Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye was not happy. She'd been hoping to pick Black Hayate up from the kennels and take a nice relaxing walk before going home. She'd been hoping to spend her night watching the snow fall outside her window while cleaning her extensive collection of handguns and sipping at a warm mug of coffee. That plan had been shot to pieces when Alphonse had come in with the news that Edward was missing.

She sighed deeply, struggling to maintain her professional exterior. She was standing guard outside the colonel's office door, ready to alert him if anyone came by and wanted to see him. For some reason, everyone who had come by so far had suddenly gone pale and realized that they had urgent business to attend to on the other side of the building. Not that it mattered to her. She didn't want to deal with them anyways.

She was finally rewarded for her patience when a shaken and concerned Denny Brosh left the inner office a few moments later. She waited until Brosh exited the outer office before rapping sharply on the door and receiving permission to enter.

The colonel was seated at his desk, eyebrows forced together and mouth twisted into a scathing sneer. His eyes snapped with anger and, at some point, he had swept the paperwork off his desk and into the floor in a fit of rage. Probably right after the sergeant exited the room. Even so, she gave him a disapproving look before stooping to pick up the offending forms and reports that littered the room. When she had finished gathering both her thoughts and the papers, she finally spoke.

"I take it Sergeant Brosh's report wasn't as helpful as we hoped it would be."

The colonel sighed, running a hand through his hair and leaning back as far as his chair allowed. He'd regained some of his composure by this time and schooled his expression into one of mere irritation.

"It's hard to say if the incident has anything to do with Fullmetal's disappearance, but it's the only lead we have right now. There are a lot of things about this that just don't add up. We have a pretty good idea of when he disappeared and the time-frame matches up. And if these people really were Fullmetal and his kidnappers, we even know where, thanks to Sergeant Brosh's involvement. But we're still missing some crucial information. Who are they? Why do they want Fullmetal? What are they planning to do with him? And how much time do we have before he's beyond our reach? We just don't know enough. We can't get the investigations team involved until we know for sure that this isn't a wild goose chase. That's where you come in, Hawkeye.

"I've sent Sergeant Brosh to rendezvous with Major Armstrong. When he returns, he'll have sketches of the supposed Curtis family. You are to memorize their faces and any identifying characteristics. When you've finished, you will pass the sketches on to Falman and instruct him to make sure the rest of the team memorizes them as well. Sergeant Brosh will then escort you to the alley this 'Edison Curtis' was found in. Investigate the area thoroughly and report anything unusual immediately. Meanwhile, I will be putting together a search team for Fullmetal. I can't deploy them until tomorrow morning, so until then, this assignment will be treated as a Code Amber mission. Information is to be given out strictly on a need-to-know basis. Have I made myself clear?"

"Clear as crystal, sir."

"Good. And Hawkeye?"

"Sir?"

"…Watch yourself out there. We have no idea what these people are capable of. You're dismissed."

Heart pounding, but outwardly calm and collected, Riza Hawkeye saluted and left her colonel alone in his office.

When she reentered the outer office, she soon found herself facing a trembling wall of metal. She blinked and stepped back to get a better look at the worried giant. He seemed ready to get down on his knees and beg, if that's what it took to find out what had happened to his older brother. Her face softened ever so slightly and her calm, quiet voice called him to her side.

Riza grabbed her coat from the rack and left the room with Alphonse after giving a stern look to each of the men sitting in the outer office- especially Jean Havoc- to warn them to be on their best behavior while she was gone. They walked to the kennels on the other side of the building in silence despite the boy's obvious desire to know what the colonel was going to do about his brother's disappearance now. When they'd reached their destination, she signaled Alphonse to stay put as she picked Black Hayate up. She returned quickly, dog in tow, and they set off once again.

Firm footsteps, the clicking of toenails, and a familiar groaning clang echoed around the empty hallways, somehow intensifying the silence. The tension surrounding the strange trio grew with every step, until the air seemed to moan with the weight of it. They made it as far as the front entrance before Riza stopped suddenly and spun around, kind expression and tender smile contrasting sharply with her business-like tone as she forestalled the frustrated boy's demands.

"It would be best if Black Hayate and I escorted you to your apartment. We don't need anything happening to a civilian so close to headquarters. And since Major Elric is indisposed at the moment, I think this would be a good opportunity to update him about the current situation. Don't you agree, Alphonse?"

Red eyes met brown and a horn ornamented helmet nodded in hesitant agreement. The massive suit of armor took the lead and set off for the military housing a few streets away. He took his "escort" on a few detours to shake off any pursuers, and even with his attempt to set a brisk pace, an hour passed before the trio stood outside the Elric brothers' apartment.

Riza glanced around, covertly checking the snow and ice covered streets for anyone foolish enough to ambush Riza Hawkeye and her charge as Alphonse unlocked the thick wooden door. No one was in sight and she nodded, indicating that he should open the door and enter as quickly as possible. He jerked in nervous acknowledgement and opened the door, only to close it quickly again, glancing down at Black Hayate.

"Um. Miss Hawkeye? Hayate doesn't…um…chase cats…does he?"

Riza blinked and looked down at the obedient pup sitting next to her feet, tail wagging slightly to show his pleasure in the deviation from his normal routine. She stared at him for a few moments before shaking her head and allowing a rueful smile onto her lovely face.

"He's made a lot of progress, but I don't think he would be able to resist a cat. And if he did start chasing one, I don't think I could get a clear shot to persuade him to stop. It's probably best if I leave him on guard duty out here."

"But…Miss Hawkeye, couldn't he run away? And what if the blizzard comes early and…"

Riza cut him off with a raised eyebrows and a playful smirk.

"He may not be ready to handle a cat, but he wouldn't dare run away. Besides, we'll be leaving as soon as we finish catching up."

Her expression was almost comically serious as she turned to loom over the nearly still form of her canine companion, her voice commanding and firm, finger pointed dramatically at the floor next to the door frame.

"Black Hayate, guard."

The puppy wagged his tail one last time before trotting to his post and sitting down. He looked around alertly, ready to bark at anyone that came by. Nodding in satisfaction, Riza gestured for Alphonse to open the door again. He complied and they entered the apartment.

Her first impression was of warmth and comfort. Embers of a small, slow burning fire glowed warmly behind a wrought iron screen in the tiny fireplace. What she assumed was the living room was sparsely furnished, but the sofa and lone chair were comfortably close to one another. Haphazard stacks of books on and around a small end table gave a lived-in feel to the room that had a charm all its own.

That was her first impression.

When she took a closer look, she saw that everything was slightly dusty, as if the people living here had taken an unexpected trip and would return at any moment. Then she noticed that the film of dust had been disturbed in several places by various things. Footprints led away from the door, a sweeping pattern that could have been made by a lashing tail showed on a couch cushion, and over it all was a myriad of paw prints. She continued her observations as Alphonse shut the door behind himself and busily stoked the fire back to roaring life.

As the sound of the shut door rang through the small flat, curious feline faces peered around door-frames and from behind the scant furniture. Riza counted seven cats of varying size, color, and age. One, more brazen than the rest, sauntered out from his hiding place behind the couch and over to Al's crouching form. The young, dark gray jumped onto the armor's broad, unfeeling shoulders and arranged itself delicately around spikes before placing a paw possessively on the large helmet, tail twitching as it glared challengingly across the room.

Alphonse finished working on the fire and straightened up, finally noticing the cat that had made itself at home on his body. He reached up and absentmindedly began petting it as he invited Riza to join him in sitting on the couch. She did so, and settled back into the cushions with a sigh. Her nose wrinkled in distaste as the other felines decided to join them. Tails flicked across her face and wet noses explored her hands, hoping for one of the treats that always seemed to appear when a certain cat loving boy was nearby. She shooed them off her lap and hid her face with a weary sigh.

It was going to be difficult to make Alphonse understand what was necessary to find Edward. She doubted he would keep out of their way for long, but an armored giant asking questions tended to stick out in anyone's mind. His involvement would only make their search more difficult.

Her lips twitched into a hopeless little smile. She hated the fact that she couldn't tell Alphonse the whole plan. She hated that this innocent boy, who was just worried about his older brother, was going to be lied to. She hated that she couldn't be there to comfort him. She hated that she couldn't protect him from the world. She hated the military and all it had done. She hated being a good soldier. But orders were orders. It had to be done. It was best for them all.

Riza's shoulders straightened and she eased her expression into a reassuring smile. She looked the boy in his eyes, his pure soul shining through, and began to lie to him.

And he believed her.

She told him that Sergeant Brosh had given them a good lead on where Ed might be. She told him that the military had already found the Curtis family, and were watching them for any signs of misconduct. She told him that if he got involved as a civilian it would only complicate matters, and make the entire investigation worthless.

She lied. And he believed her.

Her heart cracked a little more with every word she said. She got a little closer to breaking down and screaming out the truth every time she looked into those trusting eyes. She hated herself more with every lie and false smile that slid its way across her lips. But she didn't stop. She told him a twisted, cruel story disguised as kindness and kept her composure. She didn't let him catch a single glimpse of her internal agony. She smiled and said that everything was fine, that soon everything would be just like it always had.

She lied. And he believed her.

It seemed like an eternity passed before she finally took her leave of the increasingly optimistic soul. In reality, it had only taken her about ten minutes to weave her twisted palace of lies. Alphonse showed her to the door, as if she deserved to be treated like a lady after the terrible, cruel things she'd done. But she nodded in gratitude, and walked down the ice covered street to headquarters with Black Hayate trailing behind her.

She turned down a side street, taking yet another detour that conveniently took her out of the gentle, deceived boy's line of sight. She stopped and looked around, checking to see if anyone was with her on this cold, icy stretch of road. She didn't allow her strong, optimistic façade to melt away until she was sure there was no one around to see.

Riza dropped heavily onto her knees, finally allowing the tears burning behind her eyes to snake their way down her face. Hayate whined in distress and pressed himself against her heaving chest. She stiffened in surprise before giving him a shaky smile and holding him close to her heart with trembling hands. They sat, intertwined on the cold ground, until she forced herself to get a grip on her rampant emotions. She pushed the puppy away gently and scrubbed her face with a handful of snow. Standing on steady legs once again, she ignored the single tear that inched its way down her face. Impassive mask back in place, shoulders steady, and breathing calmly, she was ready to resume her duty.

I don't have time to cry. No time to be weak. No time for emotions. No time to be human. There is only time to be strong. Only time to follow orders. Only time to be a soldier. Only time to be a monster.

She sat inflexibly at her desk in Central headquarters. She'd gotten back about 20 minutes ago, and had immediately attacked what little remained of her daily paperwork. She'd polished it off in record time- thirteen minutes and fifty-four seconds, to be precise- and had been waiting for Sergeant Brosh to appear since then. Exactly six minutes and six seconds, by her reckoning.

She was finding it much more difficult than usual to maintain a professional exterior. Ever since her little episode earlier, her nerves had been stretched tighter than she'd thought possible. Her very skin felt two sizes too small.

She sighed and shifted in her chair, looking at a carefully concealed schedule before glancing over at the clock in the corner of the room. Finally, she had found something to do. She pushed back her chair and marched over to the inner office's door. She opened it without knocking and was already opening her mouth to berate her superior for taking a nap when he should be working- again- before she realized what Roy was really doing in his office. And even then she didn't quite believe it.

His eyes were half-closed in concentration, eyes focused on what he held in his hand. A finger traced its way down and eyes closed as his other hand gripped harder. He sighed heavily and let his eyes drift open to the half-way mark again. He smirked and let go, laying stained hands on the desk in front of him and watching the object settle. He picked up a slender tube and carelessly ripped it open. With infinite more care, he leaned over and touched its tip to the object that still held all of his attention. The cylinder danced teasingly across it over and over again as he took care of each area that needed his attention, tainting his hands again in the process. He only stopped when he heard the quiet, strangled moan that had finally found its way out of her throat. He looked up frowning. Dark eyes, still unfocused and far away, met Riza's own wide, shocked eyes.

"Did you need something, Lieutenant Hawkeye? Is someone here to see me?"

His voice was low and throaty, the words drifting across the room and slipping into her ears, which felt stuffed with cotton. Clearly, he was still preoccupied.

She cleared her suddenly dry throat and managed to choke out a negative before walking unsteadily out of the inner office. She closed the door behind her clumsily and began to stumble over to her desk. On the way there she bumped into Havoc's chair, jarring him out of his work-oriented bubble of focus, and staggered the last few steps before collapsing into her chair.

Havoc frowned and levered himself out of his seat. He approached the woman warily, ready to dive out of the way if she tried to pull a gun on him in her current state.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye? You alright, ma'am? Did something happen with the colonel?"

By now, the other men in the room had stopped their various activities and were watching the blonds with concern. Riza looked around at each of them with wild eyes before letting a slightly hysterical giggle slip past her lips.

"Roy is…and you're not…and he's not…and I lied to him…orders…but I can't…not the same…but he needs…I need…and I can't…and Roy just…just…"

A tears rolled slowly down her cheek as she laughed helplessly. Air was getting harder to come by and she couldn't stop shaking, but this couldn't be happening. Not really. Not here. Not in front of the men who respected her so much. She couldn't be giving in to her weaknesses in front of them. She wouldn't allow it. She was fine. She was strong. Her hands burrowed into her hair, clutching her head as she tried desperately to piece herself back together. She heard familiar, anxious voices in the background, but the one she longed to hear most wasn't there. And might never be there again. A strangled gasp interrupted her uncontrollable giggling as this errant thought blind-sided her.

And then strong arms surrounded her. Ink stained hands cradled her head and a deep voice was whispering soothing words. Her shaking slowed and hands desperate to get some hold on reality seized his jacket as hysterical laughter turned into gut-wrenching sobs. She found herself whispering, low and fast, gasping out everything running through her mind in an unintelligible stream. And she was ashamed. The words just kept tumbling out, running together, defying her every effort to halt the flow.

"Nothing's the same. It's all different. It's not the same. You're doing paperwork. You actually read it. You read it all. I saw you. And then you signed it. Why did you sign it? I'm supposed to sign it. Not you. You're supposed to think, and, and sleep. And Havoc, Havoc's supposed to smoke. Why isn't he smoking? And Breda, he's not afraid of Hayate. He's supposed to be screaming. Why isn't he screaming? And why is Fuery crying? Fuery smiles. He doesn't cry. He should never cry. And Falman, he forgot. He forgot where he put the files, but he never forgets. And it's not the same and I can't fix it. I just made it worse…I lied Roy. I lied to him. How could I? But it was just orders…just orders. I have to be strong. Have to follow orders. Have to fix everything. Have to find him. Have to protect him. Have to save him. I have to Roy. He needs me. But I can't. I can't. I'm too weak. Too soft. Worthless. A monster could never save him. And it won't stop. It won't stop raining, Roy…it won't stop."

Her traitorous mouth finally seemed to run out of things to say, but the ocean of salty drops still trickled down the contours of her face. Those same strong arms held her tight, rocking her slowly back and forth. That beautiful voice reassured and quieted her, telling her that she was anything but worthless. Those big stained hands smeared ink across her face as they brushed away her tears. And they swayed together in the middle of the outer office, until the last salty orb fell from her dark amber eyes.

She allowed herself a moment more to enjoy the warm and comforting feeling that stemmed from his tight embrace before gently pushing herself away from his chest and sitting up straight. She was surprised to see the circle of chairs surrounding her and Roy. She was even more surprised to see that each man in the circle had the over-bright stare of someone trying valiantly to hold back their own tears. Except Fuery, of course. His face shimmered with moisture, mirroring her own, but he flashed a bright smile her way all the same. Next to him, Havoc smirked and fumbled around in his jacket pocket before pulling out his worn silver lighter and a pack of cigarettes. He lit up and took a long drag before blowing the smoke hard in her direction, chuckling at her half-hearted protests. But his wide grin soon faded into a self-mocking smile as he snorted in exasperation.

"Stupid kid's got us all in the palm of his hand. He hasn't even been missing a full day and we're already a mess. Huh. I dunno 'bout you guys, but I'm gonna give the twerp a beating he won't forget as soon as we get him back. How 'bout you colonel; got anything planned for the chief when we find him?"

Roy chuckled mirthlessly as he pushed himself out of his kneeling position in front of Riza's chair. He knuckled his back and stretched, working all the kinks out of his limbs as he groaned out an answer.

"He'll be lucky if I only decide to kick his scrawny hide into the middle of next year. That runt has no consideration for others. Bet he hasn't even thought about all the extra paperwork he's making me fill out. Reckless idiot."

With the mental image of Roy chasing Edward around a paper filled office playing in each of their heads, the last traces of tension left the room on a wave of full-bellied laughter. And if the occasional tear slipped down their faces, it was only because they were laughing so hard. It didn't have anything to do with Edward's disappearance. Nothing at all.

This was the scene that greeted a bemused Denny Brosh when he finally appeared. Riza managed to stop chuckling shortly after he entered the room, but the men around her were still lost to their own bouts of merriment; snickering, hooting, and generally trying not to fall over from lack of breath. She stood and grinned at the mystified sergeant before grabbing her coat from the back of her chair. She signaled Hayate to follow her and slipped out of the circle of guffawing men, dancing back to avoid the occasional flailing limb on her way out. She couldn't hear herself think over the uproar, so she pulled Brosh out into the hallway and shut the door firmly behind her. The still thoroughly confused Sergeant handed the sketches over wordlessly and waited nervously for her to finish looking them over.

Riza flipped through the pages, examining each drawing closely as she committed them to memory. Major Armstrong had done an incredible job with these. The skills passed down for generations in the Armstrong family had proven their worth once again. She closed her eyes, mentally picturing each of the sketched figures before checking herself for accuracy. Satisfied with her familiarity of the images, she told Brosh to wait a moment and re-entered the outer office.

By now, Havoc was doubled over in his chair struggling for breath as he watched Fuery trying to tickle Breda, who had fallen out of his chair and was begging for mercy in between wild convulsions and gasping laughter. Falman was still snickering, but Roy had regained control and was limiting himself to a huge smirk and the occasional bark of laughter as he egged his subordinates on.

Riza smiled fondly at their antics and walked over to Falman's desk, somehow avoiding the undignified sprawl of men and chairs alike. She placed the sketches on top of his neat pile of undone paperwork and wrote a short note placing him in charge of making sure everyone on the team had them memorized. When she was done, she maneuvered herself out of the office and back into the hallway where Brosh was still waiting. Riza indicated that he should follow her and Hayate as she strode briskly towards the entrance of Central Headquarters.

"Sergeant Brosh, I'm glad you could make it. I'm sure the sketches you brought in will be extremely helpful to our investigation. For now, though, I need you to take me to the alley Edison Curtis was found in. We'll start our search there. We've been ordered to treat this as a Code Amber mission, so you will only report developments to myself or Colonel Mustang. Information is to be given out on a need-to-know basis. You are to limit your contact with all those not assigned to this mission. This includes Second Lieutenant Ross. Do you understand your orders?"

Brosh wilted, but saluted dutifully all the same.

"Yes, ma'am. If you'll follow me, I'll take you there immediately."

They set off in silence, Riza trying desperately to avoid the memories of just a few hours earlier while Brosh was busy lamenting his separation from Maria. What they lacked in conversation, they made up for in speed and efficiency. A scant 45 minutes later and the small group of investigators was observing the alley in front of them.

"This is it, Lieutenant Hawkeye. He was between those two dumpsters when Mrs. Curtis brought me to him."

She nodded and quickly scanned the snow-blanketed cul-de-sac.

"Alright. Let's see what we can find. Sergeant, you start looking through the garbage bins. In the meantime, Hayate and I will search the surrounding area. Let me know as soon as you find anything."

Riza took Brosh's expression of dejected resignation as confirmation of his agreement. She turned, marched out of the alley, and began her own search.

About an hour passed and the sky grew dark with snow-laden clouds. Riza sighed. They still hadn't found anything, but it looked like the blizzard wasn't going to wait much longer. She and Hayate had covered several of the surrounding alleys and one or two side streets, hoping to find a sign of struggle or another hint at the reason for Edward's disappearance. She whistled to the diligently searching puppy and stepped out of the alley onto the main street.

Hayate bounded past her, thoroughly enjoying his second outing of the day before stopping suddenly in the middle of the street. His ears swiveled and his nose twitched in curiosity before he yelped and bulldozed through a pile of snow in the middle of the road. Riza blinked in surprise before trotting over to him. Hayate abruptly stopped digging and sneezed, swaying slightly. His tail drooped and he let out a confused whine before falling over as he tried to back away from the strange, sweet smell. When she saw him sway, Riza picked up her pace and slipped on a patch of ice. She took advantage of her sudden slide and angled herself towards the pup, reaching him just in time to catch him as he fell backwards. She examined him quickly and, finding no trace of injury, shifted her gaze to the small hole before her.

She reached carefully into the recess, ready to jerk her arm out at the slightest indication of danger. Her fingers soon brushed stiff fabric. She grasped it with the tips of her fingers and drew it out. She eyed the cloth sharply as she held it as far away from herself as she could. It was white, wet, and half-frozen. A sickly sweet smell was wafting faintly from it. Perhaps Hayate had found something after all. She dropped the cloth on the ground and carefully scrubbed her hands clean in the snow. She pulled a pair of thick winter gloves out of her coat pocket and slipped them on before scooping Hayate up into a one-armed cradle. With her other arm, she picked the cloth up by its corner and held it straight out to the side.

She walked deliberately into the alley where she found Sergeant Brosh with half of his body buried inside a medium-sized dumpster. She was just in time to hear an exclamation of surprise. Still not aware of her presence, Brosh began squirming awkwardly out of the dumpster while calling loudly for her.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye! I think you should see this ma'am!"

He finally flung himself out of the trash bin and spun around, only to find her standing right behind him. He yelped and fell backwards, head hitting the container with a loud metallic clang.

"Find something, Sergeant?"

Brosh sat up, rubbing the back of his head with a grimace.

"Yes ma'am. Take a look. I'm pretty sure this counts as a development."

"I'd be happy to, but it seems my hands are full at the moment. Perhaps you could...?"

Brosh started again, finally noticing the groggy puppy and the damp cloth she was holding carefully away from them all.

"Ah! Of course. I'll just..."

He took both from her, and jerked his aching head over to the still-open dumpster.

"You should see what I'm talking about right away. I got most of the glass away from it, so I think you should be able to get to it with no problems."

Riza nodded and leaned into the trash bin. Her breath caught and her eyes closed tightly when she saw what Brosh was talking about. Surrounded by broken glass, a familiar pocket watch and a discolored overcoat rested in the bottom of the garbage receptacle. When she was sure she could control her reaction, she reopened her eyes and reached down to pick up Edward's possessions. She twisted around until her feet were touching snow again and pushed herself out of the dumpster, evidence in hand.

On closer examination, the pocket watch was still in pretty good condition. It was grungy from it's stay in a heap of trash and had a few new scratches, but it could easily be restored to its original condition. The jacket, on the other hand, really did belong in a garbage can. Its brilliant crimson red was marred with pale pink designs and the white fur trimming was matted with grime. It had acquired a sharp, chemical smell that, when added to the stench of garbage and occasional waft of cloying sweetness, created a perfectly nauseating bouquet. Riza grimaced and turned to face Brosh.

"Good work, Sergeant. I think we've found enough to request an official investigation. We need to contact the colonel as soon as possible. Is there a phone booth in this area?"

"Better than that, ma'am. My house is just a street or two away. We can use the phone there."

"Excellent. Lead the way Sergeant Brosh. And be careful of that rag. It's soaked in some kind of tranquilizer. It took Hayate out in a matter of seconds."

Brosh gulped and held the cloth as far away from himself as he could manage. They walked out of the alley together and hurried to the small house Brosh called home. Within minutes, they were standing outside his front door. Unknown to Riza, Brosh was finding himself in a very familiar situation: full arms, locked door, and keys beyond reach. All Riza knew was that he had turned very pale, very quickly. He seemed to struggle with something internally before turning around and facing her. He opened his mouth only to have what little blood he had left in his face drain away. He seemed to change his mind about whatever it was he was going to say and instead asked her to hold the chemical soaked fabric for a moment. She did so and wondered what he had really wanted to say. He retrieved a set of keys from his back pocket in short order, unlocking the door and pushing it open before taking the rag again and hurrying out of her way.

Riza stepped into a cozily furnished living room. The house was furnished in a whimsical manner and pictures were everywhere-especially pictures of Second Lieutenant Maria Ross. She shook her head in exasperation and placed her own burdens onto a strangely shaped end table. She asked Brosh where the phone was and set off to inform Roy of their findings. She dialed the office telephone and gave the operator her authorization code. It rang for a few moments before a young tenor picked up on the other side.

"Colonel Mustang's office, Master Sergeant Fuery speaking."

"Fuery, it's Hawkeye. I need to speak with the colonel right away."

"Ah, um, of course. Just a moment." There was a short pause and a few moments later the bass voice of her superior shivered its way into her ears.

"Hawkeye, report."

"Sir. We've found evidence to support our theory that Major Elric was kidnapped yesterday."