Hi everyone, it's me again! Sorry this update took so long to get online, the week I normally try and update happened to be finals week and I was trying to be a good student and study. After that I went home and I wanted to visit with my family a bit (not to mention unpack!). Then I fell off a roof and got about four hairline fractures in my spine and hips so it hurt to sit long enough to write this, but now I've finally found a good opportunity to update. Also, this chapter just didn't want to be written -_- This delay does come with some good news though! Now that I've finished the semester, I won't be starting school up again until the fall so I'll have plenty of time to work on this in between hanging out with family and working. I have to say, I am sooooo glad that molecular biology class is over! Ugh, if I have to take another class that nasty I may change my major (probably not, but that class seriously sucked)! Once again, please review! It motivates me to keep writing this, and I really like to hear people's opinions. I understand a lot of people don't like OC's so I hope mine is okay, but if you see any need for improvement please let me know! Thanks to all the people who have reviewed/favorited/alerted so far, I hope you all stay with me! Okay enough of me, here's chapter four! Disclaimer: I do not own FMA!

"This tunnel is creepy. Are you guys that concerned about keeping me low profile? Couldn't you have just said I was unlucky and happened to be in the exact spot that the crater showed up? That would have been easier than this…" I say as I look around the alchemy made tunnel with my flashlight.

Alphonse shakes his head. "Unfortunately, that crater showed up in an authorized people only zone so no civilian should have been there. Since you don't have military clearance, just happening to be there is unlikely. The people are already nervous after this second unexplained crater. The official story is that it was a gas explosion caused by an alchemy experiment gone wrong, but a lot of people who remember the Promised Day are skeptical. Mustang is trying to keep suspicion down, and you showing up would give the press a field day."

"Promised Day?" I ask.

Edward sighs and adds, "Mustang wants to keep this whole thing low profile so he's limited who's been in contact with you. The military hospital will keep your arrival classified on principle. Mustang also had to be careful about not drawing attention to himself. There were other men injured in the blast so it doesn't look too suspicious for him to go into the hospital. He's always been careful to cover his tracks."

"Why does that not surprise me? Even in this dimension, politicians never change." I sigh and point my flashlight down the tunnel still unable to see the end of it. What a crazy week it's been.

The past few days had passed by in a blur. Nurses came in and out to check on me or give me food, and the occasional doctor came in to make sure I was healthy enough to leave. After the second day, I was finally able to climb out of bed and stand up without falling over. I used my new found mobility to open the curtains that had been blocking off my window. Unfortunately, I had one of the rooms that face a concrete wall so there wasn't much to see. I think hospitals do that to mess with people, give them a sense of being in prison while they recover so they try and get out as fast as possible. Make room for the next patient.

I wasn't allowed out of my room so there was no way to improve on my poor scenery and so, bored out of my mind, I experimented with the radio in the room. When I first woke up I thought it was antique, as it turned out, it was only about five years old, go figure. It took me a while to figure out how to use the little dial things, and the antenna needed to be adjusted every time I touched the dial, but I managed to get it. My efforts were in vain though. Since the music sounded like my grandpa's, I couldn't listen very long before turning it off. Instead, I resorted to pacing to build up leg strength while reading a book that Riza was kind enough to leave me. It felt like I hadn't walked or used my legs in years. I don't know why, but that journey through the gate really took a lot out of me. According to Mustang, I was lucky it wasn't worse, but he wouldn't say more.

Speaking of Mustang, I got occasional visits from him, Riza, and the Elric brothers during my week long imprisonment. They filled me in on the plan to get me out without drawing attention, and then keeping me secret afterwards. I figured getting out would be the biggest problem since it's not like I look different from the people here so blending in shouldn't be hard. Personally, I think the people who stand out most are the Elrics. I glance at them both out of the corner of my eye in the gloom. I haven't seen a single other person with gold hair and eyes since I got here. Lost in thought, I recall the conversation we all had yesterday.

"Okay, here's the plan." Mustang was filling me in on my final day in the hospital. "The Elrics will make a tunnel using alchemy and pick you up from the hospital discreetly. This way nobody from the outside sees them going into the hospital and then not coming out when they bring you back through the tunnel. The tunnel will lead to the Fuhrer's mansion where everyone else will be waiting. We already have the documents that will allow you to pass as a citizen here, your official identity is the daughter of a distant cousin of Riza's. You're in the capital to visit her from Northern Command where you're from, and then you will be leaving with Alphonse Elric who has agreed to take you as a pupil to study alchemy in Resembool. That will get you to Eastern Command where you should be able to investigate that other crater. After that…. we'll see where you go from there."

"Thank you for everything sir, I really am grateful for all this help." I said.

"It's no big deal, it brings back memories of helping out other stray teenagers who are in over their heads" He chuckled. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward flash a look of annoyance and Alphonse looked sheepish.

"Don't get cocky Mustang, those stray teenagers saved your ass more than once." Edward said.

Mustang's eye twitched before he turned around and replied, "Says the runt who was almost lunch for those Immortal Legion monsters."

That statement made no sense to me. Immortal Legion? What's that? And, as far as I could tell, Edward was about the same height as both Mustang and his brother, but it seemed to have pissed him off anyway.

"That was a long time ago! I'm just as tall as you are now you bastard! Anyways, there were dozens of them, and they wouldn't stay down! That's why they're called the Immortal Legion dumbass!"

"Whatever. If it hadn't have been for my extra firepower, you'd have been lunch." Mustang said triumphantly.

I was laughing by that point. The first time they had started fighting, I hadn't been sure how to react, but by now I was used to it. They fought like two really good friends, but neither wanted to admit it. It was the strangest relationship I had ever seen.

Edward was about to say something else when Alphonse cut in. "Well, we need to get going. It's getting late and Mae had a few things she wanted to go over with me before dinner. Brother, didn't Winry want to take a look at your leg before dinner too? I remember her saying something about not being late…" Alphonse trailed off.

At the mention of Winry, Edward had frozen and looked slightly panicked. "What time is it?" he said as he glanced at the clock. "Dammit! She wanted me back twenty minutes ago! Well, we've got to go; Al and I will pick you up tomorrow. Goodnight!" He said as he dashed out the door.

"See you tomorrow Charity." Alphonse said as he followed his brother out, followed closely by Mustang.

"We're almost there." Edward says, breaking me out of my thoughts.

I glance into the gloom and, sure enough, my flashlight reveals a solid wall up ahead. "So we're under the Fuhrer's mansion now? Where are we going to be coming out?" I ask.

"The cellar, it's huge and out of the way so if he happens to have visitors we won't look suspicious popping out of the ground." Alphonse answers.

I give them both a wry look. "This really is too much. It's not like people are looking for me, and people rarely see things they're not looking for. Are people here really that paranoid?"

"Well, about twenty years ago, Amestris was almost destroyed by the government so people are more suspicious now. Mustang made this country a democracy and has been trying to clear the distrust, but an attempted military coup by some of the top generals to overthrow the previous Fuhrer is enough to make people lose faith in the government. On top of that, relations with Drachma, a country that borders us to the north, have been deteriorating ever since we became a democracy. They weren't good before, but it's gotten a lot worse. Amestrians think the craters may be some type of attack from Drachma, and they're convinced the government is trying to cover it up. They're saying you were a suicide bomber that survived." Edward says.

"The government is covering it up though…" I trail off and look at the ground.

"That's true, but it's not for the reason the people think. If the government just said you were someone from a different world, lots of people may panic and think it was an alien invasion of some kind. To keep the peace, Mustang has decided it's better that people don't know there are other life forms out there." Alphonse explains.

"I see…" We've just now reached the end of the tunnel and I look around for the exit. Alphonse points to a ladder and then starts to climb. Lost in thought I follow right after him with Edward climbing up last. So now I'm part of a government alien cover-up…great. I always wanted to be in the know if there was some alien cover-up back home, but, somehow, I always figured I wouldn't be on the receiving end.

I sigh and look up where I see Alphonse is pushing up a hatch. Light streams down as he climbs out and then reaches his arm down to pull me up. I grab his hand and allow him to pull me out. Once I'm clear, I gaze around the cellar while Edward pulls himself out. It's not really what I pictured. I thought it would be dark and gloomy like the cellar in The Cask of Amontillado. It's well lit and feels homey with stone walls and a wooden floor. There are rows of shelves lined with all sorts of foods, preserves, and wines.

"So….. now what?" I ask.

"One minute, I need to close off the tunnel. I left a whole bunch of alkahestry arrays down there so I can close it all at once from a distance." Alphonse says as he claps his hands together. Blue sparks dance around his hands right before he places them on the hatch and the sparks fly down the tunnel giving off an eerie glow. Then everything, including the hatch we had just come through, disappear with the only sign that the tunnel had even existed evident in the weird square flakes that I've figured are a side-effect of alchemy.

I've watched this alchemy stuff quite a few times since I've gotten here, and it still really freaks me out. At first I wasn't sure why, but after a few times watching, I realized that it gave me a feeling similar to being inside the Gate. I could feel that giant eye watching me from the shadows, and it made my skin crawl. It didn't help that I could see the eye staring at me through certain people's individual gates, and feel the black hole where Edward's gate was supposed to be. I can't help but smile wryly as I think about my cover story. And I'm going to be "studying" alchemy in the East with these people… that's great. Just great. I take a deep breath to steady myself and look away when I notice their concerned faces. I must look pretty pale, and it's embarrassing. Mom has always said my face is an open book when it comes to how I feel despite my best efforts to hide it.

"Well, now that that's done, we go this way to get out…" Edward says as he takes the lead. I just nod my head and follow. There's a really awkward silence that dampens the mood quite a bit.

Uncomfortable with the silence, I ask, "So Drachma's like an evil Canada?"

"What's a canada? Some kind of animal?" Alphonse asks looking relieved that I said something.

"Uhhhhhh, no. It's a country that borders the United States to the north. Only they're not evil…" I reply while laughing weakly.

"…Oh…" Alphonse grins and Edward lets out a loud sigh before clapping his brother on the shoulder and laughing.

"You missed the boat with that one Al. You're too worried about stuff, lighten up." He grins and, for some reason, we all start laughing as we head for the stairway that leads out of the cellar. Once we reach the top, Edward puts his arm in front to bar the way and looks at me seriously. "Remember, the only people who know where you're really from are Al, Mustang, Riza, Winry, Mae, and me. Be careful about what you say around anyone else. Everyone is out of the house right now, but they'll be back soon so make sure you act the part. Got it?"

I put on my best determined face and nod. I am so screwed! I've never been able to act. That's why I played the tree in my elementary school play! I think to myself as Edward turns away and pushes open the door.

Viktor Menshikov sighed and leaned against rocks looming over the snow cave he had just finished making. He hated being delayed by the storm, but freezing to death wasn't going to do any good and he wasn't one to argue with the captain. He glanced south beyond the mountain peak where he sat towards the lofty wall of Fort Briggs. They were only a two hour walk from the border and then the real game began.

"It's pretty impressive isn't it? I've seen it a few times in my life and it never gets old. I've got to hand it to those weak Amestrians, that fort has been our vice for generations. Their General Armstrong is really something. I've seen her once from a distance. Eyes of a grizzly she-bear and a temper to match would describe her." Yuri chuckled as he walked up to the younger man with two thermoses of coffee in hand. "However, I'd be casting my eyes north for a last look of the homeland. You won't see it until after this is over you know." He settled himself against the rock beside Viktor and held out a thermos.

"Thanks." Viktor said as he grabbed the thermos and took a sip. It was lukewarm but it was better than nothing.

The two men sat in silence for a bit just gazing over the frozen landscape. Viktor was going to miss it while he was in mild-weathered Amestris, a soft country for weak people. Not like the harsh, character building tundra and pine forested mountains of Drachma.

"I'm not worried, we'll be back soon. This won't even be a challenge." Viktor said with contempt.

Yuri chuckled. "Not much of a ladies' man are you? Don't worry, you're looks would probably scare them away anyway."

Viktor scowled. "No, I just think this type of mission is beneath us. We do this for thrills not money, but the captain dropped everything for this job and its big paycheck!"

"Hey! 330 million rubles is more than any of us ever expected to see in our lifetimes!" Yuri laughed at Viktor's sour expression and slapped the young man's shoulder. "I'm only kidding! If anything, it's your stiff demeanor that will scare all the girls away! But seriously, it has nothing to do with the money. It's an honor to be called by the Czar to serve our country. The captain picked up this job for the honor of it. Plus, we get to mess up a few Amestrians along the way, that's a thrill all on its own." Yuri laughed and turned his thermos up to get the last dregs of coffee from the bottom. Once he had finished, he stood up straight and looked at Viktor seriously. "Take this as a big honor, and think of it like this: we're the first strike team that gets sent into Amestris before our armies come and bring down their proud walls.

"Drachma has never been in such a good position before and it's all thanks to the Czar. He's only had the title for a year and a half now, but I've never seen the country develop faster. I'm proud of this opportunity to serve Drachma and the Czar. This old man gets to bring honor to his house before the grave claims him. You're still pretty young Viktor, when you're my age you'll understand what I mean." Yuri turned and started to head towards his own snow cave. Then he paused and called over his shoulder, "Get some sleep tonight, you'll need to be on your toes once we cross the border tomorrow."

Viktor watched Yuri as the old man crawled into a snow cave to wait out the storm. Yuri had been like a father to him ever since he was young. The old man had found him on the streets of Buchavir as a small orphan boy and took him in. That had been seventeen years ago now. Viktor had learned everything he knew from Yuri while traveling around with the guild. He couldn't imagine life without any of them, but mostly Yuri.

"Honor for your house…" Frowning, Viktor drew one of his hidden knives and, quick as lightning, through it at a gap in the rocks where it stuck tight. "Are you both proud of me? Mom? Dad?" Viktor sighed and looked up at the over cast sky before climbing into his own snow cave. As he lay in the darkness listening to the wind blow outside, his thoughts turned to the events of the past week.

It had been barely a week ago that their guild had gotten the summons from the Czar. Up until then, they had been trying to track down a dangerous and elusive fugitive in the far north end of Drachma, but they had abandoned the hunt to head to Idenrov and meet with the Czar. Viktor had been put off by the summons since they were close to catching the fugitive.

Once in Idenrov, the Czar pulled out a briefcase full of money and said it was theirs once they finished a job he had for them. All they had to do was bring in some fifteen year old girl. Alive he had stressed. Anyone that happened to be around her was disposable, but she needed to be alive. Viktor pulled out the grainy photo of the girl that the Czar had given him. She didn't even look like she could put up a fight. She was in a hospital room for crying out loud! Why the Czar wanted her was beyond him, but it was a job so the client's privacy was always respected.

"Charity Evans. What strange names Amestrians have. The Czar certainly thought your name was amusing. So did his son for that matter. I hope you're tougher than you look or this is going to be really boring." Viktor put the photo away and rolled over to face the wall where his supply pack was. Dyed into the leather of the pack was a red wolf paw-print in front of two crossed swords. The symbol of the Hunters.

I sit in my chair awkwardly as I look at the plate of spaghetti in front of me. Even though I'm trying to mind my own business, I can tell I'm at the center of attention. I try to refrain from squirming around under all the scrutiny. Remember Charity, you're from Northern Command. There's lots of snow up there. Mining is a big industry. Briggs is a fort. Drachma is up north… It's a country like Canada but evil… I list all the facts I know about Northern Command in my mind while silently hoping nobody asks me anything. Why the hell would they give someone from SouthernCalifornia a cover identity in the north! I've seen snow like, maybe twice in my life! And it was a light dusting that was gone before noon! I don't know anything about this stuff! I think while recalling the events of the past few hours.

About an hour after arriving at the mansion with Edward and Alphonse, everyone else showed up and I was introduced to the entire Elric family along with Rebecca, Riza and Mustang's daughter. It was stressful because I had to play my role as Riza's cousin's daughter while trying to remember a ton of new names at once. To top it all off, the sheer number of gates hovering in the air around all these people made me feel claustrophobic.

I could tell right off the bat that the boy who looked a lot like Edward…Joshua?... his sister….?...I can't remember her name… the Chinese looking girl…Yue… and Rebecca were all alchemists. Thankfully, their gates weren't open like Mustang's and Alphonse's, but they weren't locked either. Yue's mom…I can't remember her name either… was also an alchemist. Winry wasn't, since her gate was locked just as firmly as Riza's.

All the extra unlocked gates had been making me feel panicked, and, right before I was about to snap, the butler came in and saved me by declaring dinner ready. Everyone had filed into the dining room after that determined to pick up the conversation once everyone was seated. And that's how I found myself staring at my plate praying nobody would talk to me too much.

I glance up from my plate to examine the people sitting at the table around me. It's a full house tonight. Even fuller with the semi-transparent floating gates around everyone, but nobody notices that. I think sarcastically. I'm starting to feel dizzy so I look down at my untouched plate and mechanically start eating while avoiding eye contact with people. Be the chair. Be invisible. I think to myself.

The locked gates are by far my favorite because I can't sense the creepy vibes from the other side coming through them. All these alchemists in the room are leaving a weird charge in the air like static, I can feel my arm hairs standing on end. That wasn't even the most bizarre of the sensations all these alchemy doors are giving me though. Maybe I'm going crazy, but I swear I can feel my shadow. Thankfully, I'm sitting in between Riza and Winry so it could be a lot worse. Get used to it Charity, you'll be around alchemists until you get out of this screwy dimension. Once you find Dad, you'll never have to see creepy floating doors and other backwards stuff again. I do feel guilty being so uncomfortable around these people though. They've helped me so much, and I just want to pretend they're not there right now...

"So, Charity, what's it like in Northern Command?"

I jump in my seat and look up, my green eyes meeting the solid gold ones of Edward's son, Joshua, who had just asked me the question. My mind goes blank and I look around the table as all the adults look at me expectantly.

"Umm…where?" I stammer lamely as I feel the heat rising in my cheeks.

"Northern Command…where you're from, right?" He replies with an amused expression.

Crap! I just blew it! I feel like melting into the floor. Dammit Charity! Calm down or you're never going to sell this identity. Stop being a spaz and just answer the question. It's not even that hard to answer! Deep breath… I breath in and try to collect myself before pulling my most winning smile. It feels fake under everyone's gaze. Argh! Everyone stop staring at me!

"Oh, Northern Command! Well, it's… a lot colder than here and we get more snow than I would like. But it's not as bad in the summer… There's a lot of mining and logging industry up there so the economy's good. Metal and wood are always in demand…Yeah… Oh! You see Fort Briggs soldiers every once in a while buying things from town…" I trail off and take a big bite of spaghetti to hide my shame. The career path of top-secret spy has officially been barred from me. I can't act to save my life.

"What's it like to live so close to Drachma with the cold war going on?" Sara asks as she jumps into the conversation.

I swallow the noodles in my mouth (which taste like ash by this point), and blurt, "Well, it's kind of scary sometimes, but we all feel safe with Fort Briggs protecting the border. If Canada ever attacks, Briggs will stop them." I look at all the confused faces around the room, with the exception of Edward and Alphonse who look like they're trying not to laugh, and start to panic. What did I say wrong?

"Canada?" Yue says as she tilts her head to the side.

I just said Canada. Can this get any worse? My heart is pounding so fast I'm sure everyone can hear it. The weird charge in the air I've been feeling all night starts to build to a low hum in my ears and, as if I wasn't already freaking out, the crazy impression I have of feeling my shadow starts to get stronger. I'm about to declare myself officially insane when Edward and Alphonse come to my rescue.

"Canada is the new general in Drachma, right? You mentioned him earlier when we were picking you up from the train station." Edward says as he nods in my direction.

"Yeah, he's a rising star in the Drachman military, right?" Alphonse adds without missing a beat.

"Yes! General Canada. He's been more aggressive on the border than previous generals have been, but, like I said Fort Briggs can handle it." I silently thank Edward and Alphonse as I add the final touch to their nice save. Then, to take me out of the hot seat, Winry steps in and changes the topic to a new design of something called automail that she's been working on.

The rest of the evening meal passes by without mishap, and I take the first opportunity I get to retreat to my room with the "I'm tired from traveling" excuse. After walking down a few hallways and up a few flights of stairs, I find myself lying on my bed in the dark and staring out the window. The city looks nice from here with all the lights shining through my window. Three days from now I'll be on a train to Resembool to start my search for Dad. Or rather, I smile wryly, to begin my alchemy training. I sigh and roll onto my back. I totally failed at dinner tonight, and I need to do better if I'm going to hold onto my cover story. I'm just a terrible liar. Growing up, I never had to hide anything from Mom. We only had each other after Dad ended up here so we shared everything.

I feel a pit in my stomach form as I think about Mom. I hope she's okay, although I know she's not. I wonder if everyone's blaming her for my murder too? Last time she had me and I believed her, but what about now? She's all alone this time. I close my eyes and listen to the wind outside. Is it wrong of me to leave her behind while I try and bring Dad back? Is making her go through all that stuff again worth it? I don't even know if I'll be successful… I drift off to sleep where I dream of red wolf paw prints, floating gates, and a white, grinning silhouette that says, "But I know you'll try anyway, which is why we made the deal."


So now we're finally getting into the action. I've introduced most of the characters, and Charity is about to start looking for her dad. I hope I didn't insult any Canadians out there with this chapter, but Charity thinks of Drachma as Canada because, like Canada, Drachma is north of the country she is currently in. In all honesty, I think Drachma is a lot more like Soviet Russia (at least that's the idea I got reading FMA). That's why the currency mentioned by the Hunters is in Rubles. The amount the Hunters were offered in rubles is about 10 million American dollars for anyone that was curious. Again, please review, even if the review is short! Even if you didn't like it! It makes my day to see people tell me what they think. (Also, when I pick a fan fiction to read I always compare the number of chapters to the number of reviews and if there aren't a lot of reviews, I don't always read it. I want people to read this and give me feedback so I can improve, but that can't happen if nobody reviews!) Thanks again to all the people that have already read this chapter and my other ones. To those who reviewed, favorited, and alerted my story YOU'RE THE BEST!