Stray Dog
Hohenheim was the first to leave the house, setting out practically at the crack of dawn. And, as Pinako reasoned, Winry could always help in the shop, whether she was hiding from the Führer’s men or not. So, Scieszka found herself alone early in the morning, feeling rather uncomfortable in the silence that surrounded her. It was rather ironic, considering how often she complained to Mrs Abbot and Hughes about the noise the cars made in Central.
That didn’t mean she remained idle though. Still remembering Edward’s request, she was currently writing in a notebook everything she had read in that old book Major Armstrong kept in his library.
Scieszka had to admit that the particular book was very interesting. She could still recall the feeling of the leather cover underneath her fingertips, as well as the harsh surface of the yellow pages. And, of course, she remembered every single word that was written in it, even though she didn’t really understand what it was about. At first glance, it seemed like a book about a knight who was in search of a golden man, and he had to pass through a dragon to get there. But the wording was strange, making the story almost allegorical. What each word symbolised, Scieszka had no idea; nevertheless she knew that Ed wouldn’t have asked her to make a copy of that book if he didn’t think it was important.
And how does the Nature learn to give and to receive? The copper man gives and the water-stone receives; the thunder gives the fire that flashed from it. For all things are woven together and all things are taken apart and all things are mingled and all things combined and all things mixed and all things separated and all things are moistened and all things are dried and all things bud and all things blossom in the altar shaped like a bowl. For each, by method and by weight of the four elements, the interlacing and separation of the whole is accomplished for no bond can be made without method. The method is natural, breathing in and breathing out, keeping the orders of the method, increasing and decreasing. And all things by division and union come together in a harmony, the method not being neglected, the Nature is transformed. For the Nature, turning on itself, is changed. And the Nature is both the nature of the virtue and the bond of the world.
She was about to write down the rest of the sentence, when there was a knock on the door. Scieszka frowned, because Winry had already told her that she and Pinako would be back at noon. Moreover, Scieszka was sure that it couldn’t be Hohenheim at the door. Pinako had given him an extra key to the house.
There was second knock on the door, something that made Scieszka quite nervous. Still, deciding that she should at least see who it was, she walked up to the window and looked outside. The bespectacled girl almost gasped to see two very familiar faces, and she quickly rushed to open the door.
“Lieutenant Ross?” Sergeant Bloch? What are you two doing here?”
The two soldiers greeted Scieszka, a very serious expression on their features.
“We have news. Where is Winry?”
Winry came back home at noon, just as she had said she would, and she wasn’t alone. Pinako and Hohenheim were quite wary when they saw the two soldiers in the house, but the girls finally convinced them that Ross and Bloch were friends.
Unfortunately, the news they had weren’t good at all.
“The order was issued two days ago,” Ross said, taking another sip of the tea that Pinako had prepared in the meantime. “The official excuse is that Ed and Al have to report about the circumstances under which Scar and Kimblee were killed, as well as of the sinking of Liore.”
Hohenheim raised an eyebrow at that, but he said nothing. Winry, on the other hand, was furious. Everyone could tell by the way she was currently gripping her cup, as though ready to break it.
“And who’s in charge of the investigation?” Pinako asked, looking closely at the two soldiers.
“General Hakuro,” Bloch said. “That was when Maes decided we should come here and warn the boys.”
“You think they’re really coming here?” Scieszka asked, straightening her glasses.
“It’s still their home, even if their house has been burned down,” Ross pointed out. “Besides, the fact that the local police have been notified to stay alert shows that the military expects them to come here.”
“Yes, that sounds like proof enough,” Hohenheim mused aloud. “But I don’t think they’re foolish enough to enter Resembool from the front door, sort of speak.”
“What do you mean, Mr. Elric?” Ross asked, not really understanding.
Hohenheim stood up and walked up to the window, looking outside. “There was no railroad to the East until recently, not even a road. That was why the people used to cross over that mountain and through that valley you can see.”
Winry looked in the direction Hohenheim was now pointing. “I know that place; we used to play there a lot as children.” A frown crossed her features. “Are you saying that they’re coming that way?”
Hohenheim nodded, something that made Winry stand up at once.
“Then we’ll go find them!”
“We?!” Scieszka exclaimed in disbelief. She didn’t have time to say much else, because Winry had already pulled her on her feet and dragged her toward the door.
“If we see any investigators snooping around, we’ll try to stall them,” Ross said.
“Thanks!” was all that Winry said before the door closed shut behind her.
Pinako sighed and shook her head when the girls were out of sight.
“That girl is becoming too much like her mother,” she murmured under her breath, and she reached for the tray with the tea. “Well, tea-time is over,” she declared to Bloch and Ross. “Care to help me do the washing-up?”
“Washing-up?” Bloch echoed. “We--”
A subtle - but forceful – nudge silenced him.
“We’d love to, Dr. Rockbell,” Ross said, and prodded Bloch toward the kitchen.
Bloch’s eyes opened wide at that, nevertheless he only addressed Ross once they were out of hearing range.
“What’s this about?!” he hissed. “We’re on a mission!”
“That’s why I wanted to talk to you without being listened in on!” Ross hissed back, positively glaring at the sergeant. “You actually didn’t notice, did you?”
Bloch blinked in confusion. “Notice what?”
“He said there hasn’t been a railroad here until recently,” Ross answered.
Bloch cocked his head, regarding the woman curiously. “And?”
“Do you consider a hundred years ago recently?” Ross said, huffing in frustration.
Only then did it finally dawn on the sergeant. He scratched his head in thought. “Okay… that is strange, but… what do you suggest? He’s Ed and Al’s dad!”
“I never said otherwise,” Ross replied. “I’m just saying that we should stick close to him.”
That made Bloch narrow his eyes and look at Ross quite suspiciously.
“What do you mean by ‘close’?”
Ross shrugged. “Close.”
And with that she walked out, leaving a positively fuming Bloch behind.
The loud chirping of birds and the sound of leaves swaying gently in the wind was interrupted by the sound of rapid footsteps and clanking of metal. Soon enough, the source of the footsteps appeared as well, the suit of armour on the lead and the teen alchemist following, both running as fast as they could in the hopes of reaching Resembool before the military caught them… or worse.
It still was a gruelling pace that Edward couldn’t keep up anymore. His limps were aching, his body trembled and he couldn’t breathe fast enough anymore; his lungs burnt in demand of air. He gritted his teeth and will himself to go on, but it was getting hopeless. In the end, he just had to stop.
Al halted at once when he realised Ed wasn’t following him anymore.
“Brother, are you all right?”
“Yeah, I just…” Ed panted, resting his hands on his knees. “I just need some water.”
Al understood and he walked to the river nearby and used his helmet as a cup to get some of the clear liquid to his brother. Ed accepted his brother’s offer eagerly, and he sat on a rock to start drinking in big sips.
“We’re getting close now,” Al commented as he looked at their surroundings. “With any luck, we’ll be able to reach Resembool by the afternoon.”
“I don’t know, Al,” Ed replied, using the rest of the water to wash his face. “We’ve still got to be careful in case we get into trouble.”
“Trouble? What kind of trouble?”
Ed opened his mouth to answer, but his ears picked up something strange. There weren’t any birds singing anymore, and the forest was eerily quiet. That, of course, meant one thing only.
Someone was coming.
“That kind of trouble!” Ed declared. Tucking the helmet under his arm, he grabbed Al and dragged him behind some bushes. Al tried to protest and stand up, demanding to know what was the matter, but Ed pushed him back down and shushed him to silence.
Not a moment too soon. Just then, both boys saw the familiar forms of Breda and Falman appearing from another thicket. The soldiers seemed tired and haggard-looking, yet determined to find something.
Ed didn’t have to guess what that something was. Still, he made no motion to come out of his hiding out. He wanted to listen to them first.
“We’ve been searching for hours!” Falman said at that moment, facing Breda exasperatedly. “Shouldn’t we have found them by now?”
Breda shrugged and took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat off his face. “If he said they’re here, they have to be. He knows them like the back of his hand.”
Ed bit back a snort. Did Mustang actually believe that kind of thing? Granted, he obviously figured that he and Al were heading toward Resembool, but there was nothing challenging about that.
The problem was… how did he know that they would use that route unless…?
His train of thought got cut off at the sound of gun aimed in his direction.
“Turn around slowly, boys. Trust me, it’s for your own good.”
Ed winced and chided himself for his stupidity. He had forgotten that Mustang’s unit always moved as one. Sensing Al already complying with the suggestion, Ed decided to play along for now and he put up his hands in the air in a gesture of surrender. He faced Havoc and Fuery as well, only to see that both soldiers regarded them closely, almost warily, for a few moments. Finally, Havoc smiled a bit and lowered his gun, while Fuery signalled to Breda and Falman that they found the boys.
“Heh… I won’t doubt Beregond’s tracking abilities again,” Havoc said cheerily. “I swear, I don’t think even Hayate is that good.”
Ed’s eyes widened at that, scarcely believing what he was hearing. Beregond led Mustang’s men after them? Why? Yes, he wasn’t sure that Beregond would leave the military. But he certainly never expected that the Gondorian would actually work with Mustang in order to get him and Al captured!
Ed clenched his hands into fists. Feelings of betrayal and anger overwhelmed him, and he couldn’t help but consider Beregond no different from the others; all dogs of the military, following orders and nothing else.
“So… shall we go?” Havoc asked in a friendly manner, beckoning the boys to follow him.
That, Ed decided, was enough. “No.”
Havoc and Fuery blinked, not expecting that answer. Al stared at Ed incredulously. “Ed, what are you doing?”
“We’re not going back, Al! We’re through with the military, remember?”
Havoc instantly held up his gun. “Don’t be an idiot, Ed! We just want to take you to Mustang so that he…!”
“Stop patronising me!” Ed cried, and he grabbed the gun from the barrel.
“ED, DON’T!” Breda shouted.
The sound of gunshot filled the air, scaring the birds away from the trees. Ed flinched and closed his eyes, expecting the pain of his hand getting blown away to wash through him at any moment.
Though there was a scream, Ed was shocked to realise that it wasn’t his. He opened his eyes at once, stunned to see Havoc on his knees, cradling his hand close to his chest. Fuery, on the other hand, was using his own hands to stop the bleeding on his temple, his glasses dropped on the ground and broken.
How?
Only when he looked down did he understand what happened. He had grabbed the gun with his automail hand, and when the gun went off, the mithril plating blocked the bullet’s exit, making the weapon explode. Now there was a nasty gash on Havoc’s palm, and one of the shards had grazed Fuery’s temple, destroying his glasses in the process.
“Damn it, Edward!”
It was Breda who cried that out, and the second lieutenant hurried at Havoc’s side to examine the wound. As for Falman, he quickly picked up Fuery’s glasses, hoping that the damage wasn’t too bad and that he could fix them.
Ed could only stare at the scene in numbing confusion, unable to believe what was happening.
“I… I didn’t mean it…” he stuttered. And it was true, he didn’t. All his life he had spent it in the hopes that he wouldn’t have to kill anyone in his quest, only to now realise that he had almost killed two people that he had, more or less, considered friends. And, even if Mustang was willing to help him before, there was no way he was going to now – not after what he did to two of his men.
So, Ed did the only thing that made sense in his mind at that moment. He grabbed Alphonse by the arm and started running, ignoring Breda and Falman’s shouts.
“Ouch! Are you sure you know where you are going?” Scieszka asked, trying to straighten her glasses after hitting her head on another twig.
“Yes! Now come on, they should be around here somewhere!” Winry said, her eyes open for any sign of Ed and Al.
“We’ve already been searching for hours!” the bespectacled girl pointed out. “Maybe we should stay put in one spot and wait for them to appear.”
“No, we have to find them as soon as possible,” Winry replied. “Just waiting won’t solve anything.”
“But--”
Scieszka never got the chance to finish her sentence, because it was then that Winry stopped in her tracks and shushed her. Scieszka wasn’t sure what to make of that kind of behaviour, and she even opened her mouth to ask what was going on; but then, she heard it too.
Voices. And they certainly didn’t belong to Ed and Al.
Both girls exchanged a glance. Deciding that they should investigate matters further, they walked on as quietly as possible to the direction of the voices. They used the thickets of the forest as cover, and they tries to stay upwind in case any kind of animals spotted them.
It was a precaution that proved useful, for a short bark told the girls that there was at least one dog close. And, when Winry and Scieszka got close enough, they recognised which dog was it – as well as the owner.
“What is she doing here?” Winry mused, keeping her eyes locked on Riza. The woman was busy giving Hayate some food.
“I don’t know, but she isn’t alone,” Scieszka whispered. “Look.”
Sure enough, Roy and the rest of the unit was just a couple of feet away from Riza. The colonel was conversing with Breda and Falman, and they seemed way too serious; it was obvious that there was something very wrong. Beregond, on the other hand, was kneeling next to an irritated Havoc, tending to some kind of injury the second lieutenant had in his hand. Fury was resting his back against the same tree where Havoc was, a mournful look on his face as he held his broken glasses. Beregond must have noticed it, because he subtly waved his hand. In a matter of moments, Fuery was surprised to see that his glasses were as good as new. He faced the Gondorian and nodded his thanks.
Havoc, however…
“Ow!” he cried, and he looked at Beregond almost exasperatedly. “Can’t you be a little more gentle?”
“I’m not Sarah, Havoc,” Beregond answered in a tired manner. “Now hold still. I’m almost done.” He started wrapping the injured hand in bandages, something that made Havoc hiss.
“It stings,” he pointed out.
“I know, it’s supposed to,” Beregond retorted. “Keep it there, and I’ll change your bandages later on.”
“Joy,” Havoc deadpanned.
Beregond didn’t say anything this time, but the look he gave Havoc was enough as an answer. Feeling self-conscious, Havoc sighed and run his other hand over his hair in frustration.
“I’m sorry. I know you’re only trying to help.”
“If only others could see it that way,” Beregond murmured, and he finally stood up to report to Roy.
“Well?” Roy asked, regarding Beregond curiously.
“They’ll be fine,” the Gondorian replied. “You can talk to them, if you want.”
Roy nodded his understanding and walked up to Havoc. The second lieutenant was about to light a cigarette but, when he saw the colonel approaching him, he chuckled in a sheepish manner.
Roy raised an eyebrow, apparently not sharing the humour. “You’re an injured man, Lieutenant. Is it wise to smoke?”
Havoc couldn’t help but play with his lighter nervously. “Well, uh… you see, Boss…”
“Didn’t think so,” Roy declared and pried the lighter away from Havoc’s hands. “You can have it back when your hand is fully healed.”
“Yes, Sir,” the second lieutenant replied with a sigh, and threw the cigarette away in resignation.
Finally deciding that they heard enough, Scieszka tapped Winry on the shoulder. “We should go,” she whispered nervously.
“Not yet,” Winry replied. “I need to know if they’re looking for Ed and Al.”
“We are, Miss Rockbell,” a familiar booming voice said. “And I’m sorry to say it, but we can’t have you interfering with our investigation.”
Both girls winced and turned around, only to see that Major Armstrong was indeed behind them, his eyes reflecting the seriousness of the situation.
Everything happened too fast for Winry. In the one moment, she was staring with an embarrassed smile at Major Armstrong, only to find herself walking next to Scieszka with her hands tied up in the next. She looked at each and every soldier that walked ahead, but no one seemed to pay attention to her. Not even Riza, who was holding the rope that tugged both girls onward in spite of their struggling. As for Beregond, he had already gone ahead of the unit, trying to discover any traces of the boys.
To say Winry was revolted would have been an understatement.
“Why are you doing this?” she said angrily. “You know the Führer is the real traitor, and you still follow his orders?”
“We are still his soldiers,” Riza pointed out, keeping her gaze forward.
“So that’s it?! You just do what you’re told, no questions asked?!” Winry cried, but she received no answer. Just fury overwhelming her, she turned to Major Armstrong and Roy, who were walking in silence and lost in thought. “Is that what happened to my parents?”
Again, she didn’t get an answer.
It was then that she noticed it. Beregond was standing a little farther ahead with Faenel at his side, looking with interest at some strange bolts of blue light brightening the sky. Roy raised his hands in a sign that everyone should stop, then he walked up to the Gondorian.
“Are they who I think they are?” he asked softly.
Beregond settled with a nod as an answer.
Ed decided that things couldn’t get any worse. He and Al tried to walk on, using every trick in the book to make themselves as less conspicuous as possible; but it seemed luck wasn’t on their side anymore. Now he had to use every alchemy trick up his sleeve to keep the soldiers surrounding him at bay. He created walls to slow them down; water dragons to scare them off, even fake images of himself and Al to confuse them. Yet for every soldier that was dodged or knocked out, there be at least two more to take his place.
“Edward and Alphonse Elric!” a young sergeant-major cried through a speaker. “Please surrender yourselves in peaceful and orderly fashion. We don’t wish you any harm!”
“Like hell you don’t!” Ed muttered under his breath, and he clapped once more. Spikes rose from the ground, and the soldiers had to step back before they got themselves hurt.
“Brother, maybe we should just do what they say,” Al said, resting his hand on Ed’s shoulder in a tentative manner. “There’s no place left for us to go.”
Ed pulled himself away from that touch and stared at Al angrily. “No! We’re not gonna let them win this! You of all people should know that!”
“You should listen to your brother, Fullmetal. Unlike you, he knows how to choose his battles.”
Ed felt his eyes widening, for he recognised that voice only too well. Wrath burning anew in his heart, he looked in the direction of Mustang. The bastard was indeed in the battle scene, the gloves on his hands and a smug smile on his features.
It was time to rub off that smile once and for all.
“You should practise what you preach, Colonel,” Ed declared. “Or do you think I’ve forgotten about your weakness?” In a flash and before Al could stop him, the teen alchemist clapped his hands and placed them on the river next to him. The blinding blue light of alchemical reaction filled the area once more, and a great water fountain sprayed everyone and everything that was within its range – including Roy and his gloves.
“Let’s see you ignite anything now!” Ed shouted.
Roy, however, was hardly fazed. “If there’s anyone here who hasn’t learned from their mistakes, it’s you, Fullmetal.”
Ed didn’t know what to make of that statement. That is, until he got his answer in the form of rocky missiles launched at him, courtesy of Major Armstrong. Gasping in surprise, he got ready to grab Al by the gauntlet so that they would run away.
“Brother!” Al cried.
Al’s warning came not a moment too soon. Ed ducked just as the rocky missiles started exploding one after the other. Hot pebbles landed on his back, but, fortunately, they didn’t hurt him.
It was then that the thought occurred to him. If the missiles were hot, then that could only mean… He stared at Mustang, scarcely believing that the man managed to heat up anything in the state his gloves were.
Seeing through Ed’s thoughts, Mustang smirked and held up a lighter – Havoc’s lighter.
“There are more than one ways to create a spark and heat the air inside Armstrong’s rocks,” he said. “Now, are you willing to follow us quietly, or do you want us to start Round Two?”
“You’re actually giving me an option?” Ed snapped bitterly. “How come you didn’t give any to the Rockbells?”
At the next moment, Ed regretted his slip of the tongue. Not because it actually made Roy flinch in surprise, and everyone else gasp in shock. Not because Alphonse cried out to Ed, trying in vain to stop him from saying anything. No. He regretted it because he noticed Winry among the soldiers. And the girl was trembling all over as she grabbed Riza’s gun from the lieutenant’s holster and aimed it directly at Mustang.
TBC…
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