Chapter 16: Under The Stars
"How did you not check and see if an intelligence officer was going to be my next door neighbor?"
Twilight was usually much better about this sort of thing. He rarely got angry about an assignment, a task, or a situation he had been placed under. That he was expressing his frustration this openly spoke to the issue of what he was facing. Sylvia Sherwood, sat there and accepted the criticism, if for no other reason than she wasn't actually sure if it was wrong of her to receive it. The instant the driver had informed her exactly what Lloyd had discovered about the house when he'd moved in, she knew she had possibly set Lloyd up for a possible discovery.
'It just had to be Maes Hughes,' she thought to herself. The man was the greatest menace to WISE faced in all of Amestris, a undeniably brilliant mind that had spent the past five years being nothing but a thorn in her side. Or rather, a whole thicket of thorns.
Sylvia had arrived seven years ago, and had been running one of the most successful departments in all of the Crestan military. They had been disrupting supply chains, sabotaging military equipment, and discovering military operations along the Crestan border for half a decade before she had arrived, only only increased there success rate after she had. They had been so successful, that the Long War, the name in Cresta that had been given to the conflict with Amestris that had been happening for going on four decades, actually reached a lull where the active fighting had been reduced to a few scattered skirmishes. Of course, just of much of that could have been that Amestris had been focused Ishval, but the disruptions certainly made life harder for the Amestrian military.
'If only we had started a bit earlier,' she saw a young girl running towards her father, a small little apartment neatly put together, over her minds eye, 'Wellebly had been a good place, once.'
And yet, now WISE was by almost every measure crippled. It had started four years ago, right after the completion of the Ishvalan War. A young major arrived from the East, and was given a position in the Intelligence Department. Well connected with General Basque Grand, the head of the Alchemy Department in Amestris after his victories in the East, that young major had been assigned to bust up what had been a supposed gambling ring. Instead of simply arresting the saloon owner and accepting it on face value, Major Hughes had dug deeper, and discovered that it was instead a cover for information peddling for WISE, a secret location to exchange tips and equipment. Hughes then used the saloon as a sting operation, and captured a half dozen spies.
Not only did this massively disrupt WISE's operations, but the public reveal of Crestan duplicity reignited the conflict in the West, and began another hot period of the conflict, with several thousand Crestan and Amestrian soldiers having died over the past four years in moderately sized campaigns fighting over towns like Soporor. The captured spies had then been locked away in prison, and were never seen again. Sylvia didn't want to imagine what tortures they had been put through.
The bust had been enough to send Hughes Reputation through the roof, and the man had been given a promotion, and had spent the next four years sniffing out everything WISE had been doing in Central. His work had lead to the capture or killing of a dozen other agents, and left Sylvia frazzled from her collapsing ability to maintain operations in Amestris's capital. Even worse than that, she was sure that not only did he know she was in fact in charge of WISE, he knew she knew. And he thought so little of her that he let her stay free, all the while taking out her agents.
"We needed to get you into a position that would makes sense for your cover story," she stated flatly, trying to remember she was in a conversation with the best of her agents, "As a doctor, there is not better place in the city for you to walk to work from. It is also in a good enough neighborhood that no one will suspect you are inherently doing anything shady, like if we used a home further out."
"I don't disagree with that," Twilight, wearing a brown wig and a fake mustache, alongside stilt shoes and a fake jowl and gut, growled, "I just thing that maybe there could have been a warning about that little fact at least," That he had been able to pull off this disguise with little to no time since arriving very publicly with his family. Honestly, no one would have imagined that he was the same man as Lloyd Forger.
Of course, no one could have imagined the old Caroline Stenten was Sylvia Sherwood either. To finally get out of the embassy without giving up any kind of suspicion, they had actually brought an older lady from Cresta who was the same height as Sylvia, and then used enough make up to disguise Sylvia herself. Twilight had said that Hughes had been loudly welcoming his family home when he had left as Lloyd Forger, but they couldn't be too careful.
"I'm sorry," she rubbed the bridge of her nose, making sure to avoid damaging the fake wrinkles up her face, "Though I will say, that he recognized you has more to do with your own sloppiness than mine," she looked at him, and he at least lacked the temerity to continue pushing, and then she added, "Really, you should have realized that admitting you saw Tucker's files would give you away."
"...I was in a bad mental state," Twilight admitted, fidgeting his hand a bit. Sylvia could almost here a little girl's giggle in the back of her mind, and nodded in return. For a moment, they sat there, before she sighed in frustration.
"Agent Twilight," she had to be firm here. He was her favorite student, and that he was in this state meant that things were really starting to get out of hand, "You need to focus. Operation STRIX is the most important mission in all of WISE at the moment," she could tell he was taking in her words as best he could, "IF there is going to be another major offensive towards Cresta, we need to know. We can't take another surprise attack like at Wellebly or Pendelton. Another offensive like one of those might mean the whole of Cresta is wiped from the map."
"I know," Twilight nodded. Of course he knew, everyone from Cresta knew just how much territory they'd lost to both Amestris and Drachma during the Long War, from active conquest by the former and coerced partition from the latter. If Cresta was going to survive, understanding where the next major push would come from would be critical.
"It's only a miracle that they happen to be more suspicious of their own government than of a foreign one," she shook her head. It wasn't that she couldn't see Cresta doing that, it was just that she knew that doing so at this moment would be a massive waste of time and money, when Cresta needed everything ready for the next major conflict.
"That they think I'm a secret agent for Central Command could be useful," Twilight added, "Especially since it will mean they won't try to bring that I am an agent up to command itself. They probably think that I might be spying on them, and that they don't know who else they can trust besides themselves about that."
"We have to hope so," Sylvia said, and she could hear her own exhaustion. She could feel everyone of her thirty-five years on her body, the aches of beginning to reach the end of her youth. And speaking of youth and a familiar sobriquet, "Also, I need to talk to you about that boy. The Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric, why were you with him?"
"Because he was a good introduction to Colonel Mustang," Twilight answered immediately.
"That's not what I was talking about Twilight, and you know it," the Fullmetal Lady stated, her eyes boring into Twilight's face, "Why did you meet with him a second time? I know it wasn't to gather more intel. You continuing to meet with him exposed you not only to the possibility of revealing possibly damaging information to one of our enemies, but also nearly killed you," she almost growled, "You nearly got yourself killed twice trying to help Elric, and if you died, then Operation STRIX would be dead as well."
"...," Twilight just stared at her for a second, and then shook his head, "I suppose, I just saw another young man in him. Another boy who went off to the military because it was the only thing he thought he could do, and I didn't want him to damn himself for making a mistake like that."
"Agent Twilight," Sylvia could barely contain her rage, "Your own past has nothing to do with this mission. Any guilty feelings you may feel for that teenager being a soldier need to be silenced immediately," she sat up to her fullest height, regaining her advantage over the shorter man in front of her, and declared, "The soul of one boy isn't worth the lives of thousands of people that might be saved by the success of Operation STRIX. If anything comes between you and the completion of this mission, you must push past it without any hesitation. And if that means you have to shoot Edward Elric in the head, I want that trigger pulled. Understand me?"
"Yes Mam," Twilight said coldly. And then, for a moment, they just sat there, looking at one another.
For all of his control of his emotions, however, the Fullmetal Lady could tell that she had hurt Twilight. And, for as much as she hated it, she understood. After all, it was hard for her not to see a younger blonde man standing in Lloyd's place, eyes filled with both sorrow and resolve. She almost imagined Edward Elric's eyes looking nearly the same. But...they couldn't let their personal emotions get in their way. Not with innocent lives at stake.
"So," she had to push the conversation forward, to at least keep everything moving along. After all, it would be better to get Twilight back to his home as quickly as possible, if for no other reason than to keep any suspicion of where he had spent his evening to a minimum. He had only said he would be out to get groceries to make dinner, "Is your child prepared for the test to get into the program? The test is in two days."
Twilight was very good at hiding his emotions. That it took him less than a tenth of a second to hide the horror on his face was a testament to his control over his body. It was also no where near enough to disguise that from her. She caught her face in her left palm, and shook her head.
"Anya will be ready," he said, again not betraying the anxious thoughts within his mind. He looked her in the eye, "She has been a bit sick, but I believe she can pass the test, and be accepted into the program," he then, as a final statement, almost as much too himself as to her, "I believe in her."
"I wish you were giving me a bit more concrete hope in it," she continued to rub her temples, "But considering our time table, I will have to trust you," there was only a two month period between now and the beginning of the semester for Selim Bradley's new class, and only one test to take to get in. If this was going to work, they were going to need Lloyd's girl to succeed.
"I thank you for that trust," Twilight pushed himself to his feet, "When should I next be able to speak with you?"
"You probably won't be able to speak with me until the completion of Operation STRIX," Sylvia shook her head, "Maes Hughes is on to me, which means that Amestris is most likely using me as a way to check and see who is a spy. Mrs. Stenten was a good one time disguise, but if she keeps coming in and out of the Embassy and meeting with you, they'll become suspicious."
"That makes sense," Twilight nodded at the plan.
"Instead, you will be remain in contact with Franky Franklin," Sylvia remembered the short, squat Amestrian. That they had managed to get an Ishvalan War veteran as a broker had been an undeniable coup for WISE and Operation STRIX, "His shop will be a bit further out, but it will be the only shop to carry these."
She pulled out a box of cigarettes with FLEMING in big bright red letters, with a smoking gun on it. Twilight took the box, and then opened it, and pulled out one of the cigarettes. He observed it for a moment, and then twirled it in his fingers.
"Make sure to actually smoke a few every so often, so you have an excuse to keep going to the shop," Twilight nodded, and then produced a lighter. He sucked in a drag, and blew some smoke out to his side, away from Sylvia. Honestly, it was a good thing Twilight had puffed out to his side instead of her face, otherwise she might have had to break one of his fingers, "the shop will not only be the best way for you to communicate with me, but it will also be the best place to request for more equipment and information."
"What kind of equipment?"
"Anything you might need," Sylvia began to count hold out her fingers as she ran through the items she thought might be useful, "weapons, explosives, make up, fake fat, tools, books, cars," she then shrugged as she finished, "all that, plus whatever you think will help complete OPERATION STRIX. Our checkbook is open."
"That's a lot," Twilight as blinking in shock, comparing this mission to his previous experiences. Most of the time, agents only had to a few items they could scrounge together.
"Nothing you have ever undertaken has had nearly the importance of this mission," she had to be firm. She must drive it into his head how important this was, and if giving him a blank check was how to do so, so be it. Besides, it wasn't like he would be able to come up with a set of requests that was too outrageous.
"Any chance for back up?" Twilight continued.
"Not for a while," Sylvia shook her head, "The only agent who might be able to be spared is Nightfall, but she is still working in the North. I could probably get someone else, but most of them are currently working in the West, trying to sabotage the Amestrian military as it is actively operating," she nodded to herself, "Besides, more agents might tip off someone like Hughes that something big is going on. I don't want to be more obvious about working here than I absolutely have to be."
"Understood."
"Any other questions?" she asked, trying to make the most of their last few moments together for perhaps a full year. Her best agent then shook his head, and she nodded in response.
"Agent Twilight," she said finally, "I know this is a difficult mission, but please understand, you are the best agent in all of Cresta. We are entrusting this to you because you aren't the best person for this mission, but the only one. Any move you make must be informed by the fact that it will impact hundreds if not thousands of lives. No one, not Edward Elric, not Maes Hughes, not even your new family members can get between you, and discovering what the Amestrian Goverment's plans are for next Spring. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes Mam."
"Good," Sylvia smiled, "You are dismissed Agent Twilight. And good luck."
"Hamburger Steak," Lloyd Forger said aloud, "Where did she learn about these strange foods?"
Twilight was leaving the bodega that he had found on his way back to his family. It was a relatively small place, but it had been open, and he had been able to get all the food he would need to feed his family. The conversation with the Fullmetal Lady had only taken ten minutes, but the cars had added an extra half hour to his time. Still, he had found everything he needed here, and would only take him ten minutes to get home. That, alongside mentioning how far he had had to go for his new cigarettes, would be more than a proper excuse for why he had been gone for an hour.
Twilight looked up into the sky, and saw that now, with the sun having set, that he could begin to make out the outlines of the stars. It was harder than it had even been in East City, what with the many artificial lights surround him. But he could still see some of them. It honestly reminded him a bit of his time on the front, whenever he got a chance to take them in.
Not that those were good memories, but they were his. And, he supposed they were more than anything what drove him as Twilight. To make sure that hopefully, one day, there would never again need to be a sixteen year old boy fighting and killing in some god forsaken trench. That a young man wouldn't grow up without his parents, and would able to know that there was more to life than being a soldier.
'Some job you've been doing,' he'd been a spy for five years now, and yet it felt further away than ever. Honestly, it felt like Operation STRIX was more of a one-in-a-million gamble to try and save Cresta, rather than a well planned out operation for undermining the power of Amestris. Which made sense, even from his time on the front. And even then, he was also being shown that despite everything, some people joined the military because of more than revenge or survival.
He turned onto his block, and saw the lights coming out of his new home. He quickly made for his door, making sure to move as nonchalantly as possible past the lights in Maes Hughes window, and then pulled out his key. He quickly unlocked the door, and announced, "I'm home!"
"Papa!" Anya shouted, jumping up and down, "Do you have dinner ready?"
"Alright, alright," Twilight waved one of his free hands, "Give me a minute, okay, I'll get the food ready in less than half an hour."
'How has she recovered from her sickness so quickly,' he thought, looking over the bouncing little girl that had only recently fainted, 'Perhaps it was just a fever?'
"It is good that you are back Lloyd," Yor was standing there, having changed our of her work clothes into a long red sweater, likely to clean up from her having taken care of Anya. She still had a strange redness to her face, so she might still be a bit sick.
"Sorry to leave you alone with Anya," he said, "I know she can be a bit of a handful."
"Oh, it was no problem," Yor waved her hands quickly, "I was glad to do it. I'm going to have to be the Mom after all."
"Yes," Lloyd nodded, before continuing, "But even as the mother, you shouldn't be left with all the difficult duties," he began to walk towards the kitchen, "Why don't you lie down, you do look a little feint. I'll make dinner, and then, after we are done, we can finish unpacking for a bit."
"Oh, tha-" Yor seemed to stop herself, before looking at the bag in his hands. She seemed to be thinking about something, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Anya's eyes widen for some reason. Perhaps the illness was returning? "That sounds nice. I'll go and lay down for a minute. Anya, the radio is plugged in the living room if you want to listen to it."
"Agent Bond!" the little girl shouted, again seeming to overcome her sickness. A second later she had zoomed out of the room, and towards the radio on the mantle.
'Kids will be kids,' he groaned, 'At this point, no need to keep trying to study. With only two days, she either knows it, or she doesn't.'
"I'll call you all when I'm done," he announced, before entering the kitchen. Slowly he removed the food from the bag, and while he was washing his hands, he looked out the window again. Once again, he could see the stars in the night's sky, and wondered to himself about young teens becoming soldiers.
Alex Louis Armstrong leaned against the outside wall of the Rockbell Residence, and contemplated the stars in the sky above him. Honestly, he had spent most of his life in Central, so he had rarely seen the sky be so clear at night. The only other time it had been like this had been in Ishval, and that only brought back other unhappy memories. But, at least tonight, it was a much happier occasion to be beneath a natural night sky. He had met two very bright young men who were clearly in need of some guidance. And who better to provide such guidance that someone who had had such topics passed down through his line through generations.
"Ed," he heard Alphonse, still confined to his box, ask aloud from the small room they were staying in until the Rockbells' repairs could be completed, "Do you think Dr. Forger was right?"
"What about?" Edward barked dismissively. Though he had tried to hide it beneath some kind of teenage snark, Major Armstrong could tell that the reveal of Forger's true position as a spy for Central Command had hurt his feelings. It hurt to give someone your trust and then have it thrown in your face that you shouldn't have done so.
"About you leaving the military," Alphonse said plainly, not even bothering to acknowledge the attempt at deflection, "That you don't have what it takes to be a soldier."
"What the hell does he know," Edward responded, a bit too quickly, "I've been a member of the military for two full years now. I've been through way more than that arrogant wannabee doctor knows," he then added, "Plus, like I said, the only way we're going to get our bodies back is if I'm still in the military. Whatever he may think, we have more important things than to do than to knock us off our path."
"But I don't think he's necessarily wrong," the younger brother responded, a bit of a crack happening in his voice, "You've been part of the military for two years, but you've never killed anybody. Don't you think that's a bit strange for a soldier."
"Yeah, if I was a soldier, it would be. But, I'm not. I'm an Alchemic Researcher."
"As a State Alchemist, you're both," the counter had come swiftly. Alex then heard a cough, and guessed that Edward didn't have any real response. And that was because there wasn't really one. In fact, it sounded a bit like what he had said when he had requested his father allow him to go to the academy to train up his alchemy. What he had thought would be a place to build up his own unique legacy as an Armstrong, had ultimately only been a one way ticket to hell.
"WHY!? WHY MUST WE FIGHT LIKE THIS!? WHY MUST WE KEEP FIGHTING THIS WAR!?"
A young man, crushed by the life of a soldier. The life of a weapon.
"Well, I really don't care if everyone else thinks I'm a soldier," finally came from Edward, who had been thinking about his answer to Alphonse's question, "I consider myself an alchemist. So I'm going to get our bodies back, and then I'll leave the military. Bam, problem solved before it's even a problem at all."
"But-"
"Al," Edward said, this time more softly, "I know you're scare for me. But I promise you, I'm going to get your body back, and I'm not going to kill anybody to do it," he seemed to be making that as a promise as much as a declaration, "I got you into this mess, and I'm going to get you out of it. And I'm going to do it while making sure we don't hurt anybody to get it done," he stopped, and a silence hung over the house again. For a long moment, nothing all anyone could hear was the wind.
"Okay, Big Brother. I trust you."
"Ha, knew you would," Edward Elric's laugh was genuine, though tinged with sadness. At that, the room became quiet once again.
"Good night Ed."
"Good night Al."
'Goodnight Elric brothers,' Alex had begun to cry as he stood there, with his back to the wall of the house. He had known for a few days about the boys sacrifice to try to bring their mother back to life, and had considered them to be such tragic young children. Clearly, he had been wrong.
These boys continued to show such strength for men so young. They knew what they were searching for was almost certainly impossible, but they would seek to do so anyway. And the would attempt to do so while maintaining their morality, something that Alex always wondered why he was incapable of five years earlier.
'I swear to you, Edward and Alphonse Elric,' he made a silent oath, a technique passed down the Armstrong Line for generations, 'That I will do everything in my power to allow you to maintain your goal. If there is any assistance I can provide, I will not hesitate to support you.'
'I promise that to you, on my life.'