just come out and ask about it.
Mustang couldn't believe his luck. "What about your wife: What does she look like?"
"Medium height, light brown hair and brown eyes," General Narita said.
"Easy enough to match," Mustang muttered to himself.
"Sir?"
Mustang leaned forward in his chair, a smile spreading across his face. "General I think I know how we can ensure the safety of your family and catch the kidnappers at the same time."
That made the general happy. "How sir?"
"We'll plant a decoy," Mustang said. "Your wife and son will remain in New Optain while the decoy and several undercover officers travel to Central in their place."
General Narita's face fell. He found it hard to believe that Fuhrer Mustang was actually suggesting that they place another child in danger in his son's place. "But sir we can't endanger some other child just to keep my son safe. I want Shira to be safe but not at that cost."
Mustang smirked. "Trust me, he won't be in any danger. In fact, on the off chance that the kidnappers do manage to get hold of him they'll regret it deeply I can assure you."
That statement aroused the general's curiosity. "Exactly who did you have in mind sir?'
"A boy who gives whole new meaning to the term 'army brat'," Mustang replied a smirk on his face.
It was early in the morning and Nick had just arrived at the military base in New Optain. He'd been going there every morning since his arrival in the eastern town. Col. Havoc, who'd been the one to send him on his mission out here in the first place, had been sending orders to the colonel in charge of the New Optain branch. And Col. Keller had, in turn been relaying the orders to Nick. So Nick had been checking in with him every morning in case Col. Havoc sent a message.
The guards knew Nick by this time so they no longer felt it necessary to check his I.D. They simply allowed him to pass freely now, without his having to show them his pocket watch.
"Good morning Mr. Elric," one of the guards said as Nick walked by.
Nick nodded in the man's direction as he walked by.
Nick entered the building and walked down the hall toward Col. Trent Keller's office. He knocked lightly on the door and then stepped back to await a response.
"Come in," Col. Keller called out.
Nick opened the door and entered the colonel's office. "Good morning colonel."
"Morning Nick," Col. Keller said. "No new orders this morning. Col. Havoc said to carry on the same as yesterday."
Nick nodded. "Thanks colonel."
Col. Keller nodded.
Nick bowed to the colonel and left the office. "Guess it's back to my research."
And with that Nick made his way to the small library housed in the New Optain Military Branch. The library wasn't nearly as impressive as the one in Central but it would do in a pinch. Nick selected a few books and then sat down at a small table.
Nick had been in the library for a few hours, deeply engrossed in his studies, when he heard the door open.
"Excuse me."
Nick turned around and saw a soldier standing in the doorway.
"Are you the Fullmetal Alchemist?" the soldier asked the boy.
Nick nodded.
"Col. Keller wants to see you in his office sir."
"O-kay," Nick said, standing up.
Nick made his way back to Col. Keller's office. He knocked on the door and then opened it. "You wanted to see me colonel?"
"Yes," Col. Keller said. "Pack your bags Fullmetal. You're heading back to Central in the morning."
"What?!" Nick exclaimed, his eyes narrowing in anger. He'd been sent her to do research and now he was being told that he had to leave before he had completed said research. That was enough to get his blood boiling. "I'm not finished with my research yet."
"Sorry kid but your mission will have to wait," Col. Keller said. "You've received orders from the Fuhrer himself."
"What the hell does he want now?!" Nick said impatiently, showing absolutely no respect for the leader of the military.
Nick heard a gasp issue from the corner of the room and he turned around quickly to find out who had made the noise. Sitting in a couple of chairs in the far corner of the room were a woman and a young boy, both of whom had shocked expressions on their faces.
"Nicholas," Col. Keller said, regaining Nick's attention. "This is Leah Narita and her son Shira."
Nick gazed at the woman, who appeared to be in her early forties and the boy who appeared to be around his own age. As he gazed at them he wondered who they were and why they were there. And what exactly this had to do with him.
"Mrs. Narita is the wife of General Narita," Col. Keller said. "I trust you've heard of him."
Nick nodded.
"Fullmetal," Col. Keller said. "There have been a rash of kidnappings in the Eastern Region and all of the victims have been from prestigious families."
At that moment there came a knock on the door. Col. Keller interrupted his explanation of the situation in order to call out, "Come in."
The door opened and a female soldier entered the room. Nick gazed at the woman and the first thing he noticed was how much the soldier resembled Mrs. Narita. "Well that's freaky." the young boy thought to himself as his gaze shifted back and forth between the two women.
"Welcome Sergeant Cass," Col. Keller said. He gestured toward an empty chair next to the spot where Nick stood and Sgt. Cass quickly sat down, following the colonel's unspoken order.
Col. Keller clasped his hands together. "Now that we're all here I can fully explain the situation."
Nick gazed expectantly at the colonel.
"As I said before there have been a rash of kidnappings, all victims having come from prestigious families, and Mrs. Narita fears that since her husband is a high ranking general her son may be targeted."
Col. Keller paused and focused his gaze on Nick and Sgt. Cass. "That's where the two of you come in."
"Oh hell," Nick said, gazing at the boy and his mom. He now saw where this conversation was going and he didn't like it the least little bit.
"Sgt. Cass, you will impersonate Mrs. Narita with Fullmetal fulfilling the role of your son."
"Damn you Mustang," Nick muttered angrily.
Sgt. Cass turned reproachful eyes on the boy. "Behave yourself son."
"Yes ma'am," Nick said sarcastically.
"Thank you so much for your help."
Nick turned and gazed at the woman, who's voice had been filled with relief. She'd obviously been really worried about her son's safety, he could tell by the look of extreme relief that he saw on her face. Nick waved his hand dismissively. "No problem."
Shira Narita slowly walked over to the spot where Nick stood. When Shira got close Nick saw that the boy was actually about an inch and a half taller than he was
"Are you really a State Alchemist?" Shira asked, his voice filled with awe.
Nick nodded.
"That's amazing!" Shira exclaimed his voice full of enthusiasm. "It's hard to believe you're only two years older than I am and you're already a State Alchemist. That is so cool!"
"What?!" Nick exclaimed. "You're YOUNGER than me?! That's not fair."
Col. Keller interrupted Nick's tirade. "Fullmetal you leave in the morning. Deal with it."
"Fine," Nick said, resigned to the fact that he would have to go on this mission, whether he wanted to or not.
"Col. Keller," Mrs. Narita said. "Do you really think that this will work? If my son really is a target do you think the kidnappers will mistake this boy for Shira?"
"We can test the likelihood of this missions success if it'll make you feel better," Col. Keller said. "Did you bring some of Shira's extra clothing?"
Mrs. Narita nodded, holding up a bag that had been sitting beside her chair.
"Nicholas," Col. Keller said, turning his attention back to the irritated looking young man. "Change into the clothes that Mrs. Narita brought and then come back here."
Nick shrugged and took the bag that Mrs. Narita offered him. Then he left the office.
Col. Keller stood up. "I'll be back shortly." And with that he too left the office.
About five minutes later Nick reentered the office, dressed in khaki pants and a white button up shirt. Nick walked back over to the spot where he'd been standing before and when he gazed around the room he noticed that Col. Keller was gone. "Where did the colonel go?"
"He didn't say," Sgt. Cass said. "But he did say that he'd be back shortly."
"Okay," Nick said.
"Fullmetal," Sgt. Cass said, standing up. She walked over to the young boy and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Turn around."
"Why?" Nick wanted to know.
"Just do it," Sgt. Cass said.
Too confused to put up his normal amount of protest, Nick turned around and once the boy had his back to her the sergeant grabbed his braid. Sgt. Cass unbraided the boy's hair, ran her fingers through it a couple of times, and then secured it in a low ponytail at the nape of the boy's neck. Then she tucked the hair down into the back of the boy's shirt.
"That's better," Sgt. Cass said.
"What did you do that for?" Nick wanted to know, squirming uncomfortably as the hair sticking down the back of his shirt immediately began to annoy him.
"Because no general's son would have hair as long as yours," Sgt. Cass told him. "It's a dead giveaway."
At that moment the door opened and Col. Keller walked back into the office. "Nick, Shira come with me. Mrs. Narita you may come as well. I've devised a little test and the results should tell us how likely it is that someone could mistake Nick for your son."
Col. Keller turned and walked back out of the office, followed by the two boys and Mrs. Narita. Col. Keller led the way down a hallway and then halted the group in front of a closed door.
The colonel opened the door and entered the room, followed by Nick, Shira and Mrs. Narita. The room was filled with soldiers and Col. Keller instructed the two boys to stand at the front of the room.
Nick and Shira stood at the front of the room with their backs against the wall.
"Okay guys," Col. Keller said, addressing the group of soldiers. "I have a question for you. One of these boys is General Narita's son Shira, the other is the Fullmetal Alchemist Nicholas Elric. My question to you is this: Which one is which? Now by a show of hands how many of you think the one on the left is the Fullmetal Alchemist?"
Nick watched as one person raised their hand slowly. "Damn you all," the boy thought to himself.
"Okay," the colonel said. "It almost seems a stupid question at this point but how many of you think the one on the right is the Fullmetal Alchemist?"
The remainder of the soldiers raised their hands.
Nick actually growled at the soldiers.
"Okay," Col. Keller said. "Will the real Fullmetal Alchemist please step forward."
The two boys glanced at one another for a few seconds and then Nick took a step forward, glaring at the soldiers as he went.
"Nuh uh," one of the soldiers exclaimed as Nick stepped forward. "There's no way that little runt is the Fullmetal Alchemist!"
"RUNT!!!" Nick yelled. "Who the hell are you calling a RUNT?!" Nick pointed to Shira. "He's ONLY an INCH taller than me!"
"Nicholas!" Col. Keller said sternly. "Enough."
After a brief debate on his part as to whether or not to obey the command Nick dropped his hands, which were clenched into fists and took a deep breath.
The soldier who'd called Nick a runt breathed a sigh of relief and wiped a couple of beads of sweat from his forehead. "That was scary."
"Okay guys that's all I needed," Col. Keller said to the soldiers. "You're dismissed."
The soldiers all stood and saluted the colonel. Then they filed out of the room.
"I can't believe those people," Nick muttered as he watched the soldiers exit the room. "One soldier out of that large group of people guessed who I was. ONE!"
"Calm down Fullmetal," Col. Keller said. "There's no reason for you to get so worked up. I mean you're appearance is the perfect cover, you should be happy about it."
Nick growled at the colonel.
Col. Keller raised his hands in defeat. "Alright kid, have it your way."
Nick turned his back on the colonel and walked out of the room, and to his surprise he found himself being followed by Shira.
"Do you need something?" Nick asked the boy as he walked down the hall with the other boy close on his heels.
"Not really," Shira said.
"Then why are you following me?" Nick wanted to know.
Shira gazed at the ground. "My dad's a general so the only people we have regular contact with are his military friends who are all a bunch of old guys. It's rare that I have someone around my own age to talk to."
Nick stopped and turned around to face the other boy. He knew what it was like to be completely alone but unlike Shira he didn't really mind it. He chose to be alone because he couldn't get anyone else hurt that way. But this other boy was obviously lonely.
Nick shrugged and began walking again but stopped after only a few steps when he realized that Shira was no longer following him. He turned back around to face Shira once more. "You coming or what?"
Shira smiled and ran to catch up with Nick.
The two boys spent that evening together, in the library. Nick had swiped some paper from Col. Keller's office and he used it to show Shira some basic alchemy.
Nick grabbed a pencil and drew a simple array on one of the pieces of paper. Then he placed his hands down upon the array. Shira watched as blue sparks erupted from the array and then a puff of smoke covered the piece of paper.
Shira gasped when the smoke cleared to reveal an ornate origami crane, sitting where the piece of paper had been moments before. "That's amazing!"
"That's nothing," Nick said.
"How did you do it?" Shira asked. "It's like magic."
"It's not magic or witch craft," Nick said quickly, not wanting the young boy to get the wrong impression about alchemy. "Alchemy is a science: the science of understanding the structure of matter, breaking it down and reforming it into something else. In chemistry a reaction has to be balanced, so does alchemy. It's an equation: your output has to be of equal mass to the materials you started with. The base elements have to be similar too. And in order to gain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. You can't get without giving."
"That is so cool," Shira said. "But it's making my brain hurt. It's amazing that someone as young as you can actually understand it."
That comment made Nick pause. He'd never thought much about the complexity of the science he'd learned at a young age and yet what Shira said was true. Alchemy was really complex, so complex in fact that many adults couldn't comprehend it and yet Nick, at age eleven was already an accomplished alchemist.
Early the next morning Nick, who'd spent the night at the base, dressed in the khaki pants and white button up shirt that he'd briefly worn the day before. Once dressed Nick started to leave the room where he'd slept but paused at the door. Remembering what Sgt. Cass had told him the day before Nick pulled his hair into a low ponytail and then tucked it into the back of his shirt.
"This will bug the hell out of me all day long," Nick thought to himself. "But at least I look like I have short hair now."
That taken care of Nick left the barracks and made his way to Col. Keller's office. When he reached the colonel's office Nick knocked on the door softly and then waited.
"Come in," a voice called out.
Nick opened the door and entered the office.
"Good morning Fullmetal," Col. Keller said as the boy walked across the room. "Are you ready for this kid?"
"Sure," Nick said, his voice devoid of emotion.
"You're not worried?" Col. Keller asked the boy. "Not even the tiniest little bit?"
"No," Nick said. "Is there some reason I should be? I mean there's not even any guarantee that something will happen so there's really nothing to worry about."
"And you wouldn't be worried even if we knew for a fact that something was going to happen would you?" Without waiting for a reply from the boy the colonel went on. "In fact I'd go so far as to say that you'd be more enthusiastic about this mission if something was definitely going to happen."
Nick grinned, not denying what the colonel said. "So when does the train for Central depart?"
"The train leaves at 1000 hours," Col. Keller said. "So we only have a short time to plan our strategy."
"Strategy?" Nick said, confused.
"Yes Fullmetal," Col. Keller said patiently. "We have to be prepared just in case the kidnappers do try something."
"If they try something I thought I'd just beat the crap out of them until they surrendered," Nick said with a smirk. "That's my strategy."
Col. Keller placed a hand to his forehead, as though he had a headache. "Col. Havoc warned me that you were like that. Think Fullmetal, do you honestly think you could take on a large group of armed men by yourself?"
"Yes," Nick replied without hesitation.
"Cocky aren't you?" Col. Keller asked.
"Perhaps," Nick said with a small shrug. "But the fact remains that I'm a highly trained State Alchemist. And trust me, they don't call us 'human weapons' for nothing."
Col. Keller stared in awe at the young boy who stood in front of him. It was hard to believe that the kid was only eleven years old. He had a maturity that far outreached his years.
"Okay," Col. Keller said. "Even assuming you could take them on your own I'd still feel better if we had a contingency plan."
"Fine then," Nick said with a shrug. "Go ahead and plan out your contingency plan but I'm telling you now that you won't need it."
Col. Keller shook his head as he stared at the confident look on the boy's face. The boy was definitely cocky but if half the stories told about him were true he had a right to be.
At 9:15 that morning Sgt. Cass and Nick left the New Optain Military Base and walked the short distance to the train station. They would be followed later by a group of undercover soldiers but the two of them had to leave HQ by themselves or risk blowing their cover.
"This really sucks," Nick moaned as he and Sgt. Cass walked.
"Deal with it son," Sgt. Cass said, gazing down at the boy. "I'm not any happier than you are about this situation but you don't hear me complaining incessantly about it."
Nick gazed up at the woman. "You're right. I'm sorry."
Sgt. Cass gazed at Nick, a stunned expression on her face. It was obvious from her expression that Nick's apology had been the last thing she'd expected to hear. "That was weird," she thought to herself.
It was only 9:30 when the two reached the train station so they found seats on an empty bench. They didn't speak of their mission, in case someone was listening but Nick kept his eyes peeled for anyone acting suspicious.
And before long he spotted a couple of men who immediately struck him as odd. The two men were dressed normal enough but they seemed to be keeping an eye on Nick and Sgt. Cass and they were going out of their way to keep someone between them at all times.
"What the hell?' Nick thought, watching the two men. "They'd blend in better if they stopped trying to blend in. In their attempts not to be conspicuous they're making themselves stand out even more. Stupid."
Nick glanced over at Sgt. Cass to see whether or not she'd seen the two men but she was looking the other way, oblivious to what Nick had been watching for the past few minutes.
"Oh well," Nick thought to himself. "Guess she'll find out later."
Deciding that the two men weren't really worth his attention Nick looked away and that's when he saw a couple of familiar men striding toward the bench where he and Sgt. Cass were sitting. The two men were soldiers from the New Optain Branch and they were heading straight for them.
"What are those morons doing?" Nick thought to himself. "If they blow my cover so help me. . ."
The boy shot the two men a nasty look and they suddenly halted their approach. Then seeming to realize the stupidity of their actions the two men walked off in a different direction.
"Morons," Nick thought to himself.
Having averted that crisis Nick gazed around the station searching for the two men that he'd spotted earlier. But the strangers were nowhere to be seen. "Now where did those guys go?"
"Attention ladies and gentlemen," a voice called out. "The ten o'clock train to Central is now boarding on Platform 3."
"Come on Shira," Sgt. Cass said standing up. "That's our train."
"Coming Mom."
Nick jumped to his feet and followed Sgt. Cass toward the train. As he went, he gazed around for the two strange men from before but they were still nowhere to be seen.
"Hmm," Nick thought as he boarded the train. "Maybe those guys weren't the kidnappers after all."
Sgt. Cass showed their tickets to the conductor, who quickly bowed to them. "Right this way ma'am. We have a compartment reserved in the front of the train."
"Thank you," Sgt. Cass said quietly.
The conductor led them to the front car, where he showed them an empty compartment. The conductor opened the door of the compartment and touched his cap. "Enjoy your trip ma'am."
Sgt. Cass nodded politely to the man as she and Nick entered the compartment.
Once they were inside the car, with the door securely closed, Nick threw himself down on the seat.
Sgt. Cass sat down across from the boy, sitting prim and proper like any general's wife. "You behaved yourself very well son. I'm proud of you."
"Thanks," Nick said. "So now what?"
"Now," Sgt. Cass said. "we wait."
The train ride was incredibly boring, as they always were, but time passed quickly enough and as the distance between the train and Central lessened Nick began to wonder whether there would be any problems.
When he'd seen the two strange men in the station Nick had been sure that his mission would have some excitement but now he wasn't so sure. They were now more than halfway into their trip to Central and the train ride had thus far been uneventful.
"Maybe I was wrong," Nick thought to himself.
That thought completely depressed and utterly annoyed the boy. He would be seriously pissed off if his research had been interrupted for nothing and he would have a few choice words for the Fuhrer if that turned out to be the case.
Sgt. Cass was quietly reading a book and Nick was dozing in his chair when the door of their compartment was suddenly thrust open and one of the men from the station stepped inside.
Nick jerked awake when the man entered the compartment but held himself in check. It wasn't time to blow his cover just yet. He needed more information about who and what he was dealing with before he revealed his true identity.
"Can I help you sir?" Sgt. Cass asked.
The man pulled a gun from his coat and pointed it at Nick. "You're coming with me little man."
Nick clenched his teeth and let the remark slide. But it took every ounce of self control that he possessed. "Little man? That guy has some nerve."
The man strode over to Nick and grabbed the boy by the arm. "Are you deaf boy? I said you're coming with me!"
Nick was forced to stand up or else risk having his arm pulled out of socket and as he did so he silently counted his blessings that the man had grabbed his left arm and not his right. The auto-mail might have made the man suspicious.
Sgt. Cass jumped to her feet as the man pulled Nick toward the door.
The man whirled on her and stuck the barrel of the gun in her face. "If I were you I'd sit back down and be quiet. If you don't your son will suffer for it and you wouldn't want that, now would you?"
"It's okay Mom," Nick said in a soft voice. "I'll be fine."
Sgt. Cass nodded and sat back down in her seat.
"Good boy. You may have just saved your life, not to mention your mother's," the man said. Then he turned back to the woman. "Tell your husband the general that if he wants his son back safe and sound and in one piece the ransom is two hundred thousand sens. We'll send instructions for how to deliver it later."
With that the man placed the tip of the gun in the small of Nick's back and shoved him toward the door. Nick allowed the man to guide him out of the compartment, biding his time until he knew exactly what he was dealing with.
The man guided the boy to the back car of the train, which was empty of people save for one. The second man from the train station was waiting for them there.
"Good, you got the boy," the second man said. "Any trouble?"
"No Gray," the first man said. "It was almost too easy."
"Okay Troy, well done," Gray said. "Now that we have our target we have to get off the train before the boy's mom notifies someone of his abduction."
"Right," Troy said, opening the door at the back of the car.
The train was zipping through the open countryside by this time and the two men guided Nick over to the door.
"We're right on schedule," Gray said, scanning the terrain.
Nick's bangs were being blown into his face by the wind and his eyes widened when he realized what their intentions were. "We're gonna jump?"
"That's right kiddo," Troy said. "Hope you're athletic."
At this point Nick decided that he had enough information to proceed with step two of the master plan. He had determined by this time that there were only two kidnappers involved in the abductions, so it was time to act.
The two men were standing on either side of Nick and the boy pulled his arms free from their grips and did a back flip. Nick landed a few feet back, thinking as he went, "I thought I was a decoy, not a stunt double."
After a surprised pause the two men pulled their guns and pointed them at the boy.
"Not a smart move kid," Gray said angrily.
"Oh that was nothing compared to the stupid move you guys made earlier," Nick said.
Nick ran toward the men, clasping his hands together as he went. Then he grabbed the barrels of both guns, pulled them together and fused them using the power of alchemy.
"An alchemist?" the two men mouthed as one, staring down at the warped piece of metal that had once been their guns. Simultaneously the two men released their grips on the gun, allowing the twisted lump of metal to fall to the ground, and ran toward Nick.
"Oh yea!" Nick exclaimed, clasping his hands together once again. "Now things get interesting."
Nick placed his hands on one of the seats and then grabbed the spear that arose from the spray of blue sparks. Nick pointed the spear at the two men, a smirk on his face. "Come on guys, what's taking you so long? You're not scared of a kid now are you?"
That statement angered the two men and they rushed the boy, which is exactly what he wanted them to do.
"Well that worked better than I thought it would," Nick said as the two men ran toward him.
Nick stuck the spear point into the floorboards and, using it for balance, swung around and kicked Gray in the head. The man dropped to the ground. Nick landed back on his feet in the exact spot where he'd started out and stared down at the unconscious man. "Damn, is that all you've got? That was pathetic."
"You shouldn't be so cocky boy," Troy snarled, glaring at Nick. "You've still gotta deal with me."
Nick smirked and held up his thumb and first two fingers. "I give you three minutes tops."
Troy clenched his fists and snarled, "You arrogant little brat."
Tick marks appear on Nick's forehead and he dropped his spear and ran toward the man. "Little? LITTLE?! That's it, YOU'RE DEAD!"
Nick balled his hand and punched the man in the face. Troy moaned in pain and quickly joined his companion on the floor.
"Fullmetal sir!"
Nick turned as several soldiers in civilian attire burst into the car, their guns drawn.
Nick sighed and shook his head. "And the cavalry has arrived. Just after the nick of time I believe."
The soldiers surveyed the scene and then lowered their weapons.
"So much for the colonel's contingency plan," Nick thought with a smirk as the soldiers took the would-be kidnappers into custody.
Sgt. Cass walked over to Nick and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Good work, Fullmetal sir."
"Sir?" Nick repeated in surprise, staring at the sergeant. Even though he technically outranked her she had not once since they'd met called him sir. "Now you start calling me sir? What's up with that?"
"To be quite honest sir when I first met you I had my doubts about your abilities and whether or not you were really good enough to be a State Alchemist. But after seeing what you did to these guys all my doubts are gone."
"Wow, you're really blunt sergeant," Nick said.
For a moment Sgt. Cass looked worried, like maybe she'd said something she shouldn't have. The boy did outrank her after all and could easily get her into a whole lot of trouble.
"Respect is earned. You don't just automatically get it because of rank or age," Nick said in a quiet voice. "Don't worry sergeant I agree with you completely. And I respect the fact that you had the guts to say it even though I'm three ranks above you."
Sgt. Cass smiled. "You have earned my respect Fullmetal."
Nick nodded his head in acknowledgement of her compliment and stretched out his arms. "Well our job's done. We may as well return to our luxury car and finish out the trip in style." And with that Nick waved to the other soldiers. "See you in Central."
A few hours after the kidnappers made their move the train arrived at the station in Central.
"Well that was fun-filled beyond belief," Nick said as he stood up and stretched.
Nick and Sgt. Cass left their compartment and met up with the soldiers who'd been guarding the kidnappers. Then the group departed the train together, with Nick leading the way.
When Nick stepped off the train he immediately saw Fuhrer Mustang and some unknown officer standing on the platform. Fuhrer Mustang's eyes focused on Nick and the boy led his group over.
All of the soldiers saluted their leader but Nick just stared at the man, a look of contempt in his golden eyes.
"At ease," Fuhrer Mustang said to the soldiers who were showing their respect. "I take it from the two men in chains and Fullmetal's foul mood that your mission was a success."
"Yes sir," Sgt. Cass said.
"Good job," Fuhrer Mustang said. "Escort the prisoners to State Prison Number 1. Then come to Central HQ."
The soldiers all saluted again and then walked off to carry out their orders.
"And you," Fuhrer Mustang said, gazing down at Nick. "Stop looking at me like that."
"I'll look at you any way I want," Nick growled.
"That's my little insubordinate," Fuhrer Mustang said with a smirk. The Fuhrer turned to the officer who was staring at Nick in open mouthed amazement. "Gen. Narita meet Nicholas Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist. Fullmetal this is Gen. Jien Narita, Shira's father."
Nick's gaze moved to the general.
"You may resemble my son in appearance but your attitude is nothing like Shira's."
Nick reached behind his back and pulled his ponytail out of his collar, which was a relief because it had been bugging the hell out of him all day long. "You know, we don't even look that much alike and as for Shira's attitude, I gave him a few pointers on that while we were at the base together."
A worried expression appeared on the general's face.
"Don't listen to him Gen. Narita," Fuhrer Mustang said calmly. "Fullmetal has a general disdain for authority but he really is a good kid deep down inside." Nick growled low in his throat at that comment and Fuhrer Mustang hastened to add, "Really deep down."
"Why do you put up with this boy's blatant insubordination sir?" Gen. Narita asked.
"Because Fullmetal is a valuable State Alchemist," Fuhrer Mustang replied, omitting the part about multiple persons kicking his ass if he didn't put up with it. The general didn't need to know that particular detail.
"Well," Nick said with a wave of his hand. "I've had enough of your company. I'm outta here."
And with that Nick walked away.
Fuhrer Mustang and Gen. Narita both watched as the boy walked away and the general turned to the Fuhrer. "Are you just going to let him go sir?"
Fuhrer Mustang nodded. "Yes. It's just easier that way."
"Hmm," the general said.
"You should go and send a telegram to Leah," Fuhrer Mustang said. "Now that the kidnappers are in custody it is safe for them to return to Central."
Gen. Narita saluted. "Thank you sir."
Fuhrer Mustang nodded and the general walked off to send a telegram to his family. Leah would be extremely happy to know that she could now safely travel back to Central City without fearing for the safety of her son.
A/N - and there's chapter fourteen. Hope you enjoyed.