Chapter Text
“Brother, promise me you’ll be careful,” Al said, his tinny voice almost lost amongst the sea of people moving through the train station. People rushed around, disembarking and boarding the train headed further into the outskirts of East City.
Ed sighed, shifting his suitcase. “Al, how many times do I have to say I’ll be careful before you’ll believe me?”
“I’ve seen your version of ‘careful,’” Al muttered, unimpressed. He paused before continuing, quieter. “I’m never a fan of when you have to go on these missions without me. I like knowing that I have your back.”
“I know, Al. I like us having each other’s backs too, but it shouldn’t take too long this time. I’ll meet you in Central once we’re done and you can tell me everything you’ve found out on that new lead of ours.”
Al nodded. “Right.”
The train whistle blew, both brothers glancing toward the front of the train as steam puffed into the air.
“Fullmetal! Get a move on, the train’s leaving!” Mustang shouted, leaning out the doorway of a train car. Sure enough, the train slowly inched forward and gained momentum.
“Right, that’s my cue. I’m off, Al. See you soon!” Ed clanged his metal fist against his brother’s chest before taking off toward the train, feet pounding against the ground as he slipped through the crowd. He preferred it this way, not having an actual goodbye with Alphonse, but instead leaving quickly with a promise to see one another again. They both worried about the other but trusted in their abilities to see them through whatever they may face.
A few muffled grumbles met his ears as he bumped into people. He burst out the other side of the crowd, internally cursing everyone for being abnormally tall and in his way, and rushed toward the moving train car the Colonel was half hanging out of.
Ed threw his suitcase, smirking as the man fumbled with it and stumbled back to catch it, before leaping aboard himself. He snatched the case from Mustang, easily ignoring the heated glare the man sent him while he rubbed his shoulder where the case hit.
“Damn, Chief. I thought you weren’t going to make it onboard for a second there,” Havoc said from his seat near the door. The rest of Mustang’s crew sat around him—Breda next to him and Fuery and Falman in the seats across. The four faced one another and, if not for the stark blue military uniforms, they would look like a group of friends taking a trip together.
Hawkeye was in a seat on the other side of the aisle, and with one final glare at his subordinate, Mustang sat next to her. “You can’t get out of this assignment that easily, Fullmetal.”
Ed scoffed. “I’ve cut it closer before.” He turned his glare to the Colonel. “Besides, I wouldn’t have missed it, no matter how much I wanted to. I know how much grief the bastard Colonel would give me.”
Fuery stiffened and eyes widened as he glanced up. “What do you mean you’ve cut it closer? The train was already moving!”
Ed chuckled as he collapsed into the seat across from Mustang and Hawkeye, kicking his feet onto the empty seat next to him while he leaned back against the side of the train and window.
Mustang smirked, eyes flashing a humorous glint while looking at Ed. “Yes, Fullmetal is used to cutting it short on time.”
Falman just had time to sigh before Ed started shouting.
“Who the hell are you calling a pint-sized midget that couldn’t even see a clock on a wall!”
The rest of the passengers in the train car—a young couple and a middle-aged businessman—turned to stare back at the group, the businessman’s face pinching as he saw the blond boy shouting.
“That would be you, Fullmetal,” Mustang replied swiftly.
Ed slammed his feet to the floor, standing and raising his automail fist in front of him while he seethed.
Before he could open his mouth, Hawkeye leaned forward, her glare cutting between the two. “You’re disturbing the other passengers and are likely to get us all kicked off if you keep this up. Ed, sit down. And Sir, stop antagonizing Ed.”
Mustang wilted under his Lieutenant’s gaze, and Ed let out a huff of air.
“Fine,” Ed said, grabbing his suitcase. “But like hell am I spending this whole damn ride sitting across from you.”
Ed started down the aisle but froze when a manilla folder was shoved in front of his face.
“Keep yourself busy with the file, we’ll all be reviewing it on the way over. Make sure you know everything front to back, we can’t afford to mess this one up,” Mustang said, his eyes focused on another copy open in his lap.
Ed grumbled under his breath, wishing Hawkeye wasn’t there to keep him from cursing the man out, and snatched the file before storming down the aisle. He passed the couple sitting a couple rows down and sat down in an aisle by himself. After he settled in, he realized he was facing the older businessman a few rows further down, who now openly glared at the boy, his balding head bright in the light of the train.
He rolled his eyes, sinking further into the seat, and did his best to ignore the eyes on him while focusing on the file before him.
The Colonel might be a lazy bastard, but Ed would silently admit that he was right. This wasn’t a case they could mess up, and the faster they solved it the better.
All throughout the outskirt towns of East City, children and teens were being kidnapped. Seven were taken from each city before the kidnappers left town without a trace. Then, another town would be plagued with disappearances.
Ed flipped the page, meeting the eyes of a bullish man with wide eyes, graying hair, and stubble along his chin. The word Deceased stamped in red over the picture. Barry Morrow, the only lead the military police had for the kidnappings, was murdered before he was able to give any real information over to the authorities. He did allow them to confirm that all of the kidnappings were connected, which allowed for officials in East City to become involved—hence why Mustang and the whole team were rushing out to head up the investigation.
Apparently, Morrow had a guilty conscience for the child trafficking ring he was helping after things took a more dangerous turn for the kids. As far as Ed was concerned, people who did any kind of work for people like this had no conscience. Families were being torn apart, and for what—free child labor? Perverted assholes?
Ed glanced through the rest of the pages, not wanting to stare at the faces of the dozens of kids that have been kidnapped already, each of them making him think of Alphonse. He would help find these kids, and he would make these bastards pay for what they’ve done. Automail to the face wasn’t enough if you asked him, but it was a start.
He stopped at the final page of the report—the map. Five kidnappings had taken place in Miston, a small merchant city. The MPs in the town had no leads, and found no connection between the kidnappings besides their ages being between twelve and sixteen. Some were taken from the library, others from a shop right under their parents’ noses. One was even taken from their bed in the middle of the night.
Ed sighed, flipping closed the report and settling against the seat. He looked over the damn file, so Mustang couldn’t give him shit about taking a nap before they arrived. They’d woken up far too early just to sit on a train all day. He needed to be well rested so he could be fully focused on the task at hand. The sooner they found the missing kids, the better.
____________
Ed woke suddenly when his feet were pulled from the seat and landed heavily on the ground. He already had a heated glare prepared for the Colonel for the rude awakening when he met the gaze of… someone he didn’t know. Wait, scratch that. His pudgy face was familiar—it was that businessman who had glared at him a few rows down before.
Surprise and sleep clouded his mind and he stared dumbfounded at the man. “What—?”
“Causing a ruckus, making a mess, and then getting your shoes all over the seats. The hell is wrong with kids these days?”
Just like that, Ed’s mind cleared, quick anger rising to the surface as he stood. “Wait just a damn minute—”
“Don’t talk to me like that, boy! I’ll teach you a damn lesson.” The man’s hands clenched. Ed resisted the rush of satisfaction—this man didn’t know how good he was at fighting, nor about his metal arm that would pack one hell of a punch. Well, he was about to.
“Is there a problem here, Fullmetal?” The Colonel’s voice drew both their attention. He stood in the aisle, just a bit too close to the businessman to be non-confrontational. Despite addressing Ed, Mustang’s eyes were trained on the man. “I hope you’re not causing more trouble.”
“Me! I was just—”
“This your boy?” The man asked.
“Like hell,” Ed seethed. He was ready to punch this man in the face and be done with him, but he knew the Colonel wouldn’t be a fan of that course of action. If he was going to push his luck, he needed to wait until they were closer to finishing the case. He didn’t want to spend the whole time they were here dodging the man and getting whatever dumbass tasks he gave as punishment.
“I apologize for whatever might have occurred—” It was just now that Ed realized Hawkeye had followed Mustang and stood at his side. “But we are here on official military business, and we must be going. You may leave the train now.” Just like that, Hawkeye dismissed the man. He didn’t seem intent on leaving, but Hawkeye standing with the Colonel in official military uniform was imposing enough to make the man grumble and leave with one final glare toward Ed.
Ed’s eyes followed the man out, noticing the other members of the team had stood and were giving the man varying levels of glares on his way out.
“I can’t even leave you alone for a train ride,” Mustang said, sighing. “If you start any more needless fights I’ll let the MPs arrest you and leave you in the holding cell for the night.”
Ed felt a vein pulse on his forehead. He hadn’t even started that. He was sleeping. But that argument was a moot point to the Colonel, and it would have sounded childish, so Ed grit his teeth and said, “Like that could hold me for an hour, much less all damn night.”
Hawkeye sighed, but she sent a small smile to the boy. “We’re here. We should go before the train starts boarding to leave.”
Ed grabbed his suitcase and followed in step behind the rest of the team. Ed nearly ran into Breda’s back when he came to a sudden halt a dozen paces off the train. He grumbled, peering around their backs to see more blue uniforms: their military escort here in Miston.
He ignored the small talk between the two MPs and Mustang, instead peering around the small train station. It was bigger than Resembool’s, but not by much. This city had more businesses and buildings than farmland like his hometown, though. These kidnappers prayed on small towns in the area, taking full advantage of the MPs lack of knowledge and experience in high-profile cases. By the time they wisened up or had called in backup, the kids were gone and the kidnappers in the wind.
The light in the station came solely from the overhead lights, some of which were burned out and no one had bothered replacing. The sky through the windows was dark and the landscape beyond unclear.
Ed focused back into the conversation as the men shifted and Mustang nodded towards him saying, “---And this is the Fullmetal Alchemist, Major Elric.”
The two MPs sized him up silently, their brows pinched in confusion.
“Fullmetal…?” One started to say.
“I heard the Fullmetal Alchemist was a giant who always wore a suit of armor,” the other said. “He looks kind of small to be a state alchemist.”
Falman sighed, facepalming.
Ed twitched, doing his best to maintain his composure under Hawkeye’s gaze. “No, no, you’ve got it wrong. The suit of armor is my younger brother! I’m the Fullmetal Alchemist and it is you who are freakishly big!”
The MPs stared blankly before snapping back. “Uh… right. Anyway—” the MP turned back to the Colonel— “You’ve been traveling all day, so our orders are to bring you to the local inn for the night. We don’t have an official dorm for officers in town, so we’ve gotten you rooms for the duration of your stay. We’ll regroup at seven tomorrow to review what we’ve learned with you.”
Mustang nodded. “We’ve studied the case files, but it would be good to see the evidence and interview those on the case. Fuery, tomorrow I’ll have you reach out to the other town’s military stations and see if they have any useful information for us in their investigations.”
“Yes, sir,” Fuery immediately replied.
The soldiers followed the two MPs out of the station and into two cars. Ed ended up sandwiched between Havoc and Breda in the backseat of one car, while Mustang and one of the MPs—Officer Warren, he soon learned—chatted in the front.
Ed elbowed Havoc on his right when the man shifted into his space. Havoc cursed, bowing over. “Damn it, Chief,” he said between gritted teeth. “That automail hurts.”
“Then stop coming into my space. Al takes up less room than you’re trying to occupy.”
“Now that’s just rude.”
Breda snorted on his other side but wisely leaned away to give Ed more space.
The inn was modest, but well maintained. The lights were bright through the open windows on the dark street, creating a sense of safety in the night. It was brightly colored and easily the largest building on the street at three stories tall, a smaller one-story building made of cobblestone attached to the wood on one side.
They piled out of the cars and crowded on the empty street.
“There’s a twenty-four hour diner attached to the inn if you haven’t eaten yet. I’ve reserved the rooms in your name, Colonel Mustang. The inn’s receptionist will be able to give you directions to the station in the morning if you’re feeling a bit lost.”
Ed peered into the diner’s window while the Colonel finished dismissing the men. He could see the waitress standing behind the counter, taking continuous glances toward them while trying to act casual. Ed was used to getting lingering stares and curious glances while investigating in small towns where everyone seems to know everyone. For the first time, he felt grateful Al wasn’t allowed to come with him. His little brother always felt self-conscious in places like this.
As the MPs returned to their vehicles and drove off into the night, Ed led the charge into the inn, stomach already growling at the thought of a plate filled to the brim with food. If the diner was anything like those in East City, they’d likely serve breakfast all day. There was just something about having bacon, eggs, and pancakes for dinner that always put Ed in a better mood.
Mustang and his crew headed for the front desk where a portly man greeted them. Ed headed straight toward the door leading to the diner.
The waitress glanced up immediately, and Ed met her at the counter.
“Why, hello there!” She glanced at the door swinging closed behind him. “Are your friends not joining you tonight?”
Ed shrugged. “Hell if I ever know what they’re doing. They’ll come if they’re hungry.” He flipped through the menu pages—how come all these tiny diners had books for menus—until he found the twenty-four hour breakfast menu.
“Just let me know when you’re ready to order, and I’ll dump a bucket of water on our chef,” she said with a wink.
Ed chuckled. They probably didn’t get much business in the middle of the night, but they must have enough to warrant the diner continuing to be open. Ed couldn’t blame the chef for getting a few extra hours of sleep when he could.
“You…” the waitress said, hesitating. “You’re with the military, right? Here to investigate the… the kidnappings?”
Ed set down the menu. “That’s right.” She better not say a damn thing about my height or age, I’m over it today.
“Will you… I mean, do you think that you’ll find them? My friend, her kid was one of those kidnapped. Alvin Kirk, he’s just twelve. We’ve just been so worried, so if you think you could… could rescue them…” She trailed off, wide eyes staring at him.
Ed stared at her. “I’ll make sure of it.”
She smiled. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
The bells on the door jangled again as it opened.
“You couldn’t have waited on the rest of us, Chief?” Havoc said lightly before turning his gaze to the waitress and flashing her a grin.
“Let’s eat quickly and get to bed. We need to be well rested for the investigation tomorrow,” Hawkeye said.
Mustang nodded before slumping into a seat at the bar near Ed. “Yes, not all of us napped on the train.”
Ed bristled. “We were all on the train for the same amount of time. If you wasted yours, you have no one to blame but yourself, Bastard.”
As menus were handed out to the rest of them at the counter, the waitress spoke up. “Well, order whatever you’d like. It’s on the house tonight since this one is such a charmer.” She winked at Ed before heading to the kitchen.
Ed felt his face heat up as they all turned to stare at him.
“No fair, you got here before I did.” Havoc sighed, continuing to grumble about being beaten by a kid.
“What did you say to her?” Fuery asked.
“How the hell should I know? I just got here, I haven’t even ordered yet.”
Mustang frowned down at him. “Well you must have said something.”
“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Ed sneered at him, glad the heat in his face was calming.
They settled into an easy conversation while they ordered and waited for their food. Ed had convinced Havoc to order breakfast and only reveled in his victory for a short time before the man revealed he was ordering an omelet. Ed liked eggs as well as the next person, but omelets? Yuck—they always mixed milk into the eggs and he could always taste it.
They fell into calm silence when their food came out, most of them scarfing it down while Hawkeye ate with poise, only raising an eyebrow at them.
As soon as they finished, they headed up to the second floor where all their rooms were. Apparently they had tried splitting them among floors and Mustang had caused a ruckus at the front. Ed almost wished he had seen it. As soon as they stepped off the stairs, Mustang handed Ed his key and they disappeared into their rooms with muffled Goodnight’s echoing down the hallway.
Ed dumped his suitcase on the floor, flung off his jacket, and collapsed onto the bed. He was asleep immediately.