I wrote this chapter in two days…pretty impressive, hope the quality's the same. Oh, who cares? Time for Chapter 18!

Chapter 18

A clock chimed throughout the sitting room, emitting a booming, almost ominous sound, indicative of the dangerous situation Ed now found himself in. A quick flick of his eyes to the enormous grandfather clock told him it was just after two o'clock in the morning. He gave a near inaudible grunt to convey his displeasure with how slow time seemed to be moving. After all, it had only been roughly an hour ago that he had regained consciousness, and remembered the events that had transpired here at the manor.

Ed scowled, his gaze moving off the clock and onto the teenaged boy in front of him. Selim Bradley lazily stared at him over the top of the magazine he wasn't even reading. The older man rubbed his chest in displeasure. It had not been comfortable to be tasered like that and then dragged in like a sack of potatoes; those security guard had not been kind. Either way, Ed wasn't exactly sure what he was still doing on the Bradley Estate. Surely, they would have called the cops by now. The fact that he'd been here for hours and no members of law enforcement had arrived was disconcerting, to say the least.

Trying to distract his mind from those unpleasant thoughts, Ed took to surveying the room with interest. It was most certainly well-decorated, although judging by the memorabilia adorning the walls, it had more of the commissioner's touch than that of his wife. For spread all across the room were numerous pieces of war artifacts, no doubt having been from the Amestrian Civil War era. There were racks of old pistols (Ed hoped they were unloaded); a rusted bayonet hanging over the door; an oil painting of a major battle; an old and frayed flag of the Amestrian military; and a sword sitting in a glass case, propped in a stand, polished and sharp as though it was used recently.

"Your father's a civil war buff, huh?" croaked Ed, though it elicited no response from Selim. Ed folded his arms and went back to staring at the boy. Nary a word had passed between them since he awoke, other than the younger Bradley telling him to stay there and shut up. He figured it was wise to do so…he didn't exactly want another taser to the chest. A movement on the other couch showed Selim putting down his magazine and staring back at Ed. "So, why'd you do it?"

"What're you talking about?" Selim said forcefully. Ed didn't flinch.

"Homunculus Corp," he stated calmly. "Why would you, as a teenager, get yourself involved with them?"

"Shouldn't a son be loyal to his father?" It was like he was making an observation that was elementary to all but the brain-dead.

"We're not puppets who do blindly what our fathers ask. You still have to think for yourself." For a moment, Selim said nothing, only continuing to stare at Ed.

"I forget that you have a father in high places, too," he eventually remarked and Ed couldn't suppress his snort.

"Yeah, and I'd no sooner follow him or my brother into academia than I would cut off my right arm."

"I can't help it if you choose to not be loyal to your father."

"Your father's a murderer!" Ed snapped loudly and Selim surveyed him with mild curiosity.

"From a certain point of view," he retorted coldly. "I look at my father as a noble man who isn't afraid to get his hands dirty to see a job done. The good he's done for this country far exceeds whatever crimes he may have committed."

"So you just hand wave your father's crimes because you want to believe the best of him?" Selim shrugged his shoulders as if he couldn't care what Ed thought of him. "You're twisted, Selim. Condoning murder because the scales are balanced…I though you wanted to be a policeman."

"Oh, I do," Selim confessed gleefully, "just probably not for the reasons you had believed."

"I don't know…you seem like a pretty loyal lapdog to your father."

"What? You think my actions are motivated solely by loyalty?" Selim chuckled and Ed felt himself getting uncomfortable again. "I'm in it for the money, too."

"That makes it so much better," Ed deadpanned.

"Isn't that all anyone wants: to make sure their future is secure? I've grown use to living the high life, and if I continue my father's legacy I can do that, even if I have to smash a few heads along the way. You and Roy Mustang just keep getting in the way."

"Then why haven't you killed me yet? You certainly tried to earlier."

"A momentary lapse in judgment, nothing more," Selim conceded. "You got me angry, so I shot at you. I realize that had I killed you, too many questions would be asked. No doubt my father will say the same." Ed jolted. That was the reason he was being kept here. Commissioner Bradley was going to have a chat with him, and judging by the way Selim looked at his watch and stood up, it was going to be soon.

Selim strode to the door leading from the room and exited, leaving Ed alone with his rather unpleasant thoughts. The only reason he was still alive was because the murder of a forensics specialist on the commissioner's residence would raise more than a few red flags. The only reason he hadn't been handed over to the cops was because Bradley wouldn't want any one to take a closer look at why he had broken in. And the only reason he was still here was because the commissioner would want to know why. This was not good.

"My father's home," Selim stated with no emotion. Ed hadn't even noticed the little bastard come back into the room. He sat back down and the two waited until they heard footsteps. Moments later the door opened and a gasp was heard.

"Selim, honey, why didn't you tell me you were inviting friends over?" Mrs. Bradley said kindly and Ed refrained from making any comment.

"I'm sorry mother, I know I should have told you," Selim said innocently.

"Oh, it's all right, dear," the commissioner said as he strode into the room. "Selim has to act like a teenager now and again. I'll sort him out tomorrow. Why don't the both of you go up to bed? I'll join you in a moment."

Mrs. Bradley looked torn but eventually beckoned Selim forward and the two left the room. Even when they had moved out of earshot, neither of the remaining occupants of the room said anything. Bradley strode across the room to his encased sword and ran his hands along the glass casing. Ed didn't dare to say anything, his heart pounding fiercely in his chest. At long last, Bradley moved to the side of the glass and turned to face him. "Well, we have quite the situation here, don't we, Fullmetal?"

"Sir…" Ed acknowledged morosely.

"You see, I was told by Detective Mustang that you were home with your pregnant wife, yet I find you here. Oh, congratulations by the way," he added as an afterthought. His sentence hung in midair a moment. "Truthfully, we both know that Mustang lied to protect the fact that you were breaking into my estate. A fruitless effort, really. I highly doubt you'd find any evidence of my illicit activities here."

"You don't deny it?" Ed was confused. Up to this point, Bradley had been resolutely refusing to admit he was, in any way, involved with Homunculus Corp. Now he was offering it up like a person would their name.

"Why should I? You're not going to breathe a word to anybody. After all, I hold your job and your life in my hand," Bradley threatened. "Although, I do have to give my admiration for your plan. You and Mustang really threw it together in quite a short time, I was almost thrown off."

"So Mustang's dead, then?" He couldn't keep the note of fear out of his voice. Bradley chuckled in amusement.

"No idea, though I'd certainly hope not," he admitted, bending down to unlock the glass before him. "That was a call that Selim made. He's a good boy but he's still learning. I wouldn't want Roy Mustang dead any more than I would my wife. Even though I know that the two of you will hunt me to the ends of the earth, the both of you are a credit to the department. It'd be a shame to kill you when I didn't have to."

"You're letting me go?" Ed asked skeptically as Bradley reached into the case and pulled out the sword.

"Of course, I'm letting you go. You're not worth the paperwork and problems if I don't let you go." Ed considered his statement a moment as the commissioner walked around Ed and pulled something out with a clatter. "I'll let you leave in the morning; my driver will drop you at the police station.'

"Why don't I believe you?"

"Why wouldn't you believe me? To any one else, you're just a guest in my house, admiring my extensive collection." Bradley was now in Ed's view again. Ed watched him precariously as he tossed an apple into the air, and faster than Ed could blink, split the apple in two with the sword. Only a second later he had caught both halves and began eating one. He caught Ed's eye and sat prominently on the couch. "That sword was a gift from my grandfather. He was the one who got me into swordplay, fencing and all that. I train with it every day, but I keep it in a glass case for security reasons.

"Now, Fullmetal," he said, leaning forward, his tone steely, "I am letting you go, but not without warning. If you attempt anything like this stunt again; if I get even a whiff that you're going to take your knowledge of my acts to anyone other than your alliance with Mustang, then I will send my best man inside the East PD and Homunculus Corp to first track you down and kill you, and then your loved ones. Understand?"

All Ed could do was nod in the face of the threat. The threat was so overwhelming that the only thing Ed could do was stare, unseeing and unhearing as Bradley told him the details of his departure, locking the frightening sword away as he did so. Soon after, Bradley retired and Ed's mind began shutting down. It wasn't until he was being shaken awake by the Bradleys' driver that he even regained notice of his surroundings. Even then, in his waking moments, he was still trying to push his mind past the commissioner's threat. By the time he had moved past it, the driver was pulling up in front of the East City Police Station. Ed only thought to thank him and get out, only to run straight into Detective Breda.

"There you are, big guy!" he called cheerfully, though Ed could hear the tinge of exasperation. "The boss was worried about you."

"Yeah, well, I've been worried myself. So Mustang's okay?" Ed asked the older man. Breda snorted before giving his answer.

"Oh, yeah, he's fine," Breda spat out. "Feury got a message to us right on time."

"Then what happened?" Ed was now following Breda back down the station steps he had just ascended. "Is Feury okay?"

"Yeah, he's working on tracking down Lust right now." Lust? Hadn't that been the woman that Selim had ordered to kill Mustang? What exactly had happened last night since he was held captive at the Bradleys'? "I guess you want to know what happened."

"Would be helpful," Ed suggested as Breda strode over to his car.

"Get in, I'll explain on the way," he instructed. Ed didn't even bother asking where they were going. "Okay, so Mustang and Hawkeye leave the party to make sure Lust springs our trap; don't look at me that way. The plan works like a charm, only problem is, Lust turns out to be Havoc's girlfriend Solaris. Wouldn't have been a problem until Havoc got shot."

"He got shot? !" Ed yelled out in surprise. Breda frowned at him but continued on with his story.

"Yeah, he got shot in the leg. So, the boss and Havoc make a run for it, corner Lust and pin her down. That would have been the end of it, but Havoc was distracted and Mustang with him. The cocky bitch took her chance and fled. We've been on cleanup ever since."

"That's why Feury's tracking her down then?"

"Pretty much," Breda sighed out. "We've been running everything. Traffic cams, cell phones traces, facial recognition, but nothing's popped yet. Who knows what she's up to…we're on pretty high alert right now."

"What about Detective Havoc?" Ed asked concernedly.

"We had to take him to the hospital," the detective explained. "Sure, it was only the leg but he still needed medical attention, so the boss went with him. That's where we're headed now."

"So he'll be okay?"

"Sure. Doctor says he'll have to wait a day or two before he's discharged, but he'll be fine. Meanwhile, we've got Hawkeye sitting on the East Grand Hotel. Captain Raven's staying there and since Mustang is pretty sure he's our dirty cop, we want eyes on him in case Lust tries to contact him."

"Sounds like you guys had an eventful night," Ed commented.

"Yeah, what about yourself? We heard you got captured."

"I did, but considering I couldn't find anything in the first place, it's no surprise they let me go." Breda said nothing as he parked in the visitor's lot of the East General Hospital and the two got out. Ed kept close to him as they strode into the hospital. Breda struck a cool and imposing figure with his long coat flapping around him, his hands shoved in its pockets. The rows of other visitors parted before him as he made his way to the front desk and signed them both in.

Ed continued to follow him, glancing around at the hospital. He was used to the general sight of things around a hospital, having spent practically every other weekend visiting Winry's parents in Ishval. He still wasn't used to the smell, though. More than anything though, he hated the whiteness of hospitals: it seemed too clean to him, especially when all he could think of was how Ishval must have looked after the explosion. Breda turned the both of them around a corner and muffled voices reached their ears. As they approached a nearby door, the voices elucidated themselves.

"…have time!" yelled one of the voices that sounded quite like Havoc's.

"So what do you want me to do? Abandon you?" That was most definitely Mustang's.

"If that's what it takes, then yes!" Havoc screamed as Breda pushed open the door. Neither of the two occupants in the room seemed to have noticed them. "You don't have time to waste protecting me. You let this chance slip away, and you'll never get another chance!"

"Havoc…" Mustang growled, a warning in his voice.

"No! Track down that bitch and get everything you need. I can take care of myself, but you need to catch Hughes' killer and put him behind bars!"

Mustang considered him a moment before finally giving in with an, "All right, but you better not drag too far behind."

"I won't," Havoc stated defiantly. Mustang frowned at him before finally noticing Ed in the room.

"Fullmetal, you're all right!"

"Looks that way," Ed breathed before looking at Havoc. "Sorry to hear about your leg, detective."

"It's all right," Havoc said. "It was bound to happen sooner or later. I have the absolute worst luck with women."

"We all tried to tell you she was bad news, Hav," Breda said crossly. Havoc scoffed in response.

"Yeah, I'll make sure to listen next time," he accepted.

"It wasn't like you guys had anything beyond a physical connection, right?"

"Hello! Cold bitch she might be, but did you see the boobs on her?"

"They were only all too noticeable," Mustang remarked irritably. "You know, Rebecca, we're not stopping you from coming inside." Havoc seemed to perk up at the mention of Rebecca's name and Ed turned to look at the door to see a black haired woman enter with a scowl.

"I figured that I'd wait until your discussion about female anatomy was finished," Rebecca snarled and Ed was kind of glad to see that the older men had the decency to look ashamed. "Riza called me to tell me that you were injured, so I came to bring a get well present."

It was all too ironic that the get-well present was a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. Havoc didn't seem to notice the irony, only exclaiming, "Thanks, Rebecca, you're the best! I think I might love you!"

"Uh-huh," Rebecca ejaculated with a blush, "I figured you needed a pick-me-up after I heard you dropped the skank."

"You were right…" Havoc mumbled distractedly as he kissed the cigarette box. Rebecca's blush reddened into cheeks of anger and Ed knew only all too well the signs of a woman who was about to burst. He wanted to get out of there, but before he could, Rebecca had stomped over to Havoc's bedside and promptly slapped him across the face. "Ow! What the hell was that for, Becca? !"

"You are such an idiot, Jean Havoc!" she screeched as she slapped him again, this time on his shoulder. "You're an oblivious, chain-smoking, womanizing, idiotic asshole!"

"Wh-wha…?" Havoc seemed at a complete loss for words, though both Mustang and Breda were surveying the scene with much humor. Rebecca slapped him again…and then she kissed him. Havoc was dumbstruck…so was everyone else in the room. Rebecca pulled back, her cheeks even more flushed, but stood there defiantly. The cigarettes were all but forgotten now. "What was that about?"

"I have been trying to catch your eye for over a year, but you've been so concerned with Big-Breasted Babes A, B, and C that you just pass completely over me." Havoc wasn't quite sure how to respond to this. "Why the hell do you think I've been trying to get the anti-fraternization rule changed?"

"I-I…" he stammered in response. Rebecca squared herself before finally stating:

"Jean Havoc, I like you and I'm willing to go out with you if you'd just notice me. So pull your head out from under your ass and do so!" Havoc gazed at her open-mouthed. "But not until I've gotten that rule repealed."

"They'll work it out…" Mustang whispered to Ed after a few more quiet moments. Then the noise of a vibrating phone came from his pocket. "Excuse me a moment." Mustang moved towards the door as if to leave the room. "Uh-huh, yeah…he's right here, actually."

Ed's ears perked up. Something in the tone of Mustang's voice told him that the head detective was referring to himself. Something else told him that the person on the other end of the line likely wouldn't be too happy with him. "Hey, Fullmetal, call's for you." Ed took the phone with much reluctance.

"H-hello," he said tentatively, and sure enough, Winry's screeches came from the other end.

"You moron! I have been trying to reach you all night and morning! I only just realized that you left your cell phone here," she yelled at him. Despite the fact that she was likely miles away in Resembool, Ed still cringed as her hostile words assailed him. He had consciously left his cell phone at home, just in case things didn't go according to plan. In hindsight, he was both glad and mad that he did.

"Okay, I'm sorry…but why would you call Mustang, then?" Ed inquired and Winry sighed over the phone.

"Maybe it's because you've been spending more time with him than with me. I thought you were on suspension."

"I am…it's just other business." Winry didn't respond to this. "Look, I'm done with that so I'll be home soon, then we can spend the rest of the day together, okay?"

"You'll do no such thing!" she snapped. Now Ed was really confused. First she wanted him to come home, now she wanted him to stay away? "Look, there's another reason I called Detective Mustang, but then you were here and I got caught up in that and seeing if you were okay…"

Ed wanted to argue that she did more yelling than seeing if he was okay, but decided it was more important for her to get to the point. "Winry, what are you talking about? Is there a problem?"

"Yes!" she cried exasperatedly. "Ed, Al's gone."

"He's probably just out with Mei for the day," Ed assured her.

"No, Ed, that's the thing," Winry relayed to him, "Al told me that Mei was in the city with Lan Fan today, so he was just going to stay home. I went out shopping for food this morning and when I came back, Al was gone!"

"Y-you're sure he didn't just go out?" Ed's stomach was starting to sink as reality hit him.

"His car is still here. The door lock looked busted and the living room is trashed." Ed was starting to go numb now. Not Al…not his little brother. Why would he be kidnapped? Al had been out of the country for two years, so no case he had worked would have bit back on his brother. Furthermore, he was barely even involved with this case. Sure, Al had helped to draw some conclusions, but other than that…no…Ed was too close to the case. Al was a hostage, meant to make him behave. It was the only thing that made sense, but he had to confirm it.

"Winry, was there a note? Ransom or otherwise?" Winry stopped her babbling on the other end to answer him.

"Yes…" she replied meekly. "It says, 'You've all gotten out of hand, so I'm taking Fullmetal's brother hostage. If Roy Mustang and his other detective friends don't let me finish my job, I'll kill him'…" Ed could barely breathe now. He hardly remembered thanking Winry and ending the call abruptly. His vision was starting to blur until he looked into Mustang's inquiring eyes and his brain suddenly became very focused.

"Al's been kidnapped by Lust," he said and the look in Mustang's eyes changed. It became fierce and determined.

"Time to go, Breda," Mustang snapped, and without a single word to the room's other inhabitants, the three of them left. Mustang was now the one cutting a path through the visitors and patients. "You're sure it was Lust, Fullmetal?"

"The note Winry mentioned didn't exactly name names, but she wanted to 'finish her job' on you and the others, so that obviously means she wants to kill you. It's the only thing that makes sense!"

"Right," Mustang agreed, "Breda, call Feury and tell him we're on our way to the station now. And tell him that he better have results by the time we get there or there'll be hell to pay! You ride with me, Fullmetal." Ed didn't seek to argue that point…but he certainly sought to argue once they were on their way.

"This is your fault, Mustang!" he berated the head detective. "You had Lust pinned but you just had to let her escape. Now, she's taken my brother hostage in exchange for you!"

"I did the best I could!" Mustang roared in defense. "I had an injured detective and I needed information. I didn't exactly think she was a threat, but I underestimated her."

"Now Al's paying the price…"

"I seriously doubt you'd have done anything different under the circumstances." Ed was far too incensed too make a level-headed response, so he simply opted to keep his mouth shut. However, as soon as Mustang parked the car at the station, he sprung out and bounded up the steps two at a time, the head detective nipping at his heels. Breda had arrived there in front of them.

"We got a lead, boss!" Breda called to him.

"You've found Lust, then?" Mustang said loudly and Feury swiveled around to face them. He gave a small nod to Ed to show that the young detective was glad he was safe; a nod which Ed returned. Then he began to talk.

"I was having trouble locating her until Detective Breda called," Feury confessed. "Once he told me that Alphonse was taken hostage I started tracking his cellphone. Your brother's pretty smart, Ed, he must've hidden his phone so she wouldn't find it."

"So you found him through his phone?" Ed asked, more than eager to find his brother.

"Well, after a minute or two, the signal cut off so I figured that they entered a parking garage. I started scanning security cameras and found this." He clicked his mouse and a piece of footage popped up depicting a practically murderous Lust dragging a hooded Al through the parking garage. Ed looked to Mustang in triumph, but the man's attention was divided: he had received another phone call. "That was underneath an apartment at 3rd and Elton about three minutes ago."

"3rd and Elton?" Mustang questioned, his previous conversation having finished. "That's Charlene McDougal's old place…it's been abandoned since her death. Never thought she'd use such an old location. Breda, I want you to take Feury and Fullmetal there and take her out."

"What about you, sir?" Breda questioned and Mustang held up his phone.

"Hawkeye called. Something happened and I need to find out what."

"With all respect, sir, I don't think three people will be enough, especially when one is completely untrained." Mustang contemplated this a moment before yelling across his desk.

"Hey, Vorac!" The head detective's fat and stubby partner looked up from his plate of donuts and seemed to notice the man calling him, for he waddled over moments later. "I need you to go with Breda and the others here."

"Why?" he asked, making Ed rather irritated. His brother's life was at stake and the man had the gall to ask why?

"Havoc's out of commission and we need a fourth man to take Lust down," he explained before turning back to the group at large. "Remember, Lust is considered armed and dangerous and must be taken with extreme caution. Your first priority is to make sure that Alphonse Elric is safe, however. Call me when it's done."

Mustang left as quickly as they had come. Breda then quickly addressed the group, "All right, Vorac rides with me; Fullmetal with Feury. We take assault rifles and go in from the front. Stay vigilant and we'll be fine."

Ed wasn't exactly sure if he'd agree that it'd be that easy, but that may have just been his pounding heart talking. As one mobile unit, the four exited the police station and made their way to the cars. Feury didn't bother to say anything to Ed as they started the car, and the forensics specialist preferred it that way. The car pealed out of the parking lot and shot after Breda's as they followed him through the streets of East City. The drive was probably a good fifteen minutes, but it had felt like seconds to Ed…things were moving all too quickly. Only too soon were they stopped and Breda was pulling assault rifles and handing them to the other detectives. He made silent motions and the three followed him.

It was a slow and steady process, much to Ed's displeasure. Who knew when Lust could decide they weren't going to comply and choose to kill Al? They rushed up the stairs and Ed could find his head barely remembering the events of the last half hour, it was all such a blur. At long last they reached a door on the third floor, Vorac lumbering behind them, and paused outside of it. "All right," Breda instructed, "we breach in 3…2…"

An audible click sounded and Ed found the end of an assault rifle jammed to his head. His eyes looked warily to the side to see Vorac on the other end of the assault rifle. Breda and Feury turned slowly but Vorac glared at them, his hungry eyes glimmering in the dimly lit hallway. "Guns down! Now!" With great reluctance, they dropped their weapons.

"What're you doing detective?" Breda questioned with a scowl. Vorac didn't answer, keeping his gun held level at Ed's brain.

"Against the wall! All of you!" Vorac commanded and all of them had no choice but to obey. Ed's head was swimming. They were so close…why was this detective interfering? He could have sworn that Breda said Raven was the dirty cop, not Vorac. "I won't let you hurt Lust!"

"So you're going to kill us in an occupied building?" Breda asked scornfully.

"If it will save Lust's life, then yes." Ed could hear the tone of sick affection for the woman in the fat man's voice. "I don't know how you found out about her, but I won't let you hurt her."

"If only Havoc weren't injured, we wouldn't have had a problem," Feury said dejectedly. Ed had one moment where he realized something was off about the way Feury said Havoc's name. The next moment, the door had burst open, providing all the distraction that Ed needed. He whipped around and punched Vorac in the jaw as Breda snapped into action, grabbing the gun and pointing it at the man. Vorac seemed to be in tears, trying to regain his bearings.

"Don't move, Gluttony," said a familiar voice and Ed looked to see…

"Detective Havoc? ! I thought you were in the hospital!" He noticed that the man seemed to be standing perfectly fine. "I thought your leg was shot."

"It was just a graze…we just played it up for your sake," Havoc told him, pointing a gun at the back of Vorac, or rather, Gluttony's head. Gluttony seemed to be recovering.

"Where's Lust? !" he wailed and Ed was reminded of a rather large toddler. "What have you done to her? Lust! Lust!"

"Lust isn't here," Havoc spat vindictively, "so shut up, fatso!" Clearly not wanting to hear the man's high-pitched cries for Lust, he smacked him on the back of his head with gun. Gluttony was out in a second. "Your brother's perfectly safe, too."

"I…I don't understand," Ed breathed. Feury was the one who answered.

"Lust is in our custody," he explained. "She gave us some information that Head Detective Mustang decided to act on immediately."

"In particular," Breda continued, "she told us that the one person Mr. Vorac here, or Gluttony, would risk his position to protect would be Lust herself. We had to lure him into a situation where Lust's life was in danger. The only way he could believe that to be the case would be if you truly believed that Lust had taken your brother.

"But the security video," Ed challenged and Havoc chuckled.

"Hawkeye's parking garage," he explained. "Sorry for keeping you in the dark, kid, but the plan ended up working like a charm."

"But…but why? And where's Mustang?"

"To answer both questions: to catch the real corrupt cop, Captain Raven," Breda answered, taking out his phone and pressing a number on speed dial. "Boss, we got him. Are you in position?"

Ed's head was still reeling from the revelation that this had all been a setup, but at the same time he was relieved. All the things that had seemed mildly strange to Ed: him being part of the raid, such a small group…it all made sense. He barely even heard Detective Breda until the older man bent down and grabbed a phone from Gluttony's pocket. He called a number from it and waited. After a moment, he quickly said, "We have both Lust and Gluttony. If you don't meet Roy Mustang at the Xenotime Mall in twenty minutes we will book them on attempted murder of a police officer." There was a small silence on their end before Breda lowered the phone and put the one connected to Mustang back on.

"He said, 'I guess it's time for me to do some cleaning up then'," Breda told the head detective on the other end. A moment passed. A simple beat. Then Breda turned to the other three with a horrified expression. "The line went dead."

Author's Note: It's only been a month. I've been sitting on this chapter for a while (it was written three weeks ago) but am just now posting it. Either way, the plot is propelling forward and next chapter you'll see just what led up to this, from the other point of view. Anyway, I'm exceedingly grateful for all my reviews next chapter, although I'd like to note something: I can take criticism well, even if it's about spelling errors that I miss in my editing process, but at least take the time to mention something else at well, otherwise I feel like you just want to attack some of my few mistakes. In any case, look forward to the next chapter soon, review, and Dare to Be Silly.