Fullmetal Alchemist: Solitude

Chapter 2: Friends

AN: Thanks for the reviews! They're always welcome

Olivier walked through Central Command with her arms crossed and head down. She had arrived in Central an hour ago, and had been traveling since she had awakened that morning. Today, the generals were holding talks to discuss the progress they had made securing their respective borders from neighboring countries. Olivier had no real reason to be here, as everyone knew she was in the process of writing an armistice with Drachma, but it was a necessary formality. As well, it wasn't released in an official statement, but they were probably going to discuss information pertaining to the Promised Day.

Still, Olivier wasn't her usual, confident self. Thoughts of that morning kept creeping into her mind. They had been drugged – that much was certain. But how, and by whom? Olivier trusted Miles with her life; he would never drug her or lie about it. Which left…? She shook her head. It didn't really matter, did it? It was over, and nothing could be done now.

Abruptly, she stopped in her tracks. Of course it mattered! Someone had intentionally drugged her and she had broken military regulations! Whether or not she was consciously aware of this decision met little; what mattered was that it happened! If someone were to discover what had occurred between her and Miles last night, her reputation would be destroyed and she could say goodbye to her career. Whoever was to blame was scum, and she felt intense hatred for that person emanating from her very soul. When she discovered who this person was, she would kill him for sure.

"Glad to see you made it General," said Roy Mustang, suddenly at her side. "I trust you had no troubles along the way?"

"No, none at all," said Olivier, eyeing the confident General. "You're in one piece. It would seem that your trip was calm and uneventful."

"Yeah it was fine," yawned Roy. "Though I am a bit tired. You know those parties." He winked. Olivier stifled a look of shock. She coughed to cover up her near-mistake.

"You're just a weakling, Mustang, getting hung over like that."

"I'm not hung over!" Countered Mustang. "I just had trouble sleeping." He crossed his arms.

"You're not fooling anyone."

"Just keep this quiet okay? If anything it's Alex's fault for having so much alcohol around the place." There was a moment of silence as the two arrived at the meeting room.

"I'll keep this quiet Mustang. But you owe me, remember that," said Olivier.

"Fine," mused Mustang. He gestured toward the door. "Let's go." Olivier immediately pushed open the door using only her fist.

"Welcome General Armstrong and Mustang," greeted Grumman. To Olivier's surprise, they were the only three people in the room.

"What is this, Grumman?" She asked as the door slammed shut behind her.

"We're beginning this meeting now. I've asked the two of you to come early because you were directly involved in the events of the Promised Day. Come, sit down," he said, gesturing to the table and chairs. "We only have about half an hour before the others get here, so we should hurry and get this over with." Olivier headed to the seat at Grumman's right side, Mustang to his left. After they were situated, Grumman began to speak again.

"There are a few things I wanted to bring to your attention. The first is the massive security risk that Sloth's tunnel poses to our nation."

"My soldiers have been looking into possible solutions to this problem," spoke Olivier. "If another nation were able to infiltrate those tunnels, they would be able to travel throughout the entire country."

"Have they thought of anything?" Asked Grumman.

"The most logical solution is to destroy them," said Olivier. "Ideally, we could use explosives."

"It would be easier to use alchemists," said Mustang. "Fullmetal for example. He could render miles of the tunnel useless instantly." Grumman nodded.

"Scar as well," interjected Olivier. "His alchemy is based upon destruction. That should make our task at hand easier."

"Where is Scar anyway?" Asked Mustang. "Last I heard he was in Ishval."

"He's been traveling around the country," said Olivier. "Searching for any Ishvalans left alive."

"Oh. I'll put out word for him to come to Central," said Mustang.

"Fullmetal as well," added Grumman.

"I'll alert my soldiers. They'll begin the destruction of the tunnels near Briggs," said Olivier.

"Very good then," said Grumman. "Now onto other matters…"

A few hours later…

It had been a long day. The conference had dragged on for hours, and it had mostly just been about things she already knew. However, her significant influence over the other generals had increased with the new armistice. It would be signed in around thirty days, after all of the little nuances had been dealt with.

Olivier was taking a walk around the city. She preferred Briggs, but Central was a nice city. The people around here seemed happy enough at least. Hmm. She wondered sarcastically if any of them had ever woken up next to their subordinate officer…

"Olivier Mira Armstrong? Is that you?" Olivier turned her head to the direction of the woman's voice. To her surprise, a familiar figure stood not five feet away.

"Izumi Curtis!" She greeted her friend. "What are you doing in Central?"

"I came to check up on things," said Izumi, approaching Olivier. She looked as happy as ever, and carried a paper bag filled with food. Olivier eyed the package.

"What's all of the food for?"

"My husband of course. We may be away from home, but I'm still a housewife!" Olivier laughed. Izumi was one of the only people she genuinely liked. She was strong, and wouldn't take any shit from men either.

"So why are you here?" Asked Izumi.

"Government affairs," spoke Olivier quickly. "Nothing I can tell civilians about." Izumi smiled.

"Of course." She paused. "Would you like to come over for dinner tonight?" Olivier was taken aback. Her? Being invited to dinner? What a joke.

"My schedule's full," she said. "Sorry Izumi, perhaps some other time." Izumi shrugged.

"It's fine. Our country's a bit of a disaster now; it's understandable that you're busy."

"Thank you. So how are things with you and your husband?"

"They're going well. We're actually thinking about adopting a child."

"A child? Little brats..."

"What?" Asked Izumi, slightly startled.

"I've never cared for children." Olivier glanced at Izumi, who had a sarcastic grin on her face.

"To each her own then. How goes the love life?" Olivier's heart skipped a beat.

"There is no love for those in the military. Our only devotion is to our country and nothing else," she spoke, feeling as though she was reciting lines off a script.

"I should have guessed. Well, it was nice running into you. I have to go make dinner."

"Good to see you too, Curtis."

"I'll hold you to dinner!" Izumi waved as she disappeared down the street.

Olivier mentally strangled herself. How many times had she said that before – about there being no love in the military? Many. Hundreds even. Yet, why this time had her entire soul not been in it?