Chapter 24 – A Risky Endeavor

As the air cleared around Elmina and the red haired creature they found themselves in a sparsely furnished, unfamiliar office. Large windows looked out on an empty courtyard. In front of them at a desk sat a man in military uniform with slightly greying hair and dark eyes. He was bent over some paperwork but glanced up in surprise at their appearance. His eyes widened in recognition.

"Elmina?" he asked, tone slightly incredulous.

"Hi Mr. Mustang," the dark haired girl greeted him, pulling out of Mania's hold. Roy Mustang rose to his feet, his puzzlement over the sudden appearance of Envy's daughter momentarily forgotten as he took in the sight of the creature standing next to her. What on earth…? It took a moment for him to recover himself.

"I take it you're Mania then," He stated finally. His expression was guarded. Mania cocked his head with a slight smirk.

"That would be me," he replied. Mustang eyed him with an odd expression, a little at a loss as to what the strange feeling fizzing in his veins could be. Then he blinked. Was that creature's hair…actually moving of its own accord?

The door opening drew everyone's attention. The blonde woman, dressed in a crisp blouse and skirt, came to a halt, hand still resting on the doorknob as she took in the sight before her. She barely registered Elmina's unexpected presence. Her attention was fixed entirely on the bizarre character standing next to the dark haired girl. The blonde's expression was rather dumbfounded. What on earth was he?

"Miss Hughes," Mustang greeted her, "Good timing. This is Mania, the creature who has agreed to help us," he explained. There was a rather extended period of silence while Elycia simply stared at the red headed creature, a number of thoughts zipping through her mind. So this was the guy that was taking Wrath and the other men into the enemy encampment? Sheesh… he couldn't be human. What a bizarre way for a man to dress… Although…it did show off his lithe, yet muscular physique quite nicely…and she had to admit he was easy on the eyes…except…what the hell was up with his hair? She was barely able to notice the rest of his appearance past the terribly distracting nature of the slightly fluttering, vibrant locks. Finally she managed to gather her scattered thoughts enough to respond, though she immediately blurted the first thing that rose to her lips.

"Does his hair always move like that?" She asked, sounding flabbergasted. Mania snorted, amused by the bluntness of her question.

"Believe it or not, eventually you get used to it," Elmina spoke up dryly. Mustang cleared his throat.

"Miss Hughes, would you please summon the three men who agreed to go on the mission?" He asked, his tone pointed. Elycia blinked, startled from her rather distracted daze.

"Right away sir," she replied, turning and leaving swiftly. Mustang's gaze returned to Mania.

"I apologize for my secretary's outspokenness," he said. He was a little surprised by Elycia's response to the creature. Despite her personality, she was usually more professional than that. Mania chuckled slightly.

"Don't blame her. For the time being I suspect you'll find that everyone is a little more free-spoken while I'm around," he replied with a knowing smile.

"Hey," Elmina spoke up with a slight frown, something suddenly occurring to her. Mania glanced at her. "If you're planning on running wild with the Aerugans, how are you going to keep that from spilling over and affecting the people you're taking with you? They won't be in any condition to carry out their mission if they end up going nuts," she pointed out, eyes narrowed suspiciously. The haired creature blinked, and then hummed thoughtfully.

"Well, they might be slightly affected by it. But they won't progress as far as you're suggesting. I'd have to specifically put my mind to it to cause that. It might be different for someone like you, but normal people, even with my powers modified, won't be as susceptible as you might think. And the more calm and reserved a person is, the more unlikely it'll be that I'll accidently affect them," he explained.

"Right…" Elmina's tone was slightly skeptical.

"So Elmina, what exactly are you doing here?" Mustang questioned, still puzzled by the girl's presence.

"I'm Mania's magic charm," she turned back to the Flame Alchemist, her tone dry. The red headed creature grinned at the description. Mustang stared at the two of them blankly. "He can't teleport unless he's within a certain proximity to me," Elmina clarified.

"I see," Mustang frowned, sinking into what appeared to be concerned thought.

A short time later the door opened again and Elycia entered, followed by the three men she'd gone to fetch. Elmina turned to see who the new arrivals were and gasped, eyes going wide.

"Dad?" She cried, taken utterly aback. Envy froze as his gaze came to rest on his daughter.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded, shocked.

"Mania brought me. What are you doing here? Don't tell me it's you guys going on the mission!" Her tone was slightly horrified. Envy blinked, then his expression grew grim. His gaze moved to Mania.

"Why did you bring her here?" he demanded severely.

"Well, I need her relatively close by in order to jump places," the red haired creature replied. Envy's eyes widened, the implications immediately striking him.

"I don't want her going anywhere near the enemy," he snapped, taking a threatening step forward. Mania raised an eyebrow.

"Then I'm not going to be a very useful method of transport," he replied dryly. A tense silence reigned for a moment. Finally Mania sighed. "Look, I have no intention of taking her to the encampment itself. We can drop her off somewhere nearby in hiding. I'm no more eager to bring her into harm's way than you," he informed the green haired man. Envy gazed at him flatly, clearly still unhappy with the idea.

"I understand your concern, Envy. But if she truly can be placed in hiding out of harm's way then I see little reason not to go ahead with this," Mustang spoke up, "If that fuel is not destroyed then everyone, your daughter included, will be in grave danger," he pointed out, tone quite serious. Envy grimaced, clearly seeing his point.

"Alright, fine," he conceded, though very reluctantly.

"You're seriously going on this mission?" Elmina's tone was dismayed. Sensing the need for father and daughter to have a moment alone, Edward and Wrath moved away from them towards Mustang's desk to converse with the man.

Taking in his daughter's expression, Envy sighed.

"This is something that needs to be done," he told her firmly. The dark haired girl's expression deteriorated further.

"But not by you!" She protested. Envy approached her and rested his hands on his daughter's shoulders.

"There is no one else who can. Your red headed companion would be rather difficult to explain to an average soldier, don't you think?" He asked dryly. Elmina swallowed.

"You could die," she whispered. Her father smiled faintly.

"Everyone dies eventually, Elmina. Although, I have no intention of doing that today," he assured her, "I need you to be strong right now," his voice was firm. "And promised me you will stay where we leave you in safety. I can't afford to be distracted worrying about you during this," he fixed her with a stern look. She nodded.

"I promise," she replied shakily, fighting back tears. Then she threw her arms around him, clinging to him tightly. As he returned the hug she fought to get her emotions back under control. She could cry later. Right now she needed to hold it together. She just couldn't stand the thought of losing him. It was more than she could bear. He kissed the top of her head fondly.

"I'll be fine," he pulled back to meet her gaze. She nodded numbly, not trusting herself to speak past the lump in her throat. Envy turned back towards the other men.

"Is everything ready?" he asked. Edward and Wrath nodded. The blonde alchemist was carrying a backpack with the explosives necessary for getting rid of the fuel. Wrath and Envy were both equipped with knives and hand guns, suitable for the close combat which they had the strong potential to be engaging in. Edward relied on his alchemy to produce any weapons he might need.

"We're ready. How does this transport thing work?" Wrath demanded, fixing Mania with a guarded look. He didn't know what to make of the strange creature and he certainly didn't trust him.

"You only need to be in physical contact with me. Although you have to be sure not to let go until we rematerialize," Mania replied. Elmina blinked as she processed this information.

"Wait… If all it takes is a little physical contact, why are you always hugging me?" She demanded, expression quickly growing indignant. Mania turned a smugly amused gaze on her.

"I just don't want to risk dropping you," he replied, the smirk pulling at his lips belying the innocence of his tone. "Besides," he continued, "You're a nice, huggable size. Trying to hug all four of you would prove challenging. And with the look your father is currently giving me, I'm not terribly inclined to cuddle with him," Mania's tone was dry. Envy was indeed staring at the red haired creature with an intimidatingly dark expression, clearly not the least bit impressed at the thought of Mania getting touchy feely with his daughter. Elmina's eyes widened in shock before narrowing in anger. So all of this time he could've just grabbed her arm or something instead of pulling her into a fiery hug? What a friggin jerk!

"Clingy bastard," she muttered resentfully.

"Alright, let's go," Edward said briskly, eager to be on the move.

"All of you had better be careful," Elycia spoke up, voice filled with concern. Despite directing the order at all of them she was staring directly at Wrath. This was noticed by more than just the dark haired man. Envy and Edward shared a sidelong glance, both having similar thoughts. Wrath nodded.

"We will," he assured her. The four of them approached Mania and the red haired creature held out his arms. One by one the men reluctantly rested a hand on his arm or shoulders. Elmina tried to follow suit but before she could grip onto his free arm he grabbed her hand instead. He smirked amusedly at the annoyed look she shot him. She heaved an inward sigh of irritation. Well… at least for a change he wasn't burning her.

"First stop, a safe place to leave Mouse," Mania told them cheerfully, "Hang on tight!" Then a moment later the air around them blurred and they vanished.

When they reappeared they found themselves standing on a grassy slope. The landscape was dotted with small forests spread out over the low hills. To the northwest a river cut through the landscape, flowing gently past. The waters had receded over the course of the long, hot summer. Several trees and shrubs grew along its banks, offering shade. A slight wind whispered through the uneven grasses around them.

"Here you are Mouse. This is as far as I can bring you from the camp while still being able to jump there and back," Mania informed her, releasing her hand. She blinked, gazing about. For some reason it hadn't occurred to her that she was going to be left out in the middle of the countryside. What on earth was she going to do with herself while she waited for them? "I should hope that I don't need to remind you, but if you leave the area there's a good chance you'll stray out of range of me. You're bordering on the edge of it already. So stay put," The red haired creature's voice was unusually serious. Elmina glanced at him with raised eyebrows.

"Alright, though I'm not sure where exactly you're expecting I'll wander off to," her tone was dry. Her gaze quickly shifted, moving over her two uncles before resting on her father. Her expression filled with worry. "Please be safe," she told them earnestly. More than anything she wanted to go with them, but she was well aware she would be of little use on a mission such as this. More than that, her father would flat out refuse if she asked, so there was no point trying. Actually, on that note, she doubted she'd be able to talk Mania into taking her either… Her father nodded at her.

"We'll be back as soon as we can," he informed her. Before she could say anything else their forms shimmered and vanished. She was left staring at the empty air in front of her. She blinked several times and swallowed. A gnawing feeling of anxiety crept into her core. She had a bad feeling about this. Finally she glanced around. The sound of the river flowing past not far off and the gentle breeze were the only sounds that could be heard. It seemed eerily quiet and she suddenly felt incredibly alone. She drew in a deep breath before releasing it slowly. Despite the sleep she had gotten over the last night and day, she still felt very worn out. She might as well sit down for a bit. The men were likely going to be a while. With a feeling of resignation she turned and made for the river, finding a seat on one of the flat rocks near its bank. All she could do was wait.

Elycia strode tiredly down the hall away from Mustang's office. She was currently taking a much needed lunch break. As she emerged into the large lobby of Central Headquarters she glanced around. There weren't a lot of people in the military with time on their hands at the moment so the sitting area off to one side of the room was deserted. Mustang's office had been moved for the time being to Headquarters since he had stepped unofficially into a role which resembled that of the Fuhrer. He was well liked and trusted among his peers and thus many of them had turned to him for direction in the absence of any higher ranking individuals.

Elycia made her way across the room and sank down onto one of the couches, resting her head in her hand momentarily. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so utterly wrung out. The events of the night before last were still sinking in. A lot had happened. Everything seemed to be falling apart at the seams. Now Envy, Ed and Wrath were headed right into the heart of the enemy encampment. Even with Mania there to transport them, there was no guarantee they would come out alive, let alone unscathed. Not to mention what would happen if they failed their mission…

An image of her dark haired co-worker hovered in the front of her mind, his intense blue eyes rimmed with dark lashes, so guarded and distant. Despite their differences, in her mind he was a kindred spirit. She understood the pain and fear he kept locked away deep inside of him, even if he handled it differently than she did. She'd finally gotten to him look at her; really look at her, past the filter through which he saw the rest of the world. If she lost him now…she didn't know what she'd do. She'd grown more attached to him than she cared to admit.

"Long day?" a woman's voice asked. Elycia glanced up in surprise to see a woman with mouse brown hair and intelligent green eyes behind dark rimmed glasses sink down onto the couch across from her.

"Sheska," Elycia greeted her with a tired smile, "How are you?"

"As well as can be expected I suppose after a near death encounter," the woman replied, smiling faintly. Elycia blinked in surprise.

"A near death encounter… You mean…?"

"I'm the secretary for the New Amestrian Council. Or rather…I was. If I hadn't forgotten an important document that night and left to retrieve it then I would currently be among what's left of the corpses they've been pulling out of the rubble," she explained. The blonde's eyes widened slightly.

"Oh…" she breathed, at a loss for words.

"Oh indeed," Sheska's tone was subdued. Elycia stared at the older woman, noticing for the first time the unusual tightness of her expression and the lost uncertainty in her gaze. The recent events had obviously shaken her. She was probably still in shock after losing the majority of her superiors.

"Sheska, I'm so sorry. This is my fault," Elycia whispered, staring at the floor.

"What on earth do you mean?" Sheska's expression grew perplexed.

"I was dating the man who did this. I should have been more observant," she replied, tone mildly despairing. The older woman blinked.

"You mean Councilman Angioli?" Sheska asked. Elycia shut her eyes in a pained expression at the sound of Dominic's last name and nodded. Sheska stared at her for a moment, appearing puzzled.

"I suppose that would explain why he never showed up," she stated finally. Elycia's head snapped up in alarm.

"He never showed up?" She demanded incredulously. The older woman shook her head.

"The explosion happened just after I left. If he had headed into the place during that period of time I would have passed him on my way out," she replied. Elycia stared at her blankly for a moment. If Dominic hadn't taken the bomb and blown himself up, then who had? And more importantly, where was Dominic now? If he was still on the loose then who knew where he would strike next? The blonde woman stood abruptly.

"I have to go," she said distractedly before heading back in the direction of Mustang's office.

"This isn't the way I expected to go about doing this," Edward muttered.

"Tell me about it," Wrath's expression was resigned. Envy shifted, straining to hear any sounds outside the small tent which the three of them were seated in. Mania had brought them here a short time ago. He'd instructed them to wait until things got "loud" before leaving to go in search of the fuel. Whatever that meant… He'd left the tent before they could get any answers out of him. All three men were on edge. The strange, buzzing energy within them, which being near the red haired created had caused, did not make sitting still a terribly comfortable experience. Silence reigned in the tent for several minutes. Finally Edward let out a sigh, unable to take the silence any longer. His thoughts were jumping around more than usual and his curiosity had been pricked earlier.

"So, Wrath," he began. Both Wrath and Envy glanced at him in surprise. "What's going on with you and Elycia?" the blonde alchemist's tone was curious. The dark haired former homunculus stared at him.

"You're…bringing this up now?" Wrath's tone was bewildered. Edward shrugged.

"It's not like we've got anything better to do," he pointed out. Envy couldn't help but smirk at the dark haired man's expression. He shared Edward's curiosity.

"Nothing's going on," Wrath protested. Edward snorted.

"Riiight," sarcasm was evident in his tone, "Do you think you're the only one who noticed how she was treating you yesterday? That coldness bordered on hostile. For Elycia to act like that you must have really gotten under her skin," the blonde alchemist sounded amused.

"Yeah. Not to mention her complete attitude switch when you agreed to go on this mission. What exactly went on when she went to see you the other night?" Envy asked, cocking an eyebrow. Wrath glanced at him incredulously.

"Envy, you've got to be kidding me," his tone was slightly defensive. The green haired man's smirk broadened knowingly.

"I knew it. You like her," his tone was smug. Wrath's eyes widened slightly. Edward let out a low whistle.

"It's about time. I was starting to wonder if maybe you preferred men," the alchemist chuckled. At Wrath's aghast expression both Edward and Envy snickered.

"What on earth has gotten into the two of you?" The dark haired man demanded incredulously. They were acting like a couple of children.

"Loosen up a little squirt. It's just such a shock to see you finally falling for someone. I was beginning to think it'd never happen," Envy retorted.

"I am not falling for Elycia," Wrath's protest was met by eye rolling from the other two men.

"Aren't you a little old for that level of denial?" Edward asked dryly. Wrath gaped at him. Envy elbowed the dark haired man.

"Oh grow up a little. It's about time you got together with someone. You'd be good for each other. Besides, you aren't the only one who is lonely you know. She might be a good deal friendlier than you, but from what I can tell she doesn't really have much in the way of close friends," the green haired man informed him. Wrath stared at him a moment before shook his head slowly, still hardly able to believe that the two men were choosing to pester him about this now. "And you never did explain what happened when she went to see you the other night," Envy pointed out. Wrath sighed.

"She told me that she knows about what happened with you and her dad," he replied flatly. Envy sobered a bit, though he didn't appear particularly surprised. Edward blinked, before a look of utter disbelief passed across his features.

"She what?" he demanded, clearly shocked by this information, "How on earth did she find that out?"

"I told her," Envy's tone was resigned, "I explained about our pasts as homunculi and what we did." Edward stared at him with a blank expression.

"Wait…we?" Wrath expression was a little startled.

"Well…You might have gotten mentioned…" Envy's tone was evasive.

"Wow…" Edward said finally, "I never would have guessed. She just…acts so normal around you," his tone was tinged with something close to awe. Envy's expression grew bemused.

"Yeah…she's quite the woman. She's been very kind, though heaven knows I don't deserve it," he replied softly. A silence filled the tent for a moment. Finally Edward shifted and he glanced at Wrath, a slight mischievousness returning to his expression.

"You do know what this means, don't you?" he asked, a knowing smile on his face. Wrath stared at him blankly. "If she already knows about your past, and she's obviously ok with it, that saves you a lot of trouble trying to explain and or cover up how things were in the earlier years. It's like it's just meant to be," he pointed out. The dark haired man stared at him with raised eyebrows. He could actually see the alchemist's point, but he was in no way prepared to ponder such things now. They had more urgent things to worry about.

"Look, I don't know what's gotten into the two of you, but can we focus on the task at hand?" he demanded curtly. Edward heaved a sigh and Envy rolled his eyes.

"Yeah yeah, alright," the green haired man muttered. He focused his attention back on the sounds coming from outside the tent. After a moment he blinked. As he listened he found that he could actually hear loud voices not far off. The camp seemed to be springing to life. Some shouting and ruckus laughter could be heard. Envy glanced at his two companions and they nodded. The three of them rose swiftly to their feet, Envy moving to peek out the tent flap. Several men ran past, though by the light, skipping nature of their steps they weren't terribly concerned about where they were headed. Somewhere a short distance off a number of male voices burst into a loud, rather bawdy song, the words of which would have had Adele turning very red. Envy raised his eyebrows. Interesting… Well it was now or never.

He stepped out of the tent cautiously, Edward and Wrath following close on his heels. A moment later another man sprung from a tent near them. Envy tensed in alarm, but taking in the man's expression he realized they didn't have much to worry about. The soldier was grinning like a fool and chuckling to himself. As the three men watched, the Aerugan abruptly bowed in a courtly manner to the empty air, then proceeded to take up a pose as if dancing with an invisible partner and began to waltz away down the road.

"Uh…" Edward was at a loss for words. Envy shook his head. Apparently Mania was working his magic. Without further ado he set off after the man.

"Hey!" He called. The soldier paused in his dance, glancing back at him questioningly. He didn't seem at all concerned at being approached by three unknown individuals.

"The weather is lovely today, don't you think?" He asked cheerfully.

"It's delightful," Envy's tone was dry, "Would you mind pointing us in the direction of the fuel supply?" he asked. The soldier blinked, expression growing puzzled. For a minute Envy was concerned he had worded the question wrong. Perhaps they didn't refer to it like that?

"Sheesh, you really haven't been paying attention, have you? Everyone knows the fuel is being kept in that field east of the camp. That's where the airmobiles landed last night," the soldier replied, expression amused. Envy blinked. Airmobiles? Huh… Good thing he hadn't referred to them as 'planes'.

"Oh right…geez, I can't believe I forgot that," the green haired man forced a sheepish grin, "Thank you for your help."

"Anytime! I hope you enjoy the dance," the soldier replied cheerfully. Then without further comment he resumed his solo waltz back down the road away from them. All three men stared after him for a moment.

"That…was way too easy," Edward commented finally.

"Don't say that until we actually find the fuel and get rid of it," Wrath pointed out grimly. Envy nodded.

"Let's go."

-Author's Note-

Alrighty, so I'm going to skip on an author's note and respond to your reviews instead since I have lots going on in real life at the moment. I hope you enjoyed the chapter though! Goodness I wonder what will happen next... ;)

MissiB: Haha! I'm really glad you're enjoying their relationship. ^^ I promise, it will happen eventually lol. Thank you for the Titus/Adele feedback! I shall keep that in mind. Lol! Well, Mania is certainly a brat. :P But I think everyone would collectively murder him if he overtly put the moves on Elmina. He does love tormenting her though lol.

Egg: My goodness, thank you for such an enthusiastic review! XD It made me grin. I'm really glad you're liking my stories so much. ^^ I will do my best to continue updating regularly. I have another story I'm working on which I'll likely start uploading once this one is finished.

nettlesnitch92: Yay! I'm glad you enjoyed it that much. XD It shall continue to develop more over the rest of the story. And you for the Titus/Adele feedback as well. I agree with you. He'd definitely need to do some shaping up before he'd be worthy of her. ;)

Rosemary1234: I suppose you wont see this response until you reach this chapter of the story, but I'm glad you're enjoying Mania. XD He's...quite the guy. He'll be getting plenty more screen time throughout the rest of this story. ;)