Disclaimer - I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist
Chapter Thirty - Missing Alchemists
"So Nick," Mustang said as he gazed at the young boy who was standing in front of him. "Now that you're back and have been cleared of all wrong doing I have a mission for you."
"A mission?"
Mustang nodded. "Several State Alchemists have gone missing in the last couple of months and I want you to find them."
"Are you sure they weren't victims of Hunter?"
"Doesn't fit his MO," Mustang said in answer to the boy's question. "In the cases known to be connected to Hunter we had no trouble finding the bodies. He makes absolutely no attempt at covering up his crimes. However these alchemists simply vanished and although it's possible I find it hard to believe that five State Alchemists would desert."
"Alright. I'm on it."
"One more thing Fullmetal. Don't take this the wrong way but I'm not sending you on this mission alone."
Nick stared at the Fuhrer.
"All five of the alchemists were last seen near our border to the north and as you well know that's where the rebel faction has its headquarters. Therefore I'm sending a few well trained troops with you."
Nick gave Mustang a dirty look.
"Don't give me that look Fullmetal," Mustang said, sighing at the boy's obvious displeasure over the situation. "I'm not sending them as baby-sitters. You're in charge of this mission and the soldiers will obey your orders."
Nick's eyes lit up.
"Unless you order them to remain in Central. I'll be sure to give them permission to disobey any orders along those lines."
"Damn," Nick thought to himself. Then he grinned at Mustang. "I give you credit Mustang, you've gotten smarter."
Mustang smirked. "I had to, in order to keep one step ahead of you."
"So which unfortunate souls are you gonna force to accompany me?"
Mustang shrugged. "I haven't decided yet. Any requests?"
"Second Lieutenant Griffon," Nick said.
Mustang arched an eyebrow. "The body guard whose presence you normally loathe?"
Nick nodded, giving no explanation for his choice.
"Very well then," Mustang said. "Anyone else?"
Nick shook his head. "Whoever."
"Alright then. I'll assemble your team immediately. Report back here at 0700 tomorrow to receive further orders. Until then you are dismissed."
Nick saluted (something that he rarely did nowadays) and left the office.
As he walked away Nick thought about his upcoming mission. "This will be different. I'm not use to other people coming along on my missions."
The next morning Nick arrived at Mustang's office promptly at seven and when he entered he saw five soldiers in blue standing in front of the Fuhrer's desk. Nick walked across the large office and took his place at the end of the line.
The other soldiers were all standing at attention however Nick chose a more relaxed stance.
"At ease everyone," Mustang said, gazing pointedly at Nick. "Now that you're all here we'll make the introductions."
Mustang motioned for Nick to step forward and for once the boy obeyed without comment. Barely managing to hide his surprise Mustang proceeded to introduce Nick to the group. "For those of you who don't already know him this is Nicholas Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist."
The group saluted Nick, which only served to make the boy feel self-conscious. "At ease."
"Nick," Mustang said. "This is your squad. Starting from the right; First Lieutenant Benjamin Gray, First Lieutenant Kisa Fox, Second Lieutenant Jason Griffon, Second Lieutenant Colt Sanford, and Sergeant Kayti Knight."
Nick inclined his head to each soldier as their name was called.
"Now that we have the formalities out of the way, on to business. As I'm sure you're all aware, five State Alchemists have gone missing in the last seven weeks. All were on missions to the Northern region and all reported nothing of importance before their abrupt disappearances."
"Is it the work of the State Alchemist Killer Sir?" Lt. Gray wanted to know.
"No," Mustang replied, thinking that maybe he should have briefed the soldiers along with Nick the first time, since it seemed apparent that now he was going to have to answer the same questions that Nick had asked yet again. "I should have picked this group out as soon as I decided to send Nick on this mission." Mustang thought to himself. "That's what I get for procrastinating." Focusing his thoughts back on Lt. Gray's question Mustang continued his explanation. "These disappearances don't fit Hunter's MO. No bodies or evidence of foul play have been found."
Not wanting to hear the same things that he'd heard yesterday and knowing that Mustang didn't want to explain it again Nick interrupted the conversation. "So when do we leave Mustang?"
Mustang handed Nick a cream colored folder bearing the military crest. "You leave later this evening. Your train tickets and case file are in this folder."
Nick nodded.
"You are all free for the duration of the day. Report to Central Station at 1600 hours." At this point Mustang paused and looked at Nick. "They're all yours Fullmetal."
Nick glanced briefly at his troops. "Dismissed."
The soldiers quickly saluted and then filed out of the room.
"Well that was weird," Nick commented as he watched the group of soldiers file out of the room.
"Give it time Fullmetal. The power will eventually go to your head."
Nick smirked. "Oh you'd know all about that wouldn't you sir?"
Mustang grinned evilly. "You have no idea kid. Now I have no idea how long this mission is going to take but I'm fairly sure that it won't be a short one. And since you'll be away from Central for awhile, Riza told me to invite you to lunch at our house. So you're invited to lunch and it goes without saying that you're not allowed to refuse the offer. So meet me back here at eleven."
Nick nodded even though under normal circumstances he would have protested the mandatory lunch out of mere principle. This situation was different since it would give him a way to see Kaori before his departure without having to fear for his safety.
It was fifteen minutes before eleven when Nick made his way back down the hall to Mustang's office. Since he was early Nick leaned up against the wall, to wait. As he stood there, Nick closed his eyes and thought about the mission that he'd just been assigned.
In a few hours he would be on a train bound for the region to the North, on a mission to locate five missing State Alchemists.
Nick's thoughts were interrupted when he heard the sound of a door opening. He opened his eyes and saw Mustang standing in front of his office.
"Come along Fullmetal. Let's go."
Nick nodded and fell into step behind his superior.
Mustang led the way down the hallway and then outside. A car was parked outside Central HQ and as Mustang and Nick approached, the soldier standing beside the car opened the door for them.
Mustang motioned for Nick to get into the car and once the boy was seated in the backseat he got inside as well. The soldier closed the door, walked around behind the car, and climbed into the driver's seat.
"Where to Fuhrer Mustang, Sir?"
"Home," Mustang ordered.
"Yes sir," the soldier said.
At four o'clock p.m. Nick arrived at the train station in Central and he quickly located his squad. The five soldiers jumped to attention and saluted as Nick came to a stop in front of them.
"Don't do that," Nick said, embarrassed by their show of respect.
However the group remained at attention and Nick soon saw why. He watched as Fuhrer Mustang walked up to the group.
"At ease," Mustang said.
The soldiers relaxed somewhat and Mustang turned his attention to Nick. "Are you ready for this Fullmetal? After all, it is your first mission since your return."
"I'm ready," Nick assured him.
"Good," Mustang said. "Now you're being sent to rescue the five missing State Alchemists but remember that the troops under your command are your first priority."
Nick nodded. Then he turned to his troops. "I hope you guys packed your civilian attire."
The group of five all nodded, unsure where their young leader was going with this.
"Good," Nick said. "Go and change out of your uniforms."
The soldiers stared at him, confused.
"Do you have a plan Fullmetal?" Mustang asked.
"Somewhat," Nick said. "But even if I didn't I don't think it would be wise for a group of soldiers to go into enemy territory openly flaunting the fact that they belong to the military that the enemy despises. We can't rescue the alchemists if we're shot by rebels as soon as we get off the train."
Mustang nodded his head in approval. "Very good Fullmetal." Then Mustang looked over at the soldiers, none of whom had moved. "You have your orders and do not question your commanding officer again."
The five soldiers saluted. "Yes sir."
Fifteen minutes later the group returned, now dressed in their civilian attire.
"That's better," Nick said as he surveyed the group. "We look a little less conspicuous now. Okay, we don't want people to know that we're all traveling together when we reach the northern town so we're going to spread out into separate cars."
The train ride to the Northern Region had taken nearly forty-seven hours and by the time the train reached it's destination Nick was fearing for his sanity. He really hated long, boring train rides.
Nick jumped to his feet before the whistle announcing their arrival blew and he grabbed his suitcase from the overhead luggage rack. Then he quickly exited the train and gazed around the platform, looking for the group of soldiers who'd traveled out North with him.
There was no sign of them, which played right into Nick's plan.
The soldiers who'd been sent along with him were all spread out in separate cars and Nick took this chance to slip off. It would be easier to do his reconnaissance work without the five of them following him. Mustang would be pissed off when he found out that he'd ditched his troops but the Fuhrer had told him that the troops under his command were his number one priority and he took that seriously. If he waited and allowed the troops to come with him then they'd be caught for sure.
"Sorry guys," Nick said as he walked away from the train. "But it's what I have to do."
Nick quickly walked over to a man dressed in a blue suit, spoke briefly with him and then quickly left the station.
Once the quintet of soldiers had disembarked from the train they quickly met up and searched for their leader.
"Has anyone seen Nicholas?" Lt. Gray asked his companions.
The other four soldiers shook their heads. They hadn't seen their leader since the five of them had boarded the train in Central.
"That's just great," Lt. Gray said, his voice filled with frustration. "Now what do we do?"
"Well," Lt. Griffon said quietly. "Since we're supposed to be undercover I vote we play the lost child routine and ask around. Maybe someone around here saw where he went. It can't hurt at any rate."
"Good plan," Lt. Gray said approvingly. "We'll split up and ask around and then we'll meet back here in fifteen minutes, whether or not we've found him."
The others all nodded and the group split up.
Lt. Griffon walked around for a few minutes, asking random people if they'd seen the boy. Then he spotted a blue clad conductor. "He may have seen Nick!"
Lt. Griffon walked over to the conductor. "Excuse me sir but I've lost my younger brother and I was wondering whether you've seen him. He's kinda small, with long blonde hair and he was dressed in black.
"Are you Jason?" the conductor asked.
Lt. Griffon nodded, surprised that the conductor knew his name.
The conductor pulled a folded up piece of paper from his pocket and offered it to Lt. Griffon. "The boy told me to give this to you."
"Thank you." Lt. Griffon took the paper from the conductor, unfolded it and scanned the contents. His eyes narrowed as he read.
Jason,
Take the others and go to the hotel as planned. I'll meet you there and explain everything then. Don't bother to search for mebecause it would be a waste of time. You won't find me. And it goes
without saying that these are official orders, so don't even think about disobeying me.
Nick
"That boy," Lt. Griffon growled, crumpling the letter in his hand.
"Is there a problem sir?" the conductor asked, a concerned expression on his face as he watched Lt. Griffon crumple the letter into a miniscule ball.
"It's nothing," Lt. Griffon said. "He's just run off again. He does it all the time."
"Do you want me to call the local police?' the conductor asked.
Lt .Griffon shook his head. "No, that won't be necessary. The boy's sixteen and he can take care of himself. Besides, he'll show up sooner or later. He always does."
"Okay," the conductor said. "If you're sure."
Lt. Griffon nodded. "Thanks for your help."
And with that Lt. Griffon walked away. Since he knew that there was no chance of finding Nick, he made his way to the arranged meeting place and waited for the others to join him.
Less than ten minutes later the group from Central were reassembled.
"Anyone have any luck?' Lt. Gray asked once everyone had arrived.
As he looked around the soldiers shook their heads one by one. Until his gaze fell on Lt. Griffon that is.
"Yea I had some luck," Lt. Griffon said. "But it wasn't good luck."
Lt. Gray could tell by the tone of the lieutenant's voice that he wasn't happy about whatever it was that he'd found. "What is it?"
"The brat went off on his own," Lt. Griffon said, handing Nick's note to Lt. Gray. "He gave this to a conductor with instructions for the man to give the note to me."
Lt. Gray quickly read the note and then cursed under his breath. "Dammit. I guess we're going to the hotel then."
The other three soldiers had read the note over Lt. Gray's shoulder and Lt. Sanders spoke up in a low voice. "Isn't this one of those orders that Fuhrer Mustang gave us permission to disobey?"
"Unfortunately not," Lt. Gray said. "The Fuhrer said that we could ignore any orders to remain in Central or any orders to return to Central once we got here. This is neither of those things and therefore we must obey."
Lt. Griffon shook his head. "The kid found a loop hole."
Lt. Gray nodded, rolling his eyes. "The kid's to smart for our own good."
The others all nodded. That was the general consensus among them.
"Okay," Lt. Griffon said. "Let's go to the hotel like we were told. The kid will meet us there eventually."
After leaving the train station Nick made his way around the small town, looking and more importantly listening for any signs of the missing alchemists. The boy was lurking near the edge of town when he heard a familiar, and utterly bone-chilling voice.
"So how are things going?" the homunculus called Sloth asked.
Nick flattened himself against a nearby building, so that the enemy couldn't see him and he listened to what they were saying.
"We're not there yet," another voice said, in a frustrated tone. "And I'm beginning to think we never will be."
"Are they not cooperating?" Sloth asked, a slight note of threat in his voice.
"That's not it," the other voice said. "I just don't think they've got it in them. Even with all the clues that we've handed them they still seem unable to forge the Stone."
"Dammit," Sloth hissed. "We'll give it a few more days and see what happens. And for there sakes I hope those alchemists find some hidden talent in a hurry."
With that Sloth and the unknown person departed, leaving Nick leaning against the wall, barely breathing.
"I can't be sure of it," Nick thought to himself. "But I think the homunculi are behind the disappearance of the five State Alchemists that I was sent here to find."
Nick waited until he was absolutely sure that Sloth and his companion were gone and then he made his way to the small town's solitary hotel.
"That was productive," Nick thought to himself as he made his way to the hotel. "This we can work with."
When Nick reached the hotel he inquired at the front desk about Jason and the lady was kind enough to give him the lieutenant's room number.
"Thank you," Nick said quietly.
Nick made his way upstairs and quickly located the room where Jason was staying. He knocked lightly on the door and then waited. Moments later the door opened and a hand stretched out and grabbed Nick by the shirt.
Nick was pulled into the room and the door was quickly closed behind him. Once he was inside Nick saw that all of his troops were gathered together in Lt. Griffon's room and they were all glaring at him.
"Don't give me that look," Nick said.
"Why did you go off on your own?" Lt. Gray asked. "We're supposed to be your back-up."
"You are my back-up," Nick said in a frustrated voice. "But I'm in command of this mission which means I make the decisions. And I decided that I didn't need you for this part. In fact it was much easier without you."
Lt. Griffon gazed at Nick intently. "What happened while you were gone Fullmetal? Something good by the look on your face."
"I may have a lead," Nick said. "I'm not one hundred percent sure but I may know what happened to the missing State Alchemists."
"Really?" Sgt. Knight asked.
"Possibly," Nick said. "While I was out I overheard a couple of people talking and based on what I heard I think they may have had something to do with the alchemists' disappearance."
"So where do we go from here?" Lt. Gray wanted to know. "Are you gonna run off and try to take care of this yourself Fullmetal?"
Nick gave the lieutenant a droll stare. "Of course not. You're my back-up so it's time for you to back me up."
"Do you have a plan?" Lt. Griffon asked.
"I'm working on one," Nick said. "If what I overheard is true then the alchemists were abducted for research purposes so they're in no immediate danger. Tomorrow we'll split up into groups and do some scouting, since I'm not exactly sure where the alchemists are being held so we'll have to ask around."
The five soldiers all nodded.
"Okay," Nick said. "Lt. Griffon, Sgt. Knight you're with me. Lt. Gray, you're with Lt. Fox."
The troops all nodded.
"Okay then," Nick said. "You should probably go to your rooms and get some sleep. And try not to let anyone see you all leaving this room."
The troops all stood up and saluted Nick and then they left the room.
"So," Lt. Griffon said as the other soldiers left his room. "Are you bunking with me little bro?"
"Sure enough," Nick said. "Unless you object."
Lt. Griffon raised his hands. "No objections."
"Good," Nick said, sitting down on one of the two twin beds that were situated in the small room.
"So Nick," Lt. Griffon said. "What happened today?"
"I needed to check out the area," Nick told him. "And it would have been harder to be inconspicuous with the four of you tagging along, besides the fact that it just would not have been safe. So I decided to go alone."
Lt. Griffon stared at the boy, shaking his head. "That independent streak of yours is gonna get you killed one of these days."
"It's not independence that makes me do these things," Nick said in a rare moment of openness. "I don't want anyone else to get hurt because of me. I've caused enough pain in my life."
Lt. Griffon was surprised by the uncharacteristic show of openness from Nick. It wasn't like the boy to divulge things of that nature to anyone, especially not someone connected to the military.
"Nick. . ."
"Enough of that," Nick said quickly. "We should both get some sleep."
"You're probably right sir," Lt. Griffon said. "Which bed do you want?"
Nick looked down and then shifted his gaze over to the lieutenant. "The one I'm sitting on works for me."
Although Nick had suggested to everyone that they all get a good night's sleep he found it incredibly difficult to doze off once he lay down. His thoughts kept drifting to the fact that the homunculi were the ones responsible for the disappearance of the five State Alchemists that he'd been sent North to locate. That meant that he'd have to face them and at the same time try to shelter his troops from the knowledge of what they truly were.
"This won't be easy," the boy thought to himself as he gazed out into the darkness.
The next morning Nick was up before the sun and since Lt. Griffon and most likely the rest of his troops were still sound asleep, the boy quietly left the room and made his way downstairs.
"Good morning," a voice said as Nick descended the stairs.
Nick waved to the lady who'd been at the front desk the night before. "Hello."
"You're up awful early," the young woman said with a smile.
"Tell me about it," Nick said rubbing his eyes.
"Rough night?"
"I've had worse," Nick said. "So what are you doing up so early?"
"I always get up this early," the young woman replied. "I've got work to do. By the way, my name's Mara."
"I'm Nick."
"Pleased to meet you Nick," Mara said. "So where are you off to at this unholy hour of the morning?"
"Nowhere in particular," Nick said. "Just out to see the sights."
"Well have fun," Mara said.
"Thanks," Nick said.
Lt. Griffon awoke to sunlight on his face, spilling in from the room's single window. He sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes, and glanced over at the other bed.
The bed was empty.
"Dammit Nick," Lt. Griffon growled, getting quickly out of bed.
At that moment the door opened and Nick walked into the room. He glanced at Lt. Griffon's angry expression and smirked. "It's about time you got up."
"Where have you been?" Lt. Griffon asked.
"I went out for a walk," Nick said, with a shrug. "I had to do something to occupy myself while you guys were sleeping."
"Why didn't you wake me up?" Lt. Griffon wanted to know.
"There was no reason to," Nick replied, sitting down on his bed. "It was too early to begin our scouting: we'd draw attention if we all went out this early."
"I see," Lt. Griffon said.
"Okay," Nick said. "I think it's about time for the others to get up. Think I'll go help them with that."
And with that Nick jumped to his feet and left the room. He walked down the hall, banging on the doors of the rooms where his troops were all sound asleep. Then he retreated back to Lt. Griffon's room and waited.
Five minutes later the four soldiers filed into the room.
"You summoned us sir?" Lt. Gray said, offering Nick a rather sarcastic salute.
"So you noticed?" Nick said with a smirk. "How perceptive."
"Couldn't help but notice," Lt. Gray said. "Must you insist on acting like a little kid?"
"Little?" Nick said, raising an eyebrow. He turned to Lt. Griffon. "Can't you do something about him?"
"What?" Lt. Griffon asked. "Like sit him down and have a talk?"
Nick shook his head. "No, like stand him up and have him shot."
"Sir!" Sgt. Knight exclaimed.
"He's joking," Lt. Griffon said quickly. Then he turned to face Nick. "Aren't you?"
Nick shrugged but said nothing, neither denying nor acknowledging what the lieutenant said.
"Okay, all joking aside," Lt. Fox said. "What's our next move?"
"Our next move," Nick said quietly. "is to track down the strangers that I was eavesdropping on yesterday. They hold the key to the success of our mission."
"Okay," Lt. Griffon said. "So what do they look like?"
"I only got a good look at one of them," Nick said, deciding that this small lie was necessary. In all honesty he hadn't got a good look at either of the men but he knew what Sloth looked like from their prior encounters. However the lie was necessary because he couldn't allow his troops to discover exactly what they were dealing with. "He's tall with long black hair and he has a very distinctive tattoo. It's blood red and it's Ouroboros, the serpent that devours its own tail."
The soldiers all nodded.
"Okay," Nick said. "We'll search the village until noon and then we'll meet back here. Everyone got that?"
"Yes sir," the group chorused.
Nick nodded. "Dismissed."
The troops jumped to attention, saluted and then left, one group at a time.
After giving the other two groups a good head start, Nick and Lt. Griffon left the room. They quickly descended the stairs and left the hotel, walking out into the bright morning sunshine.
Nick and Lt. Griffon spent the morning asking local villagers if they'd seen the strange man with the Ouroboros tattoo. And during those hours they spent searching, they picked up a couple of potentially useful tips.
"That turned out better than I expected," Lt. Griffon said as they made their way back to the hotel.
"Oh ye of little faith," Nick said with a smirk.
Lt. Griffon matched the boy's smirk. "And when exactly did you become the optimistic one of the group? You're as pessimistic as they come."
"Hey, I resent that remark."
"No," Lt. Griffon said, shaking his head. "You resemble that remark."
Nick pointed his index finger at the lieutenant. "You'd better watch yourself Griffon. I can have you court-martialed you know."
"You could," Lt. Griffon said with a knowing look in his eyes. "But you won't."
"Yea you're probably right," Nick said with a shrug.
When the group reassembled in Lt. Griffon's hotel room they compared notes and then discussed their strategy, which was a completely new experience for Nick.
"So," Nick said. "Popular opinion has the strangers staying in an old abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town. It's not used anymore so no one cares that they're there or for that matter what they're doing."
The soldiers all nodded; that had been the general consensus among the village's inhabitants.
"I think we've gathered enough information," Nick said. "It's now time to move into phase two of this mission. Time to make our move. You can have the day off and then we'll make our move late tonight."
The soldiers saluted.
"Dismissed."
Having been given their leave the troops filed out of the room, leaving Nick and Lt. Griffon alone. Nick was sitting on his bed, staring at the floor, and Lt. Griffon came to stand over him.
"Aren't you gonna go out and enjoy your free time sir?" the lieutenant asked.
Nick shook his head. "No, I'm just gonna stay here and rest but you should go have some fun."
Lt. Griffon looked hesitant.
"Go," Nick ordered.
"Okay," Lt. Griffon said. "If you insist. But I'll be close by if you need me sir."
"Be gone with you," Nick said, waving his hand toward the door.
Lt. Griffon chuckled and walked toward the door.
Once the lieutenant was gone Nick pulled his boots off and stretched out on the bed, with his arms beneath his head. He wasn't about to tell his troops but the real reason why he was staying inside was the fact that the homunculi knew who he was and there would be hell to pay if they saw him before he and his troops rescued the State Alchemists.
"I can't let that happen," Nick thought to himself as he stared up at the ceiling. "No one else will die because of me."
When dusk fell the troops from Central returned to the hotel room where their commanding officer was dozing fitfully. Nick awoke immediately when he heard the soldiers enter the room. He sat up quickly but then fell back when he saw who it was."
"A little jumpy aren't we sir?" Lt. Sanford said with a grin.
"Oh shut up," Nick muttered, inwardly thinking that they'd be jumpy too if they'd been through all the things that he had.
"Do you want us to leave so you can finish your nap?" Lt. Gray asked. "You're cranky."
Nick glared at his obnoxious subordinate but chose to say nothing.
"I think you should watch it sir," Sgt. Knight said, noticing the look that Nick was giving the lieutenant.
"Let's discuss our mission strategy," Nick said impatiently. "So we can get this over with and I can get rid of you people."
"That was cold," Lt. Griffon said.
Nick shrugged. "So tonight, at or around midnight, we'll make our way to the warehouse. Once we're there lieutenants Fox and Gray, you'll create a disturbance and hopefully lure the kidnappers out of the building. And since we have no idea how many of them there might be the rest of us will enter the building and attempt to locate and rescue the alchemists."
Lt. Griffon looked impressed. "Wow Fullmetal, when did you become such a good strategist?" After all, he was of the impression that Nick didn't do strategy.
"The strategy is for your benefit," Nick informed the group.
"Gee thanks sir," Sgt. Knight said.
The group of soldiers discussed their strategy for the mission for several hours. Then, at twelve-thirty in the morning Nick gave his troops the order to move out.
The soldiers all saluted and then the large group left the room, making no effort to hide their intentions this time around. It was late and thus they were unlikely to be caught.
Nick led his soldiers out of the hotel and across the deserted town to the warehouse where Sloth and his companions were holding the five State Alchemists hostage.
"Okay guys," Nick whispered as the group gathered behind a clump of trees and bushes. "Are you guys ready to do this?"
"Yes sir," the soldiers all chorused in a whisper.
"Okay," Nick whispered. "Split up and carry on with your respective duties."
"Yes sir."
The group split up, leaving Nick and Lt. Griffon facing the front entrance of the warehouse. They listened intently for a few minutes and then they heard a loud crash, followed by gunfire.
Nick's gaze was fixed on the front door and he was not disappointed. The door burst open and several hostile looking men ran out, weapons drawn, looking for the source of the noise.
When the group hurried of to search for the source of the disturbance Nick nudged Lt. Griffon and the two of them sprinted toward the open front entrance.
"Be careful," Nick whispered as he and Lt. Griffon flattened themselves against the outer wall and carefully peered into the building. "That wasn't all of them, I'm sure of it."
Lt. Griffon nodded, cocking the pistol that he held in his right hand.
Nick and Lt. Griffon entered the building and began their search for the abducted alchemists. The warehouse was split into sections and he and Lt. Griffon began to systematically search them, all the while keeping a sharp lookout for enemies.
During their search Nick and Lt. Griffon came upon a locked room, which aroused their curiosity.
"So what do you think they're keeping in there?" Nick asked.
Lt. Griffon shrugged.
"Only one way to find out," Nick said. "If you can't open a door, make your own."
Nick clasped his hands together and then placed them on the wall next to the locked door. Blue sparks erupted around his hands and a new door appeared beside the old one.
"Nice one," Lt. Griffon said.
Nick smirked and grabbed the door knob. He opened the door and the two of them stepped inside the room. They entered a brightly lit room, which was filled with research equipment and occupied by the five missing alchemists.
"Jackpot," Nick said. "Lt. Griffon you stay with them while I go out and secure the rest of the building."
"Yes sir," Lt. Griffon said.
Nick nodded and left the room.
"Who was that kid?" one of the alchemists asked, turning to face Lt. Griffon who was watching the door that Nick had just exited. "And why did you call him sir?"
"His name is Nick," Lt. Griffon said. "And like you he's a State Alchemist, which makes him my superior."
The alchemist stared after the boy. "That little boy is a State Alchemist?"
Lt. Griffon's eyes widened and he felt compelled to warn the group of alchemists before they made a huge mistake and said something like that in Nick's presence. "Don't EVER say that in front of him if you know what's good for you. He's uh sensitive about his height and that's putting it mildly."
"I'll keep that in mind," the alchemist said and his fellows all nodded. They too were making a mental note not to call Nick short.
Now that he was on his own Nick was able to cover ground much faster, since the only person he had to worry about now was himself and therefore he could take more risks. This was the way that Nick preferred to operate and he planned to remind Mustang of this fact as soon as he returned to Central.
During his search Nick ran into Lt. Sanders and Sgt. Knight, whom he gave directions to the room where Lt. Griffon and the alchemists were waiting and ordered them to go there.
The soldiers both nodded and left.
"Okay," Nick thought to himself as he watched the two officers leave. "Now that they're all out of the way I can find Sloth."
Nick had carefully watched the men who had ran from the building earlier and Sloth hadn't been among them.
"Where are you?" Nick thought to himself as he searched the abandoned building for signs of the homunculus.
"Looking for me pipsqueak?" a cold voice called out behind him as he turned a corner.
Nick whirled around and came face to face with Sloth, who had a stunned expression on his face. "Surprised to see me?" the boy asked with a smirk, shifting into a fighting stance.
"How the hell did you get back here?" Sloth demanded.
"I had some help," Nick said, a smug look on his face. "Help I think I should thank you for."
"What the hell are you talking about boy?" Sloth demanded.
"It's not what," Nick said calmly. "but who."
Sloth's gaze narrowed. "You'd better start making sense boy."
"Greed," Nick said simply.
Sloth's eyes widened.
Nick smirked. "You shouldn't have tossed Greed into the Gate. By doing that you provided me with the means I needed to insure my return to this world and you gave her a reason to help me. Thank you."
Sloth roared with rage and rushed toward the boy.
Nick quickly clasped his hands together, transmuting his auto-mail into a blade.
The boy fought the homunculus for awhile and Sloth quickly discovered that the boy had improved his fighting style, much to his dismay. He hadn't expected this and he wasn't prepared for it.
"Dammit," Sloth cursed. "Where are those useless guards when I need them?"
"I'm sure my troops have taken them out by now," Nick said with a smirk, thoroughly enjoying the expression of disbelief on Sloth's face.
"What are you talking about?" Sloth said. "You don't have any troops. I know for a fact that you always work alone."
"Not this time," Nick said, thoroughly enjoying himself. "This time I brought along a whole battalion. Can't be to careful you know."
"Damn," Sloth cursed again. He shoved Nick up against a wall, knocking the wind out of the boy temporarily, and ran.
"Grrr," Nick growled, as the homunculus fled. He briefly debated following but quickly decided against that course of action. "You will pay," Nick muttered under his breath.
Nick made his way back to the room where the alchemists had been kept. When he reached the room he saw that Lts Gray and Fox had joined the others.
"The guards are tied up outside," Lt. Gray said when Nick walked through the door.
"Good work," Nick said.
Nick walked around the room, examining the contents. Based on the type of equipment he saw in the room Nick concluded that Sloth and his companions had captured the alchemists in order to have them forge a Philosopher's Stone.
Having reached that conclusion, Nick questioned the alchemists in order to find out exactly how much they knew about their captors and what they were being forced to do.
Thankfully the alchemists knew very little about either. They knew that their captors were researching the Philosopher's Stone but, like most people they believed the legendary stone to be merely a myth. And they said nothing about homunculi, which Nick was incredibly thankful for.
Nick turned to face his troops. "Good job everyone. Mission accomplished."
The five soldiers all saluted.
"Okay," Nick said. "Let's collect the prisoners and head back to town."
The sun was appearing over the horizon by the time Nick and his troops arrived back at the center of town. The small town had an equally small military outpost and the soldiers from Central turned their prisoners over to them, along with a brief description of their crimes.
Then they made their way to the hotel. The group quickly gathered up the few belongings that they'd brought north with them and then they made their way to the train station, to find out when the next train bound for Central would be leaving.
The train ride to Central had taken forever but now it was finally over. The whistle blew as the train lurched to a stop at Central Station.
"Finally," Nick muttered as he stood up. Nick jumped up and grabbed his suitcase from the luggage rack and then quickly looked around to see if any of his troops would be stupid enough to laugh at the fact that he'd just had to jump for it.
None did. Even the rescued State Alchemists seemed to know better.
Once everyone had disembarked from the train Nick led the way to Central HQ. His troops followed him obediently and the five State Alchemists brought up the rear.
When the group arrived at Central HQ they went directly to Fuhrer Mustang's office.
"Uh Fullmetal, sir," Lt. Gray said nervously. "I'm sure that the Fuhrer's extremely busy. Don't you think that we should inform someone else that we've returned to Central?"
"No I don't," Nick replied. "Mustang's the one who sent us on that mission and I'm not reporting to anyone but him."
And with that Nick proceeded to unceremoniously pound on Mustang's door.
"Enter," they heard a voice call out from within.
Nick thrust open the door and entered the office but halted abruptly when he noticed that no one was following him. He walked back over to the door, stuck his head out into the hallway and hissed, "Get your asses in here or Mustang will be the least of your worries."
The soldiers reluctantly obeyed.
Mustang watched the group walk toward him, an amused smirk on his face. "That boy definitely has a different style of leadership."
When they reached the Fuhrer's desk Nick's troops, plus the five State Alchemists, jumped to attention and saluted. However Nick once again chose a more relaxed stance.
"Mission accomplished."
Mustang surveyed the group, immediately noticing the weary and haggard look of the five alchemists. "I want all of you to go to the military hospital and get evaluated. And Lt. Gray, I want you to accompany them there."
The six men saluted and left the office.
Mustang turned his attention to the rest of the group. "Well done everyone. You are all dismissed. Except you Fullmetal, I need a word with you."
The four remaining soldiers saluted and then left the office.
Mustang gestured toward the chair in front of his desk and once Nick was seated he looked the boy straight in the eyes. "So tell me Fullmetal, what exactly happened in the North?"
"Those alchemists were all captured by the homunculi."
Mustang's eyes widened. "Do they know that?"
Nick shook his head. "After we rescued them they told me that they were captured by alchemists who were researching the Philosopher's Stone. Apparently the homunculi captured them in the hopes that one of them would be able to forge a Stone."
"But they weren't able to."
Nick heard the slight note of worry in Mustang's voice and shook his head once again. "No. None of them were able to work out exactly how to do it and I think that the homunculi were about to give up on them."
Mustang was visibly relieved by that news. "Then it's a good thing you found them when you did. Good job Fullmetal, you saved the lives of five men."
"Thank you."
Mustang held a thoughtful expression on his face. "I think this particular success warrants more than a mere thank you. I think a promotion is in order. And since, as a State Alchemist your rank is already equal to that of a Major, we'll have to bump you up to Lieutenant Colonel."
Nick stared at the Fuhrer, speechless.
Mustang gazed at the boy, who appeared nearly as weary as the rescued alchemists. "I think you've earned a promotion but I also think you've earned a break, so go home and rest pipsqueak."
"DON'T CALL ME SMALL!!!"
Mustang rolled his eyes. "Just go home."
Nick stood up and left the office. "Geez, I can't believe that guy. One minute he's complimenting me and the next minute he's insulting me. What did I do to deserve this? This goes way beyond Equivalent Exchange for anything I've done in my life."
Since he'd been ordered to go home Nick left Central HQ and walked the short distance to the Hughes' residence.
Nick was hanging around Central HQ the next day, doing absolutely nothing, when he saw Kaori walking toward him, a broad smile on her face. She came to stand beside him and gave him a brief hug.
"Hey Nick congratulations! I heard about your promotion."
Nick shrugged. "It's no big deal Kaori."
"Well I think it's wonderful. And Dad told me that they're holding the ceremony a week from today."
"Yay," Nick said, his voice void of emotion. "Sounds fun-filled beyond belief."
"You shouldn't be like that," Kaori admonished. "Anyway I didn't come here to argue about this."
"Then why did you come here?" Nick wanted to know.
Kaori pulled a garment bag from behind her back. "I brought you this. We'll have to alter it though."
"What is it?" Nick arched a brow, his expression filled with suspicion. Nick took the bag from her and unzipped it, revealing a military uniform. He stared at Kaori. "You're kidding, right?"
"No," Kaori said. "Dad thinks you should at least look like a normal member of the military when you get your promotion."
Nick handed the bag back to her. "I don't think so."
"Oh come on Nick, can't you just humor him?"
"No," Nick said.
Kaori's face fell.
Knowing that he'd hurt her feelings, Nick lifted Kaori's chin and gazed into her eyes. "But I will humor you." He took the garment bag back from her and slung it over his shoulder.
Kaori smiled. "Come on. I need you to try it on so that I can see where I need to alter it."
"Fine."
The two kids walked to the men's locker room and Kaori waited in the hall while Nick went inside to change. Ten minutes later Nick emerged, wearing the royal blue uniform, which appeared to be about two sizes too big for him. "Look at this!" Nick exclaimed, staring down at himself. "Can you believe this shit?!"
Kaori's eyes widened. "Who are you and what have you done with my boyfriend?"
Nick glared at her.
"I'm kidding Nick," Kaori said quickly. "I think it looks good on you."
"Feh."
Kaori bent down and rolled up the pant legs, pinning them where they would have to be hemmed. Then she did the same thing with the jacket sleeves. "Okay, you can take it off now."
Only needing to hear that once Nick rushed back into the locker room. He soon emerged, looking like himself once again.
Kaori shook her head. "Stop being so dramatic Nick. It's not that big of a deal."
"You know, that's how I feel about this damn promotion but everyone else seems to disagree."
"It is a big deal. Think about it for a minute Nick; you became a State Alchemist at the age of eleven and now you're being promoted to Lieutenant Colonel at the age of sixteen. Do you have any idea how many soldiers would give up their right arm to be you?"
Nick shrugged. "The one's called lefty?"
"Wiseass," Kaori said.
Nick smirked. "Better than a dumb ass."
Nick was at the Hughes' residence a couple of days later when he received a call from Kaori.
Elysia was the one who first answered the phone. "Hello."
"Hi Elysia, this is Kaori. Is Nick around?"
"Yea. Hold on for just a second and I'll go and get him for you." Elysia placed the receiver down gently on the table and then ran down the hall to the study. "Nick, you have a phone call."
Nick put down the book he'd been reading and followed her to the living room. He picked up the phone. "This is Nick."
"Hey Nick," Kaori said. "I need you to come to my house."
"I don't think that's a good idea," Nick said quickly.
"I need you to try on your uniform again," Kaori said impatiently. "And it's just easier if you come here."
"Fine," Nick said. "I'll be there in a little while."
"Thanks Nick."
Nick hung up the phone and turned to face Elysia. "I'm going over to Kaori's house for a little while. If I don't return just mail my stuff to Resembool."
Elysia smiled as Nick slipped on his boots and left the house. "They really do make a cute couple."
When he arrived at Mustang's estate Nick hesitantly knocked on the door.
The door soon opened and Mustang's wife Riza smiled down at him. "Welcome Nicholas, come in. Kaori's waiting for you in the sitting room."
Nick nodded and stepped inside, closing the door behind himself.
Hawkeye led the boy down the hall and into a large sitting room. Kaori was sitting on a sofa but jumped to her feet when Nick and her mother walked into the room.
"Here," she said as she handed him the uniform.
"You waste no time do you?" Nick said, taking the uniform from her.
"There's a bathroom just down the hall, last door to your right," Kaori told him. "You can change in there."
Nick nodded and left the room. Five minutes later he returned to the sitting room, once again dressed in the royal blue uniform, which now fit him perfectly. Nick came to stand in front of Kaori, who smiled at him.
"Perfect."
"Well well Fullmetal, you look like a real dog of the military now."
Nick turned to see Mustang standing in the doorway, a smug expression on his face. Nick glared at his superior. "Woof. . .woof woof. Do you want me to wag my tail too?"
Mustang rolled his eyes while Hawkeye and Kaori laughed.
A/N - end of another chapter and this one was long. Hope you enjoyed.