Two weeks passed before anything interesting happened to us. Even though we were nowhere near the front lines of battle, we were also on radio silence. I, along with a platoon of mostly men, patrolled a small village and the area around it on the edge of the fighting. It was every now and then that a skirmish broke out, normally at the southern ruins of the village, and it would be our job to end it.

Twice in those two weeks, there was fighting, and two weeks after my 'angel flight,' as everyone came to call it, a piece of the ruins fell, trapping a young girl. Her brother went running for us, and a passerby for the rebels. I went out with the others who went to help the boy. I remember running up with a rifle in my hands, like the twenty on-duty soldiers. Twenty off-duty soldiers jogged alongside us, most of them with hidden weapons. I could just make out a band of rebels running in much the same way, all of them visibly armed but not in the well-equipped style.

The one who was obviously the leader came forward and crossed his arms, I wasn't sure what to do. I was the highest ranked officer there, but Windchester was the most senior, just not there.

Next in line was Genz as a first lieutenant. He stepped forward, crossing his arms like the rebel leader. The boy whose sister was trapped looked, frightened, between the two large men. Lam moved over next to him, putting an arm on his shoulder.

Genz and the other man began to argue about who had the right to be there, and threatening to shoot each other. I felt anger willing up inside me. Without even thinking about it I stepped between the two.

"Lieutenant!" I shouted at Genz first, "My private comes to tell me there's a trapped villager and when I arrive you're arguing with a rebel! Get your team to digging that villager out!"

Genz's eyebrows shot up and he gave me a surprised look. I turned up the I'm-in-charge voice. "NOW LIEUTENANT!!!" I turned my back on the other soldiers to face down the other man, who was the same height as Genz. I put my hands on my hips and glared back at the men, "Why are you here?"

The rebel raised an eyebrow. "Why should I speak with a woman?"

I matched him eyebrow for eyebrow. "I'm a major, thank you very much." I let my eyes wander over the gathered rebels. Several of them had their weapons on their backs and shovels in their hands, "You're here to help the child, as well." It was more of a statement than a question.

The man glared at me. "So what if we are?"

I turned to the side looking to the rubble. "Then let's get to work. The longer that little girl is trapped, the less likely we are to find her alive."

I strolled into the ruins and began to help other people move a large piece of wall. The rebels were soon helping. After a half an hour, I looked up to see soldier and rebel working side-by-side, half of them without shirts on, and most throwing jokes or calling for help at each other.

Two hours passed with sixty people searching through the rubble, with no luck. I noticed this and walked out of the way and over to the young boy, who was chewing on his lower lip, and every now and then twitching his fingers over his thumb. I could tell by his wide eyes and his non-top shaking that he was very worried.

I knelt in front of him, a hand on his knee, and biting my own lower lip. After a minute I looked at him. "Listen, Klein, we're looking as hard and as fast as we can, but there's a lot of rubble over there," I said slowly. I bit my lip again, "I need you to remember anything you can. You and your sister were playing, right?" He nodded. "In the damaged house?"

"The elders told us not to. Lissia said she didn't want to," he replied shakily, "But I pushed. I insisted on exploring the ruins." His accent was lighter than that of the rebels, a sign of soldiers from the north influencing him.

"It's alright," I told him trying to sooth him. "We're not angry at you." I smiled. "And I understand how little boys love to explore dark, dangerous places." He looked up at me. "I need you to think about what happened. Where were you two playing? About where did you see you little sister last? Talk to me, Klein." I called him little once again in German.

He looked at me, dazed. "I found a gun shell in the corner near the door."

I gripped his hand and pulled him to his feet. "Show me where you saw her." I ordered. "Show me everything."

I lead him into the remains of the house from what we thought was the door. After that I let him go but stayed close. He walked around the areas he thought his sister had been in. He walked around the entire area we'd been working in. The other men took little notice of us.

The boy soon stopped, saying, "There was a wall here." I saw the large, once one piece of stone that could have been a wall. "She went around this corner." He did so, with me following. "A couple of seconds passed and then I heard something loud fall. I yelled and ran for the door. Then the roof fell in." He started his nervous twitch again.

I looked around. There was nothing special about this area, just more broken brick and stone, a few broken wood pillars scattered.. I desperately wished for X-ray vision. "Jacob!" I called for the lanky twenty-one-year-old. He wandered over. This week's funny shirt (Don't hate me because I've got better game, hate me because I've got better aim.) was tucked into his back pocket, and I could see his well-defined muscles and odd tan. I ordered him to take the boy, Abram (as I later learned) back to the clear area; I didn't want the boy to be anywhere near the shifting rubble.

After they'd both traveled at least twenty feet, I thought carefully about what I was going to do. If I moved the rubble very carefully I could shift it into a building and find the child. I called out to Genz and told him my plan. He nodded, agreeing with me and warning me to be careful.

Together the other soldiers practically dragged the rebels out of the rubble and I started transmuting the ruins back into actual walls. After I finished a small ten-foot area, I went further down the 'hall.'

It was after a second transmutation that I heard a small squeaking sound. I headed toward it, finding a small hole in the rubble, and called into it. "Lissia?" I said lowly, remembering her name. The squeaking noise came again, this time sounding like a small animal in a great amount of pain. I called for the other men. They came running. I was too afraid of what might be under the rubble to shift it quickly.

It took us half an hour to pull all the broken pieces of stone away but when we did, an eight year old girl was revealed. Both of her legs were broken and she had blood coming from her side. Lam lifted the girl's dress so we could see the wound. There was a small piece of wood sticking out of her side, and her breathing was quickly getting worse.I made an instant decision and looked up at Lam. "When I say, pull the stake out," I told her. She looked at me, wide-eyed, and I heard several men call out. One of them even stepped forward to do something to me, but Genz blocked his path.

I looked straight at Lam. "I want to help her, but I can't if the stake is in her stomach. Do as I say." Lam nodded; I could see her shaking.

She gripped the stake and gently I took the girl's ankles in hand. I took several deep breaths in preparation.

"Pull!" I yelled, surprising Lam so much she pulled the stake out in one smooth move. At the same time I pulled the girl's leg bones back into place. After clapping my hands together, I quickly pressed them to the girl's chest, where her heart was, then her legs, well above the breaks.

There was a bright flash of light from her stomach as the wound healed and her legs were knitted back together. I head the 'oohs' and 'ahhs' and even a few gasps, but I hadn't made any attempt at hiding my pocket watch, so I paid them no mind.

I was overtaken with the image of entering the child's body. I moved through her, stopping to watch the wound in her stomach close, then moving on to her legs and seeing the bones knit back together.

Suddenly I was thrown out of her body and back into my own. I felt lightheaded. The world spun, and for several moments I couldn't see straight. I had enough forethought to move my hands off the girl before I leaned on them. When my vision cleared I found myself looking down at the girl.

Her head shifted, and her eyes fluttered. Then they opened, looking up at me like she was in a fog.

I smiled. "Hi, sweetheart… Welcome back, how do you feel?"

She blinked slowly, in that way only children ever do, and sat up, rubbing one of her eyes. She yawned, then looked at me. "Where's Bubba?" she asked tiredly.

I laughed quietly. "He's waiting for you. Do you know what happened?"

She shook her head.

I smiled softly and replied, "There was an accident. The house the two of you were in fell. Your brother is fine, but you got trapped."

She looked around, seeming confused. "But then, how . . ."

"All of these men helped dig you out." I gestured around. "And I used a little magic to help out, too."

She looked up at me in awe."You have magic?"

"Only enough to help those who need me." I couldn't help smiling more.

Her eyes widened. "Wow! Can you make things float and stuff like that?"

"No." I barely kept myself from laughing, "I can only use the powers God gave me, and only to help those who are innocent."

"Are you an angel?" she asked.

I hesitated on that one. "I . . . I don't know," I told her. "An angel is God's messenger. I don't think God talks directly to me, but my name is Angel." I didn't add the "Alchemist" part of the title. I tried to explain alchemy in a way that if she ever saw me use it she wouldn't be afraid, but somehow I felt I was explaining it to the others gathered. Quickly, before she could ask me anymore questions, I changed the subject. "Come on, sweetheart, I'm sure your big brother is worried about you."

I put my feet under me and lifted her so that she was sitting on my hip. Her hands wrapped around my neck as I carried her out of the rubble of the house. I set her down next to her brother, and knelt in front of both of them.

"The two of you have to promise me something," I began. They both looked up, Abram with his arms wrapped around his little sister, and Lissia still staring at me. "You must promise me," I continued, "that neither of you will ever go into an abandoned building like that ever again. Do you understand me?" I looked from sibling to sibling. They said nothing. "I need you to tell me you understand."

The boy nodded. "I understand, Major."

The girl looked from her brother to me, and then nodded too. "Yes, Angel."

I smiled, "Good." I stood to walk back to the crowd that had gathered at the edge of the rubble. I needed to thank the rebels and take the soldiers back to the encampment without a fight breaking out.

"Angel?" the little girl called. I turned to look at her and smiled, waiting for her to ask that one last question. "If you're an angel, where are your wings?"

My smile faded and then I let it pass over my face again. "I hide them, for only those pure of need require them, but when the call arises I will fly into the heavens and bid my magic for the safety of the earth's people." I said this not for the children, but for the men that had gathered. I had chosen my words carefully, I had claimed no alliance to any specific country, but to all the people, even my current enemies.

I looked up at the rebel leader. The soldiers and rebels had already separated, soldiers standing behind me, rebels behind him. He crossed his arms again. "You're an alchemist?" He asked.

I smiled. "Yes, but I'm a woman and a doctor first." It was a lie; I wasn't a doctor, but I had just acted in that capacity, so it didn't really matter. I found myself wanting to tell him I was only an alchemist because I got blackmailed by a pigheaded, son-of-a-bitch Colonel with a superiority problem, but I knew better. Instead, I held out a hand. "Thank you for letting us help find the girl."

The rebel leader looked at me like I'd lost my mind, but after a minute he dropped his hands and took mine in one of his. I managed to keep my smile up. "I think it would be best if you took both children home," I said, "and told their parents that they need to be given something that has a lot of protein and vitamins in it, and then they need to be put to bed."

The man's face fell, and he let go of my hand, "Those two don't have parents. The father was killed seven years ago, and the mother passed away not long ago. I think the girl was four or five."

I looked over at the two children. The girl was maybe six, the boy easily nine. I turned back to the rebel leader. "Then who takes care of them?"

The man shrugged. "The elders, most likely."

"Then tell them," I said, looking him straight in the eye. "And if they can't get enough food or the right stuff have them come up to the encampment. Tell someone that Major Dalka Hesperus sent them, and one of the men will bring enough food for four hungry teenagers. It might not be very appealing, but it's healthy, and nutritious, sooo . . ." I shrugged. "I'd rather they think something looks nasty than go hungry." I bowed to him. "Please take care of them."

I stood straight and turned to walk away but the man stopped me. He sounded like he didn't want to say what he was about to.

"We owe you, alchemist," he sighed. "I thought you were all pigheaded bastards, but it appears that at least one of you knows where to draw the line. If you hadn't stepped in, my men probably would have been killed, and then the child would never have been saved." I turned to look at him over my shoulder. "If there's anything we can do for you, just say the word." By now, the man was blushing.

I turned facing him fully now and crossed the space between us. I reached up on my tiptoes and pulled him down by his shirt until I could whisper in his ear, "Help me end this pointless blood bath and I will be forever grateful."

I pulled back quickly and turned on my heel to stride away, the soldiers following suit. I did not see the surprised look on the rebel leader's face nor did I hear the whispers about the leader getting some.

All right all This is the prelim chappy to make sure everything is up and running, please review if you can see and have read this!