Disclaimer - I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist
Chapter Thirty-Five - Attack on Central
Pride and her cronies had just arrived back from the town of Kai and once they reached the city where they'd been laying low, they quickly made their way to their makeshift base of operations. And as soon as they arrived the group was met by a gray haired man.
"Welcome back," the man said as the group of homunculi entered their headquarters. A look of anticipation appeared on his face as he asked his next question and there was a greedy look in his cold eyes. "Did you get it?"
Pride shook her head. "The boy refused to make the Stone?"
"Refused?" the man asked incredulously. "REFUSED?!"
The man took a step toward Pride, who looked less than concerned about his threatening gesture.
"Calm down Hakuro," Sloth said, stepping between Pride and the irate man. "The Fullmetal boy paid dearly for his insolence. Besides, it's not like he was the only alchemist in Amestris."
Hakuro calmed a degree as those words sank in. "That's true enough." A smirk appeared on the man's face as he thought about the young alchemist who's life had been destroyed by their quest for the Stone and also about another alchemist that had come before him. "So HIS son is dead?"
Pride nodded. "Lust saw to that."
The man smiled at those words but it was a twisted smile that held no true happiness. "Well that's a small consolation for loosing the alchemist most likely to forge the stone for us. But there's no point in dwelling on that fact. I think we should move on and find another alchemist with enough talent to forge the Stone and it just so happens I know the perfect one. But in order to acquire this particular alchemist we'll have to make a move on Central itself and face the bulk of the State Military. It's time to go after the Flame Alchemist, Fuhrer Roy Mustang."
The four homunculi were all staring at Hakuro with identical looks of utter disdain.
"Since when do you give us orders human?" Sloth asked with a sneer. "We'll make our own plans concerning the Stone and it's creation."
"I'm the one who taught you how to make the Stone in the first place, you ingrate," Hakuro roared, his face turning a magnificent shade of crimson. "Not to mention the fact that I gave you the red stones that gave you your current bodies. You owe me!"
"MY ASS!" Sloth burst out.
Pride held up her hand, to silence her comrade and when silence had been restored she gazed at Hakuro coolly. "His statements were true enough Sloth. Most of them at least. However what he failed to mention was what a truly miniscule role he played in all of this. While it is true that you gave us the stones that gave us our bodies you did it for your own personal gain, thinking that you could use us all as your own personal servants. And it's not as though you put a tremendous amount of effort into this task. All you did was give us stones that you'd stolen from the State Military after the fall of Fuhrer Bradley. And as for the method used to create the Philosopher's Stone, it's not as though you had to use your own brain, everything was already laid out for you. You simply raided Fuhrer Bradley's office before the military cleaned it, looking for any valuables that might have been left behind no doubt and while you were there you stumbled upon notes that had been kept by the Fuhrer; notes that explained the process used in the creation of the Philosopher's Stone. This is also how you found out that when given shards of the red stone homunculi could gain a human form."
Hakuro's jaw dropped.
"It's lucky for you that we already have plans for Fuhrer Mustang," Pride said. "So we will be traveling to Central but don't forget who's in charge." At this point, she paused and glared at Hakuro. Then she added in a menacing whisper, "Never forget."
Hakuro's expression was beyond angry but he wisely held his tongue. He was no match for the four homunculi and well he knew it. "Damn them," he thought to himself, clenching his hands into fists.
"We are already damned," Pride said calmly.
Hakuro's eyes widened. "You can. . .?"
"Yes," Pride said with an evil laugh. "I can read minds. And I must say yours is both mind numbingly boring and also a short read."
Ignoring the insult Hakuro stared at the homunculus. "So if you can read minds then why do you continue to loose to these two bit alchemists?"
Pride glared at the man. "I'm not a telepath in the traditional sense. I can't hear your thoughts word for word. I merely pick up on strong emotions and those emotions are like words to me."
"Convenient excuse," Hakuro spat out.
"You'd best watch it," Sloth said, pointing a finger at Hakuro. "or we might decide that you've outlived your usefulness."
That comment served its purpose and put a heavy dose of fear into the man.
Sloth surveyed the man's expression with satisfaction. "Now that you've been reminded of your place Hakuro, go and round up your cronies. We want to make a fitting entrance when we pay a visit to the Fuhrer."
Hakuro nodded and left the hideout without another word.
"Now," Pride said, turning to the other three homunculi. "Sloth, I want you to go and find our secret weapon and inform him of our plans. He'll be our back-up plan, just in case that military has-been decides to use his cronies in an uprising."
"Good idea," Sloth said, nodding his head approvingly.
"Glad you approve," Pride said. "Now go."
Sloth nodded and then he too left the makeshift headquarters.
"So Pride," Lust said once their comrade had gone. "Do you really think we can persuade Fuhrer Mustang to help us create the Philosopher's Stone?"
"Of course," Pride said, her voice filled with a confidence that none of the others shared.
"And how do you propose to pull this off?" Wrath wanted to know.
"His daughter," Pride said simply.
Lust and Wrath both stared at their leader in disbelief.
"We know from our surveillance of the Fullmetal boy that Mustang has a young daughter," Pride said, with an evil gleam in her eyes. "Think what Mustang will do should his precious little girl fall into our hands. After all, a parent will do practically anything for their child."
"You've really thought this out, haven't you Pride?' Wrath said.
Pride nodded. This plan had been forming in her mind ever since their last encounter with the Fullmetal boy. After the headstrong young boy had forced them to end his life, Pride had been forced to think up a back-up plan for the creation of the Philosopher's Stone. It was then that Pride had remembered that the leader of Amestris was also an accomplished alchemist and better still he had a daughter who could be used to 'persuade' him to cooperate.
This plan would not be easy to carry out however since they would have to take on a large part of the State Military but there were few options left if they hoped to procure the Stone.
"Damn you Fullmetal," Pride swore silently. "If you had just been an obedient little pawn then I wouldn't be going through this right now. I'd have the Stone and it would all be over and done with."
But despite her inner ranting Pride felt a small, and completely unexplainable, sense of sadness that the young alchemist had died. These feelings were not something she could explain and they were beginning to seriously piss her off and yet she could not entirely rid herself of them no matter how hard she tried.
"Why do I feel like I'm connected to him in some way?" Pride wondered.
At that moment Hakuro entered the building, interrupting Pride's thoughts. "I've rallied the troops, so to speak. We're prepared to leave for Central whenever you give the command."
Pride nodded. "Good. Once Sloth returns, we move out."
Hakuro nodded.
"I really hate trains," Nick muttered as he and Kaori disembarked at Central. He placed their suitcases down on the platform and stretched, trying to relieve the ache in his back that had developed during the long train ride from Resembool. "Someone needs to hurry up and invent a better, and faster, mode of transportation."
Kaori smiled, used to his rants by now, and shook her head. "Well you're the neighborhood genius so why don't you get off your ass and invent one of those flying machines that you keep talking about."
"My genius is strictly reserved for alchemy," Nick stated. "Besides I only got a basic understanding of how those things worked during my time on the other side of the Gate."
"That should be enough," Kaori said. "I bet if you really wanted to, you could build one."
"Hmm," Nick said thoughtfully. "Perhaps. But I think I'll leave the mechanic work to my mother. That's her forte."
"Have it your way," Kaori said, shaking her head as she gazed at him out of the corner of her eye. "But if you're not going to do something about it, then stop complaining."
"Fine," Nick said, picking up their luggage from the platform. "Shall I walk you home?"
Kaori smiled. "Your company would be welcome but I can carry my own bag."
Kaori made a move to take the suitcase from him but Nick held it just out of her reach.
"I know you can," Nick said with a grin. "But what kind of gentleman would I be if I let you."
"Fine," Kaori said, giving up her attempts to grab her suitcase out of his hands.
"Come on, let's go."
Kaori nodded and followed Nick out of the station. The two teens walked the short distance from the train station to the Garden District, where Mustang had his private residence.
Kaori led the way up the drive and opened the front door. She stepped inside but turned around when she didn't hear Nick enter behind her. She stepped back outside and grabbed Nick's hand. "Come on Nick."
Nick hesitated for a moment longer and then followed her over the threshold, closing the door behind them.
As the two teens walked past the den Mustang and Hawkeye emerged.
"Welcome back sweetie," Hawkeye said, giving her daughter a hug. "Did you enjoy your trip?"
Kaori smiled. "Very much."
Mustang stared from his daughter to Nick and then his eyes narrowed. "Fullmetal, you didn't do anything less than honorable with my daughter did you?"
Nick and Kaori both gave Mustang an evil look and exclaimed, "NO!!"
"Dad, I can't believe you'd even ask something like that!" Kaori ranted.
Mustang held up his hands. "Calm down Kaori. I'm your father, it's my job to ask these things."
"And on that note, I think I should be going," Nick said. "See you later Kaori."
"Bye Nick."
Nick turned around and walked back down the hallway, toward the front door. He paused briefly to pick up his suitcase, which he'd left sitting there when he'd entered and then he opened the door and stepped back out into the bright sunlight.
The boy left the Garden District and slowly made his way to the Hughes' residence. When he reached the large house he pulled a key out of his pocked and used it to unlock the door.
"It's just me," Nick called out as he entered the house.
"Welcome back Nick," Elicia said, coming out of her father's study.
"Thanks Elicia," Nick said.
Elicia smiled. "I see you finally learned to use the key that my mother gave you."
Nick nodded, rubbing the back of his head.
"Took you long enough," Elicia said.
"That was harsh," Nick said, walking toward the stairs.
"It's okay," Elicia said. "You should be used to it by now."
Thinking about all the people who were constantly picking on him Nick nodded. "Surprisingly enough, I am." With that, Nick turned and took the stairs two at a time. He walked down the hall to the small room that he occupied when he was in Central.
The boy deposited his suitcase at the foot of the bed and then plopped down on the edge. "Hmm," Nick thought to himself as he leaned over and propped his head up with his hands. "I wonder where I go from here. The homunculi think I'm dead so I have a distinct advantage if only I had a decent lead. But they've dropped off the face of the earth."
The next day Nick got up early and made his way to Central Command. He thought perhaps since he didn't have any clues as to the whereabouts of the homunculi, his superiors may be of some use.
Nick chuckled to himself at that thought. "Those guys, helpful. What was I thinking?"
When the boy arrived at Central HQ, he made his way to Col. Havoc's office. Hoping that his superior was in, Nick knocked lightly on the door.
"Enter."
Nick opened the door and walked into the office, closing the door quietly behind himself.
"Good morning Chief," Col. Havoc said, as the boy walked across the office. "What brings you here so early?"
"I couldn't stand just lying there and doing nothing," Nick said. "And I couldn't sleep so I decided to get up and come here. So here I am."
"I see," Col. Havoc said.
Nick sat down in the chair in front of the colonel's desk. He sat there in deep thought for a few moments, contemplating what he should do about his situation. Then he made his decision.
"Sir," Nick said. "I know I'm gonna regret this but I need help with something."
Col. Havoc's eyes widened. "Did I hear that right? You, Mr. Independent, I-Work-Alone, are asking me for help?"
"Yea I know," Nick said, with a shrug. "Scary isn't it?"
"Immensely," Col. Havoc said with an exaggerated shudder.
"Oh stop it," Nick said, rolling his eyes.
"Fine," Col. Havoc said. "What do you need help with Chief?"
"Well I want to find the homunculi," Nick said, hating the fact that he had to ask the military for help. "But I'm out of leads. They disappeared after our encounter in Kai and I don't have any clue as to where they escaped to."
Col. Havoc thought for a moment about the problem. "Well we could send out a spy but I'm not sure that would be of much use against this particular enemy. I think you should ask the Fuhrer."
Nick groaned. That was the one thing that he hasn't wanted to do. In fact he'd much rather go through the horror of auto-mail surgery multiple times as opposed to asking that man one simple question. That's how bad it was.
"Come on Chief," Col. Havoc said. "It can't be that bad."
"Oh yes it could," Nick said.
Col. Havoc stood up and walked around to the front of his desk. "Come on Chief," he repeated, motioning for Nick to get up.
"Fine," Nick said grumpily, standing up.
Col. Havoc walked over to the door followed, albeit reluctantly by Nick. The colonel led the way down the hall, to Fuhrer Mustang's office. Once there he knocked on the door.
"Enter," a voice called out.
Col. Havoc opened the door grabbed Nick by the arm and pulled him into the office.
As he was pulled forcefully into the office, Nick gazed around and to his horror he saw a familiar sight in the chair across from Mustang.
"Dad!" Nick exclaimed in surprise. "What the hell are you doing here?!"
"We were just discussing battle strategy Fullmetal," Fuhrer Mustang said calmly. "Pull up a chair and join us."
Grudgingly Nick pulled an extra chair across the room and over to the desk. Col. Havoc did the same and the two of them sat down on either side of Ed, all facing the Fuhrer who sat behind his desk.
"So," Fuhrer Mustang began once everyone was seated. "The chances are good that the homunculi will attempt to track Nick down since he's been their primary target in their pursuit of the Philosopher's Stone."
"Not very damn likely," Nick thought to himself as the Fuhrer spoke. "Seeing as how they think I'm dead."
However since he couldn't say that out loud, Nick refrained from interrupting the Fuhrer.
"Knowing this," Fuhrer Mustang continued. "It is only logical that we provide Nick with some protection."
Nick rolled his eyes. "If he tries to assign me another bodyguard so help me I'll kill them both."
"However, since Fullmetal has a rebellious streak a mile long that probably wouldn't be a good idea."
Nick smirked. "So he's finally learned."
"So I think we should keep an eye out for any strange behavior," Mustang said. "And Nick will have to keep an extra sharp look out since he's the only one of us who knows what the homunculi look like."
Nick nodded.
"And we mustn't forget that Hunter will be a threat also," Ed added. "Since we now know that he's working with the homunculi."
Nick listened as the three adults discussed battle plans in case Hunter and the homunculi came to Central after him. And although that wasn't gonna happen Nick thought it best that he allow them to continue to plan because he knew something that they did not. The homunculi thought he was dead and since they'd already told him that he was the alchemist closest to the Stone, now that they thought he was dead they would have to find someone else talented enough at alchemy to forge the Philosopher's Stone. And although he hated to admit this fact to himself, since his dad hadn't publicly advertised his alchemical skills since the age of eighteen, Fuhrer Mustang was the most obvious choice. Everyone in Amestris knew that their leader was a tremendously skilled alchemist and Nick thought it likely that the homunculi would seek to use that to their advantage. So even though he hated the very thought of it Nick had decided that he would have to hang close to the Fuhrer just in case the homunculi attacked.
"I may not care for him very much," Nick thought to himself. "But Kaori loves him and admittedly he does do a good job of running the country. I guess I can't let the homunculi kill him, or use him either."
And although he didn't want to think about it, Nick also knew that the only way that the homunculi could convince the Fuhrer to cooperate with them was to abduct Kaori or Hawkeye and use them against him. And that was something that Nick could not allow to happen.
"Earth to Nick."
Nick snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of his father's voice. He looked over at Ed.
Ed smiled knowingly at his son. "Were you even listening to us?"
Nick grinned sheepishly and replied, "No not really."
"I thought not," Ed said.
"If we're boring you that badly Fullmetal, feel free to go," Fuhrer Mustang said.
Nick immediately jumped to his feet. "Okay."
And with that the boy left the office.
"Why did you do that sir?" Col. Havoc wanted to know.
"Because he didn't want to be here," Fuhrer Mustang replied. "And because I didn't want him to hear the fact that I intend to have people following him around."
"But you told the kid that that wasn't an option," Ed said, knowing that when, not if, Nick found out he was being tailed it would be very bad for all concerned.
"Of course I did," Fuhrer Mustang said, with a smirk. "Who in their right mind would tell that kid the truth? He is, after all, your son Edward."
"You'll be sorry," Ed said, ignoring the crack about his bad genes. It was something that he'd heard many times and it didn't really bother him anymore. Besides he had more pressing matters weighing on his mind.
"Perhaps," Fuhrer Mustang said. "But I'll risk it."
"Okay," Ed said. "It's your funeral."
Fuhrer Mustang held a thoughtful expression on his face for a few minutes and then an evil glint appeared in his black eyes and a grin spread across his face. "I have an idea Edward. Why don't you follow him?"
Ed's eyes widened and he shook his head. There was a simple answer to that question. He knew exactly how Nick would act when he discovered that he was being followed and Ed had absolutely no desire to be on the receiving end of that rage. "You're crazy."
"Come on Edward," the Fuhrer said. "I'm going to assign a guard to him regardless of whether or not the kid wants one so the only thing debatable in this scenario is who the guard is gonna be. You or someone else, I really couldn't care either way."
Ed could tell that Mustang was serious and he debated his options for a few minutes. Then he heaved a sigh. "Fine, I'll follow the boy but this is all on your head."
Fuhrer Mustang gazed at Ed with a self-satisfied smirk on his face.
"You're evil, you know that?"
"Yes," Fuhrer Mustang said, with an evil laugh.
After leaving the Fuhrer's office Nick walked across the courtyard and settled himself under the large shade tree that he frequently visited. The boy drew his knees up under his chin and lay his head upon them, lost in thought.
"Nick," a familiar voice called out. "I thought you were going to ask for help from the colonel ?"
Nick glanced up at Kaori's disapproving scowl. "I did ask. And as shocking as this must be to hear, he wasn't all that helpful."
Kaori sat down beside Nick.
"Kaori," Nick said, taking a deep breath. "I think you should lay low for awhile."
Kaori stared at Nick, a confused expression on her face. "And why would I do that?"
Deciding that it was best to tell her the truth Nick took another deep breath. "Because since the homunculi now believe me to be dead it's my belief that your dad is their most likely target," Nick explained. "And since your dad is a skilled fighter they'll most likely try to use either you or your mother against him. And since you're no longer able to use alchemy, you're vulnerable." A guilty expression appeared on Nick's face and his golden eyes held a haunted look. "And since it's my fault that you can't use alchemy if anything happens to you I'll never forgive myself.
The look in Nick's eyes startled Kaori. She'd never seen such a tortured look in his eyes and that was saying something considering how much she'd seen him endure during the course of their relationship.
However even though she felt pity for him Kaori felt her rebellious streak flare up at once.
"I'm not afraid," Kaori said, pulling a gun from underneath the long black jacket that she was wearing. "I may not be able to use alchemy anymore but I am still my mother's daughter. I can take care of myself."
Nick stared at the pistol that Kaori held in her hand. It was almost identical to the standard issue side arms carried by the soldiers in the State Military. "When did you start carrying that?"
"I started carrying it on a regular basis after we returned from Kai," Kaori replied, as she released the hammer and placed the gun back in the holster that was concealed beneath her jacket. "But I've had it for a number of years. I didn't want to limit myself to one mode of self defense so I learned to shoot and I had an excellent teacher. My mother was one of the best marksmen during her stint in the military. In fact she was actually assigned as my dad's bodyguard."
Nick's eyes widened in disbelief. "Your mom was assigned as a bodyguard for your dad?"
Kaori nodded. "Since dad was a valuable State Alchemist the military higher ups decided that he should have a bodyguard."
Nick cocked an eyebrow. "And why exactly did they feel that a highly trained State Alchemist needed a bodyguard?"
Kaori smiled. "Because he was the Flame Alchemist and his flame was only useful as long as the weather was good. If his glove got wet he was powerless."
"And who exactly told you all of this?" Nick wanted to know. "Cause I can't see Mustang divulging something like that, not even to his daughter."
"Col. Havoc told me," Kaori said with a smile.
"Of course," Nick said, shaking his head. "He should have been the first person I thought of."
"So," Kaori said. "Now that we've established the fact that I can take care of myself, what's our next move?"
Nick sighed and shook his head. It was apparent to him now that she had no intention of lying low so Nick decided that he'd have to keep an eye on her. "I guess we should probably keep an eye on your dad. Without him knowing about it."
Kaori nodded.
"This won't be easy," Nick thought to himself. Now he had three different people to guard and he had to somehow disguise from them the fact that they were being pursued.
Granted he didn't have that particular problem with Kaori since she'd be with him constantly but that presented it's own set of problems. "What did I do to deserve this?"
"Are you okay Nick?" Kaori asked, her voice filled with concern. "You look like you're in pain."
"I'm fine," Nick said quickly. There was no point in telling her what was wrong since there was no cure for what was ailing him.
Kaori didn't look convinced. "Are you sure?"
Nick nodded, at the same time making a mental note to keep his emotions better concealed. Kaori always misinterpreted them and jumped to the wrong conclusion.
Kaori was still staring at him with a really weird expression on her face and Nick shook his head. She really was hopeless. "Come on. We have work to do."
Kaori nodded.
So for the next two days Nick and Kaori spent their time keeping a close eye on Mustang and during that time Nick noticed that the two of them were also being followed.
Ed had remained in Central and he was now finding excuses to follow his son around Central. Nick had the sneaking suspicion that he was doing this on Mustang's orders and although that angered him to a small degree, he decided that ultimately it was for the best. If trouble started his dad's alchemical skills would be extremely useful so Nick pushed his annoyance to the side and dealt with it.
And much to his amusement Kaori was so focused on guarding her father that she didn't even notice the fact that Ed was following them. She seemed to think he was merely turning up wherever the two of them went: miraculously but none the less harmlessly.
Nick, on the other hand, knew better but he decided not to share that knowledge with Kaori. It would serve no purpose.
Meanwhile the group of homunculi, accompanied by Hakuro and his group of ex-soldiers, had finally arrived in Central City and they were now hold up in an abandoned store, discussing battle plans.
"So which member of the Flame's family are we going to use as bait?" Wrath wanted to know.
"We'll track down the girl and use her," Pride said. "I think she'll be the easier of the two for us to abduct. The ex-general has informed me that Mustang's wife was once a sharp shooter for the State Military so I think we'd be ill advised to attack her. It's still an option however it's fairly low on the list.
The others nodded.
"Now that that's been decided," Pride said, instantly capturing the attention of the room's occupants. "Hakuro, you and your men will create a diversion on the West end of town. Large amounts of troops will be dispatched to deal with the situation so the capitol will be more vulnerable as a result."
Hakuro nodded. He wasn't thrilled about following the orders of the homunculus but his desire for revenge against Mustang was enough to ensure his obedience to the plan. He could put up with anything in order to see that bastard pay for what he'd done.
Hakuro motioned for his troops to follow him and the group stood up. "We'll make our way to the West end of town and we'll wait for your signal."
Pride nodded and the group of soldiers left the building.
"Now that the pawns are gone we can discuss our true plan."
Sloth, Wrath and Lust turned toward their leader expectantly.
"Hunter is positioned in the East end of the city, and when I give him the signal he's going to allow someone to see him and that should guarantee that Central HQ will be virtually deserted when we make our move."
Sloth smirked. "Excellent."
"Lust, Wrath your job will be to track down the girl," Pride said.
The two homunculi nodded.
"Sloth and I will make a move on Central HQ. The two of us will secure Mustang and then once you have the girl, we'll use that as leverage and force the Fuhrer to create the Philosopher's Stone."
Their plans made, the group of homunculi split up and went about their respective parts of the plan. Lust and Wrath went off to locate the Fuhrer's daughter and Pride and Sloth made their way to Central Command, the heart of the Amestris State Military.
Ed had been following his son and the Fuhrer's daughter for a couple of days and it was starting to annoy him. He hadn't wanted to do it in the first place but the Fuhrer had forced him into it and now he was beginning to wonder if there was any point to it. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened and Ed was beginning to wonder whether the danger was as real as Fuhrer Mustang thought.
"Maybe the homunculi have given up on Nicholas," Ed thought to himself as he followed the two teens around Central.
Nick and Kaori were hanging close to Central Command, when they heard a loud BOOM off in the distance. The two teens turned their heads toward the sound of the blast, which was coming from the west end of town, and when they did they saw a huge ball of flames rise above the buildings.
"What the hell was that?!" Kaori exclaimed.
Nick shook his head as he gazed from the flames to Central Command. It had obviously been an explosion but the boy had no idea what had caused it, which was what Kaori really wanted to know.
As he watched Central Command, Nick saw a large group of soldiers emerge from the building. The soldiers ran out to the courtyard, climbed into various military vehicles and set off in the direction of the explosion.
"This is bad," Kaori said as they watched the soldiers depart. "We should go and see if we can help."
Nick's mind was racing and he knew, without knowing how he knew, that they must not go anywhere near the sight of the explosion. And then the answer came to him.
"No!" Nick said sharply. "This is a trap! We have to find your dad, now."
And with that the boy took off running toward the entrance of Central Command, with Kaori and Ed right behind him. As the soldiers ran away from Central Command Nick, Kaori and Ed ran toward it. Nick was almost one hundred percent sure that this had something to do with the homunculi and he knew that they had to find Mustang and make sure that he was okay.
Nick led the way inside Central Command and then down the hall toward the Fuhrer's office. Not even bothering to knock Nick burst through the door and ran into the Fuhrer's office. Once inside, the sight that met the boy's eyes made him pause.
Pride and Sloth stood on either side of the Fuhrer.
"Dad!" Nick called out over his shoulder. "Get Kaori out of here and keep her safe."
Ed hesitated for just a moment, knowing that something was horribly wrong, but when Nick turned and gave him an intense look he nodded and grabbed Kaori by the arm.
Kaori was reluctant to leave but she too had seen the look in Nick's eyes and she allowed Ed to lead her away from the office. Away from Nick and away from the unknown danger within.
Once Ed and Kaori were out of sight Nick turned back toward the Fuhrer and the two homunculi, who held him captive.
"Kaori's okay?" Mustang asked, his voice filled with concern. "These things told me that they had her and would kill her if I didn't do what they said."
"She's fine," Nick assured the worried father. "She's with my dad and the two of them just made a run for it."
As he spoke Nick glared at the two homunculi, who were glaring at him in disbelief.
"This isn't possible," Sloth said. "You're dead. I saw you die."
"Apparently you didn't see what you thought you saw," Nick said, not really wanting this conversation to progress any further. Thus far he'd managed to conceal the fact that Kaori had used forbidden alchemy to bring his soul back from the other side and he had every intention of keeping it that way. "Now let Mustang go. We all know I'm the one you really want."
Sloth stepped forward to face the boy but Pride retained her place at Mustang's side and as her comrade faced off against the young alchemist, she leaned over to whisper something in the Fuhrer's ear.
Mustang's eyes narrowed and he clenched his teeth in anger. What a stupid time not to have his sidearm. He should have listened to Riza, who had told him countless times that he should always carry it. But of course since he was a highly skilled alchemist he hadn't thought that he would ever need it.
Big mistake.
Now he was virtually powerless to help Nick fight the homunculi. He knew from previous experience that they were possessed of super human strength and speed and confident as he was in his fighting skills Mustang doubted whether he would stand a chance against them without the use of his alchemy. Hell, last time he'd fought against a homunculus it had nearly cost him his life and that was with the use of his alchemy.
All he could do now was watch as Nick faced the homunculus and hope that the kid could defeat him. "Come on Fullmetal. You can do it."
Sloth walked over and closed the office door. "Don't want anyone to interrupt us." Then the homunculus walked back over and glared at the young alchemist. "This time I'll make sure you're dead."
Nick rolled his eyes. "Now where have I heard this before? Hmm, let me think. Oh yea, now I remember. Every time I've ever fought you."
Sloth clenched his hands into fists.
Nick's eyes narrowed and he clasped his hands together, transmuting his auto-mail into a blade. "This time we finish it."
And with that Nick attacked the homunculus.
The Fuhrer's office was fairly large, as far as offices went, but being confined to it made Nick's battle with Sloth fairly difficult. Close quarters fighting could not be avoided and yet at the same time he was fighting the homunculus he had to make sure that Mustang didn't get hurt, which would be decidedly easier if he had more space.
"This is not cool," Nick thought to himself as he swung his blade at Sloth's head.
Sloth dodged the blow but it was a close call and he was knocked off balance.
Nick saw this and used the homunculus' momentary pause to his advantage. He quickly attacked the homunculus again. The new attack followed the previous one so closely that Sloth was unable to dodge. He had not yet recovered from the first attack and this one made contact.
Nick's blade grazed Sloth's shoulder as the homunculus dodged backward. It wasn't a direct hit, merely a glancing blow, but it once again put Sloth off balance.
It was at this moment that a battle strategy formed in Nick's mind. Instead of attempting to take the homunculus out with one blow he would keep him off balance and dodging. If he was always on the defensive then he wouldn't have time to attack and Nick could take his time with the battle. In short, he would wear him down.
And the enraged Sloth played right into Nick's plans. Driven by his anger and hatred for the young alchemist, Sloth continued to attack and with each attack Nick countered and retaliated. And while most of Sloth's attacks missed, the majority of Nick's made contact, if only barely.
As Fuhrer Mustang watched the battle he inwardly marveled at how much the boy's fighting skills had improved over the years. He hadn't been a bad fighter when he'd first joined the military six years previous however he'd lacked strategy and had relied more on luck. However his experiences over the years had taught the boy much and he'd since remedied that particular deficiency.
"Way to go Fullmetal," Mustang silently cheered.
Sloth faced the boy, his medium length black hair damp with sweat and hanging over his eyes. His breathing was heavy and his cold eyes blazed with hatred. "You will die boy," the homunculus snarled.
"Been there, done that," Nick thought to himself wryly. He growled at the homunculus. "I don't think so."
Sloth screamed and made one last, headlong dash toward the boy.
Nick matched the homunculus' scream and as Sloth ran toward him Nick thrust his blade forward.
"Uhn," Sloth moaned, gazing down at the blade that was piercing his chest.
Nick pulled his blade free from Sloth's chest and the homunculus fell to the floor, his blank eyes open and unseeing. Nick turned to face Pride and Mustang, his face determined. He pointed his index finger at the homunculus he'd created. "You're next."
"I don't think so."
Pride pulled a box of matches from her pocket and held one up. "I wouldn't come any closer if I were you."
Nick raised an eyebrow, a confused expression on his face. "And why's that?" he wanted to know.
"This room has been filled with a highly flammable gas," Pride said with a sneer. "That's why Flame here didn't help you during your little battle with Sloth." And as she said this the homunculus spared a glance for her fallen comrade.
"I was wondering about that," Nick said.
"And now you know," Pride said with a laugh. "One spark and everyone in this room is incinerated. And as an added bonus the explosion will take half the building with it."
"Shit," Nick mouthed.
"Now you're going to let me walk out of here," Pride ordered. "Or you and Mustang both die, along with anyone else in the vicinity of the blast. Your choice."
Nick's blade-arm reverted back to auto-mail and he dropped it to his side.
"Good choice Fullmetal boy," Pride said with a sneer.
With that Pride stepped away from the desk, the match held aloft, and walked toward the door.
Nick stepped over beside Mustang and the two of them watched as the homunculus walked over to the door.
Pride opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. Then the homunculus quickly struck the match and tossed it into the room. The small flame of the match instantly caught the flammable gas.
"Shit!" Nick exclaimed.
Without thinking Nick grabbed Mustang, pulled him from the office chair and then broke through the glass window, with the surprised Fuhrer in tow. Nick and Mustang hit the ground with a dull thud and rolled a few feet away from the building.
There was a loud explosion and Nick and Mustang stood up and watched part of the building burn.
"Damn it, all my paperwork was in there and it was actually done," Fuhrer Mustang moaned as they watched the office burn. "Where's Kaori when you need her?"
Nick knew that Kaori's alchemic expertise had been water and he was really hoping that she stayed away until someone else put out the fire. If she showed up it would be very difficult to explain why she couldn't put out the fire with alchemy.
Mustang abruptly ceased watching the destruction of his office and turned to face Nick. "Nice reflexes Fullmetal."
"Thanks," Nick said. He knew that was Mustang's off beat way of thanking him for what he'd done. The gesture was completely unexpected and as much as Nick hated to admit it, kind of nice to hear words of praise come from the lips of the Fuhrer.
As he watched the building burn Nick thought about the homunculus that he'd killed and also about the one that had escaped. "I will find her," Nick swore to himself.
The next day Nick, Ed, Kaori, Hawkeye and Mustang met at Central Command. The fire the night before had completely destroyed Fuhrer Mustang's office so they used one of the briefing rooms.
"So here's what I was able to find out last night," Fuhrer Mustang said, stifling a yawn. The Fuhrer's eyes were bloodshot and rimmed in black and it was obvious that he'd been up all night. "The explosion on the West side was caused by a group of ex-soldiers, most of whom were apprehended last night. And the ones we caught told us that they were being led by an ex-general named Hakuro."
Hawkeye gasped.
Hakuro had been a general under the reign of Mustang's predecessor, Fuhrer Bradley and in Hawkeye's personal opinion the man was a complete and utter asshole. He'd been discharged unceremoniously from the military when Mustang had taken over, because of his widespread corruption. And possibly because Mustang just didn't like him.
"We've thus far been unable to track him down but we will," Mustang continued, ignoring his wife's gasp of surprise. "Now continuing on: at around the same time as the explosion several citizens reported spotting Hunter in the East end of the city. As of yet we've been unable to confirm those sightings. However it is my personal belief that the two incidents are directly connected. I think they were meant as a diversion for the attack on Central. And sadly our actions played right into their plans. Most of the soldiers stationed in Central Command were dispatched to one of the two incidents and HQ was left vulnerable."
At this point in the story Mustang paused and gazed around the room. The others gazed back at him intently. Even Nick was paying attention, which was utterly amazing.
"So what do you think Nick?" Mustang asked.
"I think they are definitely connected," Nick said.
Mustang nodded. "So what do you want to do?"
Fuhrer Mustang wanted to give the boy a chance to get out of the dangerous situation.
Nick's answer came quickly and his voice was unwavering. "I want to track the rest of them down and end this once and for all."
That had been the response that Mustang had expected from the boy. "I thought you'd say that and I think I can help you with that desire. One of the men we apprehended last night told me that they'd been using an old abandoned store as their base of operations."
"Great!" Nick exclaimed.
The boy hadn't even dared to hope for such good news. He'd fully expected to have to start his search for the remaining homunculi from scratch and he was utterly thrilled with the news that he might not have to.
"The abandoned store is located along the city's southern border," Mustang said. "I think we should plan our next move carefully before we strike."
"And I think you'd best make your plans in a hurry," Nick said. "Cause now that their plans have been foiled there's no way to know how much longer the homunculi will remain in Central."
Mustang hated to admit it but he knew that the boy had a valid point. "Okay, we'll make our plans today and then we'll make our move tonight."
Nick nodded his head in agreement. Even he could agree with this particular plan and he was an impatient as they come.
Glad that for once the boy agreed with his plan of action Mustang smiled. "So how are we gonna work this?"
A/N - end of another chapter. Please review.