Welcome to Gaia! ::

Now if you've ever been in one of my rps before then you'll know of my infamously long intros. Some are longer than others but it helps give off the actual idea and what's expected in rp overall.... plus I just like the extra control it gives me in an rp.

Intro Story:

The evening sky was darkening as clouds lingered on the horizon, becoming fainter as the sun slowly sank beneath the desert sands. Large mesas and plateaus became shadowy behemoths that loomed above the flattened desert below, becoming stone icebergs on a calm sandy sea. As the moon began to climb up in the east to dominate the sky, a pair of figures crept over a white stone wall that surrounded a large square building that was partially submerged into the base of one of the plateaus.

"Security isn’t as tight as I thought it would be.” The smaller of the two whispered, “I was hoping for something a bit more interesting to happen, but I guess it could be worse.”
“But brother,” the taller said, matching his older sibling’s tone, “didn’t Colonel Mustang say that this assignment had to be done as discreetly as possible?”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. Don’t worry, Al.” Ed replied taking a few steps away from the wall, “Nobody would even know we were here.”

At that exact moment the entire courtyard lit up with bright white lights catching the two brothers off guard. Ed and Al quickly ducked to one side so as not to be caught in the in the search lights’ path.

“Brother? What did you do?!” Al exclaimed with flailing arms.
“Me? Why are you blaming me?!” Ed shot back, “I didn’t do anything!”

Just before the two boys were about to bicker, there were several voices calling out from across the courtyard.

“Quick! Hide!” Ed exclaimed clapping his hands together and pressing both palms into the ground.
“Hide?! Where? Waaaah!” Al cried aloud as he suddenly found himself standing on nothing but air with a blue light of an active transmutation surrounding him.

Ed had transmuted a pitfall right under their feet. As soon as Al had fallen in, Ed clapped his hands together again and sealed off the top of the hole just moments before a small group of armed guards ran out onto the grounds.

“That was close…” Ed said with a sigh and leaned back against a wall.
“Brother…where are we?” Alphonse asked leaning back against a wall opposite his brother. He couldn’t see a thing in the darkness.
“If I’m right then we should be…” Ed replied, kneeling onto the floor and clapping his hands together again, “right above the containers.”

He pressed both palms onto the ground again and created a long shaft leading several more yards underground. At the bottom of the shaft, a dim yellow glow shone, giving the Elric brothers enough light to see.

“You remembered the blueprints the Colonel showed you?” Al asked with surprise.
“…Well…not really…No…”
“Then how did-”
“Alright, let’s get going.” Ed said quickly as he started climbing down the makeshift ladder he had transmuted along with the shaft.

Al gave a small sigh and followed after his brother. The two of them dropped down into the cooled chambers once they had neared the end of the ladder and glanced around. The room was full of large steel crates exactly as it was described in the debriefing report Ed had received before leaving East HQ to begin this assignment.

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“Well?” Ed asked impatiently from where he sat on the hard pale yellow couch in the office of Flame Alchemist, Colonel Mustang. He turned his head and gave the Colonel a bored glower.

The Colonel continued musing over Ed’s latest report. A look of growing disappointment shown on his face as his grey eyes scanned through the pages. Ed’s tolerance was thinning and after what seemed like an hour, Roy set the report down and looked over to him sternly.

“You couldn’t even place the guy in custody?” he asked bluntly. Ed gave a small shrug and Roy sighed leaning back in his chair, “That’s just great...Edward how many times do I have to tell you to stop making rash decisions?” Roy scolded him, sitting straight in his chair again, “If you could just learn to control your temper, then just maybe you’ll be able to complete a mission with a higher success rate.”
“You call destroying a valid threat to the State army a failure? You know, I nearly got killed thanks to that stupid mission!” Ed shot back
“That’s your job, Elric. We risk lives to save others, you know that.”
Ed gritted his teeth and replied with a scoff, “How come I never see you do the same?”
Roy narrowed his gaze, “That was out of line, Fullmetal.”
“Like I care? Look the mission’s done, I managed to salvage whatever information I could from the wreck. That’s just as good as if the guy was here, isn’t it?”
“Partly, but your objective was to bring Schwarzvald here, alive.”
“It’s not like I killed him.”
“You could have done better.”
“Fine, the next time I play ‘fetch’ I’ll be sure to bring back the damn stick.” Ed scowled, facing away from the Colonel.
Roy smirked, “Good boy.” He added mockingly.

Ed scoffed again and stood up. Just as he did so, a subtle knock was heard at the door. Roy gave the visitor permission to enter and the door opened to allow Lt. Hawkeye in the room. She was carrying a brown folder.

“What’s this?” Roy asked as the Lt. walked over and handed him the folder.
“Another assignment, Sir.” She informed him as he started looking through it.
“Yeah, well since I’m done here, I’ll just be leaving now.” Ed stated walking to the door.
“I didn’t give you permission to leave yet, Fullmetal.” Roy said without looking up from the folder, stopping Ed in his tracks. The Colonel closed the binding and held it up for Ed, “Time for you to play ‘fetch’ again.”
“What is it this time?” Ed walked over to the desk and reached for it, but Roy suddenly withdrew his hand just out of Ed’s reach.

Ed was about to give a complaint when he noticed the look on Roy’s face. He seemed almost dead serious about the matter.

“I’m starting to think that the higher-ups are placing a little too much faith in you, Edward, but I don’t have any say when it comes to their decisions. I will tell you this though, this operation will require delicacy. We cannot afford any screw-ups.”
“That big of a case, huh?” Ed thought aloud as Mustang handed him the folder finally.
“This must be performed as discreetly as possible.” Roy said as Ed began to look through it, “I’d also prefer it if you left Al behind but I would suspect that that’s out of the question.”
“Al would come along even if I told him to stay.” Ed responded, his gaze never moving from the briefing.

Active terrorist activities…supposedly to be of Drachnan origin…advanced chemical warfare…threat of exposure…wait- chemical warfare? Ed furrowed his brow and closed the folder, giving the Colonel a skeptical look.

“How long has this been going on?” he asked.
“For nearly two weeks now.” Roy replied, “I don’t know much on the case myself, truthfully, but I have heard that we have someone on the inside who’s been leaking this information to us. We’ve received some details that this organization has been planning to make an attack on one of the major cities up north. There has been confirmed attacks on some small villages in the more rural areas though…over 40 people have been confirmed dead.” He lowered his gaze as he added, “They’ve been labeled as ‘practice sites’.”
“And the military didn’t do anything to tell the public about this?! People have died already and they have the nerve to hide it?!” Ed exclaimed, placing both of his palms onto the Col.’s desk.
“Why would you be so surprised?” Roy said indifferently.
“It’s not right!”

Roy looked at the kid sternly but a glint of concern shown in his eyes. He understood why Ed was so upset about this but there was little they could do.

“Unfortunately, Edward, neither of us runs this country and until I do, we have no choice but to follow the standards that had been set out for us.”
Ed looked at him curiously, “Huh…that’s an interesting choice of words, Mustang. Better be careful of what you say.”
Roy smirked, “Well, I’m pretty sure I can trust those here to keep quiet about it. Besides if anyone needs a warning to be cautious, it’s you.”
“Is that a threat?” Ed challenged.
“No, it’s me telling you to get packing. The next train heading north is leaving today at 5:20. I expect you to be on it.” Roy said as he leaned back in his chair, “You’re dismissed, Fullmetal.”

Ed let out a tense sigh and headed out of the room, not bothering to salute his superior. The door closed behind him with a sound slam.

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“So these cases are filled with toxic gasses?” Al asked, poking one of the crates.
“Well, that’s what the military believes and as far as I can see, there’s no reason to doubt them.” Ed responded, his golden eyes focusing on a large yellow and black sign saying the word ‘CAUTION’ in bold letters.
“What are we going to do now, Brother?”
“We were only sent in to confirm the presence of the toxins. But I want to find out a bit more before we leave.”

Ed headed down an aisle and towards a door at the end of the room with Al following. After a quick glance about the area through the small window in the door, the two Elrics quickly ducked out of the containment room and into the hallway.

“So far, so good.” Ed whispered as they crept through the seemingly empty halls.
“Brother?” Al asked, matching Ed’s tone.
“Yeah?”
“You still didn’t tell me how you kn-”
“Shhh!” Ed cut him off sharply, “Someone’s coming!” He alerted in a hushed voice just as the sound of running feet echoed from somewhere down the hall.

The two brothers ducked around the next corner and Ed pointed out a door.

“Quickly inside!” He instructed, shoving Al in front of him
“But what if it’s locked?” Al complained as he was hurried towards the door.
“Just try it!” They barged into the room and closed the door behind them as quietly as they could just moments before a troop of guards tromped past. “That was close…” Ed said, heaving a small sigh of relief.

Al gave a small nod in agreement and then turned to look around the room they were in. It was an office with 3 large desks. Each of them had various books and papers strewn about them in an organized mess. Along one side of the wall stood 4 bookcases filled with various volumes and journals. Ed would have liked to glance through them but he thought better of it and turned to face his younger brother.

“Hey, Al. Wait here for a moment, ok?” he said, opening the door.
“Where are you going?” Al asked as he watched Ed poke his head out and glance about the hallway.
“I just need to see something.” Ed responded, ducking back inside, “It won’t take long.” He said and crept back into the hallway.

Al pondered on whether or not to follow him but decided to put some faith that his brother won’t do anything to screw up whatever it is he wanted to do. The younger Elric closed the door and gave a small sigh. His eyes glancing back to the shelves and he walked over to take a look through one of the volumes. Just as he picked a book, the door opened again. Al flailed for a moment and quickly ducked into the back of the room, hiding unsuccessfully behind one of the desks.

“Al?” Ed’s voice sounded from the doorway.
“Oh, Brother, it’s just you.” Al said standing up again, rubbing the back of his helmet.
“I said I wouldn’t take long.” Ed chuckled and then looked up at the ceiling and walls. His eyes fell on a silver ventilation hatch. “I guess that will be my only way in then.” He thought aloud.
“What do you mean?” Al asked, walking over to him.
“I found the lab entrance to where they’re making the toxins.” Ed informed him, “The entrance is too heavily guarded so I’ve got no other choice than to use the ventilation systems.”
“Yeah, but what about me? I can’t possibly fit in there.”
“You’ll just have to hide in here then and wait for me to get back.”
“But Ed, we already found the crates.” Al argued, “Why don’t we try getting out of here before things get out of control?”
“Don’t worry too much, so far we’ve been in the clear, right?” Ed responded, climbing up onto the nearest desk. To his disappointment, Ed still couldn’t reach the hatch door.
“But if you go snooping around the lab, there’s a chance you’ll get caught.” Al tried again, “You’re being reckless again, Brother.”
“Trust me, Al, nothing’s going to happen. I just have to see what’s going on. Unless they’ve got some kind of monitoring system on the vents, then there’s no way that they’ll know I’m there.” He said with confidence, “Now help me get in.”

Al sighed and walked under the vent hatch, allowing Ed to climb onto his shoulders. Ed clapped his hands together and transmuted the vent hatch open and climbed into the small rectangular space. There was just enough room for Ed to crawl on all fours rather comfortably. The fact that he was able to fit in here reminded Ed of his smallish stature and he soon found himself caught in the midst of an anger driven rant about how much he detested his small size and all the people that made fun of him for it. One name in particular really put him on edge as he continued through the vent but his temper began to dissipate as he gazed down through another vent hatch. Directly below him stood two people standing guard, the same two guards he had seen earlier when he was scouting out the hallways. He was going the right way after all.

Slowly and quietly, he passed over the hatch and followed the vent into the laboratory. As Ed passed through one section, he felt the boards sag under his weight with a small creaking sound and Ed stopped in his tracks waiting to see if it would hold. He gave a small sigh of relief and then continued on quickly to keep from having his weight stay in one place for too long until he came to a stronger section. Up ahead, the vent split into two directions. After a moment of decision making, Ed went down the path leading right and followed it until it led him to another hatchway, giving him an almost clear view of the lab floor.

There were about 15 people in all within the room. All of them were wearing white suits specifically designed to filter the air should a gas leak occur. A few of them were walking around with clip boards on which they would jot down some notes and collect the data given to them from small gauges positioned on the side of large tanks. Others were sitting around tables with clear glass boxes, various instruments, flasks, and vials. Probably where they mix the chemicals, Ed thought and continued looking around the room. To the far side directly across from him was a large boiler and furnace that systematically blew out steam in timed intervals. Near the center of the room stood a large steel chamber with a small glass window imbedded within one side, showing a swirling mass of some type of dark bluish-purple gas that lied within. Content with his observations, Ed turned around and crawled back the way he had come.

As Ed reached the weakened part of the vent, a loud snap was heard and resounded through the narrow shaft as it dipped down suddenly underneath the alchemist.

“Ah, crap…” Ed muttered and the vent collapsed under him.

He hit the floor with a loud thud, hitting his face into the ground as the bottom of the vent casing clattered and clanged on the hard metal floor near him. He sat up and shook his head to get him out of his daze as a flurry of movement surrounded him. When he became alert again, he found himself facing off with several gun barrels. He was surrounded by 5 guards, each ready to open fire on the young Alchemist if needed. Ed glowered up at them and rose to his feet, raising his hands equal to his shoulders showing that he was unarmed.

“Just who the Hell are you, kid? And what do you think you’re doing scrounging around this place like that?” One of the guards asked, jabbing Ed with a rifle.
“The name’s Edward Elric, you might’ve heard me more commonly be called the ‘Fullmetal Alchemist’.” Ed replied.

At the mentioning of his name one of the people in the white suits began moving towards the back of the group, unnoticed by any of his companions and the captured military officer as the air became filled with gloats, words of disgust, and annoyance.

“This is the Fullmetal Alchemist? You're joking right?” one said
“He’s a little too small for a member of the State.” Another chimed in.
“Is the Amestrian Military getting so desperate that they have to draft in children?”
“DON’T CALL ME SMALL!” Ed blurted out suddenly, lunging at one of the nearest guards only to get pushed back by the others.
“Enough talk,” One of the scientists said, his voice was slightly muffled and awkward sounding through the gas mask he was wearing, “Just get rid of him. You’re interrupting our-”
“GAS LEAK!” someone cried aloud, cutting the man off mid-sentence.

As soon as it had been exclaimed, the atmosphere of the lab broke into pandemonium. A siren began to blare out in synch with flashing red and yellow lights as some of the scientists tried to find the cause for the gas leak while others made a frenzied dash towards the exit. The guards had all put on their masks just as Ed ducked down, clapped his hands together and pressed his palms onto the floor. A bright flash of blue and white light lit up the area suddenly as a large chasm took form in the center of the lab. Several guards and a few scientists fell in while others scrambled out of the way. An order to open fire on the alchemist was given and Ed ran off, keeping low in an attempt to keep himself from becoming a larger target. He ducked under and around tables, knocking some of them over until he reached the large container positioned in the center of the room, using it as a shield from the guards attacks.

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“Huh?” Al questioned as he looked up at the vent.

Something that sounded a lot like gunshots echoed through the vent way. As he neared the small hole in the wall, the sound of hurried footsteps came from the hallway outside. Al waited for them to pass before venturing out to investigate. The sound of the chaos taking place in the lab was dull from where he stood but it was clear to him that something wasn’t right. His thoughts immediately turned to the whereabouts and well being of his brother and he quickly bolted down the hallway.

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“Hold your fire! Hold your fire, you idiots! You’re shooting the tank!” an erratic voice cried out among the din of alarms and sporadic gunfire.

Ed was crouching low behind the large container, his jaw clenched into a grimace as he waited for a chance to counterattack. The gunshots stopped and Ed immediately stepped out, clapping his hands together only to feel the ground shudder beneath him suddenly. He turned around quickly just in time to see the tank burst, spitting out the dark bluish-purple gas in a compressed stream with a loud hiss. Ed gave out an aggravated cry of surprise which soon turned to pain as he tried to stumble out of the gas.

“BROTHER!” Al screamed out, running towards the older Elric, knocking over anyone and anything that was in his path.

Ed felt himself double over and drop to his knees. His eyes burned and his skin felt like ice. His lungs felt prickly and each coughing gag felt as if he was being stabbed through the chest by countless daggers. He tried crawling out from the cloud of gas that now hung over him in a thick haze but his entire being felt numb to the point of where he couldn’t tell if he was moving or not. His hearing became distorted as if he had suddenly taken a dive beneath a pool of water and his eyes could only make out the faintest of shapes. Unable to keep himself balanced, Ed collapsed onto the floor just as a large bulky figure came into view.

“Brother!” Al called out to him again as he neared.

Ed gathered the last of his strength and held up an arm to reach out to him, only to see another darkened shadow jump directly in front of him. Ed’s arm dropped and darkness overtook him.

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The evening sky was dark and heavy with large grey clouds that slowly rolled by overhead. The air was fresh and crisp from light rain fall and small puddles gathered around the front grounds of East Head Quarters. Alphonse Elric stared up at the gates for a long moment before venturing inside with a small sigh. A small cardboard box was tucked neatly away under the crook of his arm. The top of it had small puncture holes giving the box’s contents an ample airflow. As the younger Elric walked up the wide terraced steps, a muffled cry of complaint came from within the box. Al looked down but didn’t say anything as he continued into the building, each step he took jostled the package he was carrying despite his efforts in taking slow even steps. By now, Al had just given up on trying to apologize for the discomfort of the being that lied within and ignored the string of complaints until they had stopped altogether, for which Al was grateful for.

As Al made his way through the labyrinth of halls in the HQ, the armor couldn’t help but notice that things were unusually quiet and not as busy as he’d come to think. All the better for us then, he thought, walking around another corner. His destination was the office of Ed’s superior, Colonel Mustang. Al came to another corner and the Colonel’s office came into view. As he was nearing it, the door leading to the subordinate office opened suddenly and Al found himself standing face to face with the Colonel himself. A beat passed as they exchanged a blank look of surprise but that changed as Roy’s brow furrowed, showing his current temperament. He closed the door and looked about the hallway, not even bothering with a greeting. His focus was on finding Ed, but the kid wasn’t in his line of sight.

“Alright, Edward!” he said turning to Al once again, thinking that the pipsqueak was hiding behind his metallic behemoth of a brother, “Come out this instant!” he barked.
“Um…he’s not…” Al began, taking a small step to one side showing that no one was behind him, “He’s-”
“Where is he then?!” Roy demanded, glowering up at Al.

Alphonse backed away a bit as he met the Colonel’s gaze. Roy’s grey eyes were flashing with boiling anger.

“He’s here…but …just not…I mean- He’s-” Al stammered trying to bring the Colonel’s attention on the box he held before Roy cut him off again.
“He’s putting himself into even deeper trouble by not directly reporting in to me.” Roy growled. He then called out each of his subordinates names, beckoning them into the hallway.

The door immediately burst open as officers Hawkeye, Havoc, Breda, and Fuery scrambled into the hallway and stood at attention. All of them looked a bit unnerved at having to deal with Mustang’s temper ever since he had heard of Ed’s recent failure at the terrorist base.

“Find Edward and bring him to my office immediately!” Roy declared, “I don’t care if you have to drag the kid in by his hair, just make sure I see him!”
“Yes, sir!” Hawkeye, Havoc, Breda, and Fuery answered in unison, saluting the Colonel once more before dispersing to find Fullmetal.

Roy turned on his heel and stormed into his office, slamming the door behind him leaving a bewildered and sheepish Alphonse alone in the middle of the hallway, still holding up the small box that contained an even smaller Edward Elric.

“That went well…” Ed’s voice sounded from within the box. He was rather pleased that Al hadn’t been given the chance to divulge his secret, “I guess it’s a good thing that Ol’ Hot-Head can’t control his temper. Otherwise he might’ve actually tried to listen to you. Oh, well, let’s get going Al. I don’t want to stay in this box any longer.”
Al gave a small sigh and looked down at the box, “Sorry, brother, but we’re staying here until we can talk to Colonel Mustang.” he answered resolutely.
“What?! No! Al! Let’s just go now!” Ed pleaded.
“I’m sorry, brother! But we can’t! You’re in too much trouble already! If we don’t talk to Colonel Mustang soon, we’ll just make things worse.”
Ed gave a small groan but he knew that Alphonse was right. “Fine…but let’s just wait a bit more until he calms down or something.”
Al sighed, “Alright, brother.”

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“You still couldn’t find him!?” Roy’s voice sounded from inside his office.

Fuery had just returned after an hour of searching for Edward but to no avail. Now he stood before the Colonel’s desk taking his turn of verbal punishment for failing to find the Fullmetal. Havoc, Hawkeye, and Breda stood off to one side of the room, pretending to mind their own business as they half listened to the Colonel complain. Roy slumped in his chair and gritted his teeth. His right hand was clenched into a fist so tightly that it had begun to shake. Fuery quickly skirted away and over to the others, not wanting to face more of Roy’s outbursts head on as the Colonel leaned forward onto his desk and propped his elbows on the desktop. He massaged his now throbbing temples with his fingertips in an attempt to thwart an oncoming headache.

Thanks to Ed’s failure on that assignment, the terrorist organization had gone completely below radar and so far all attempts in trying to locate them have been unsuccessful. Since Ed was under Roy’s command, the Colonel was being given Hell for the kid’s mistake despite the fact that it was them who had specifically assigned Ed for the task. When I get my hands on that little moron I swear I’ll- His train of thought was interrupted as another idea came to mind. Wait a minute… Roy raised his head and looked over to his subordinates. They looked back at him with curious expressions.

“Where’s Alphonse?” he asked.
“Right outside, sir.” Fuery answered quickly, “At least that’s where I saw him as I came in.”
“Bring him in.” Roy said.

Fuery immediately walked over to the door and opened it. Just as he had said, the empty suit of armor was still out in the hallway. Alphonse’s attention was on the box he was holding.

“Hey, Alphonse?” the Master Sgt. called out to him and Al raised his head, snapping the box lid closed suddenly.
“Huh?” he asked looking over to Kain.
“The Colonel would like to see you, if that’s alright.” Kain informed him.
“Uh, yeah, sure.” Al said walking towards the room.

Kain stepped aside to let the Elric through and closed the door behind him. He then returned to his spot near the others as Al approached the Colonel’s desk from where Roy looked at him sternly.

“Now, I understand that you would probably not want to get your brother into anymore trouble than he already is, Alphonse.” Roy said with a stern yet calming tone, “However, it is of extreme importance that I talk with him A.S.A.P. Already he is making things worse by not being here as I’m sure you can tell. So, if you have any idea where your brother is, I’d appreciate it if you told me or brought him here yourself.”
“Actually, I’ve been trying to tell you that earlier.” Al responded, looking down to the box he held in his hands. Roy quirked a brow as a small muffled cry of complaint escaped from within, “He’s been with me the whole time.” Al continued, placing the box on the Colonel’s desk.

Havoc, Hawkeye, Breda, and Fuery gathered around for a closer look. Roy glanced up to Alphonse quizzically for a moment.

“You can’t be serious…” he said skeptically, Al gave a light shrug.
“You mean to say he got transmuted into a box?” Fuery blurted out suddenly.
“I think he means that he’s inside the box, Kain.” Riza responded with a demeaning tone.

Roy stretched out a hand and removed the lid revealing a 3” tall blonde haired boy. His arms were bound to his sides by a piece of string, a precaution Al had taken just in case Ed tried to escape using his alchemy. The five military officials gaped in silent amazement at the boy while Ed stared straight ahead with a look of controlled humility on his face. Several moments passed in quiet bewilderment before any of them ventured to speak. It was Roy that broke the awkward silence.

“I don’t believe it…” he muttered.

Oh, great…here it comes… Ed thought and looked up at the Flame expecting to see a look of amusement shining on the Colonel’s face, only to be a bit surprised at seeing that Roy was looking down. Half his face covered in the shadow of his bangs, keeping his expression hidden.

“You really screwed up this time didn’t you, Elric?” Roy said, his voice held a solemn tone.

Ed blinked and stared at him. He couldn’t believe it. Was Mustang actually being sensible about his current disposition? Ed was expecting to have heard at least half a dozen lame short jokes by now but the Colonel still hadn’t said a thing leaning towards that direction of speech. He’s really taking this seriously, Ed thought, a wave of relief flowed through him and he closed his eyes allowing himself to bask in the solemnity of this moment. Though it didn't last long.

Roy emitted a snort and Ed’s eyes shot open, looking up to Mustang quizzically, wondering what that was about. He then noticed that the Colonel was beginning to shake, but his face still remained hidden from view as he kept his head low. The other officers, Ed, and Al stared at him with apparent confusion.

“Colonel?” Hawkeye questioned quietly, extending a hand to touch his shoulder.

Suddenly, Roy threw his head back as wild raucous laughter escaped from him, causing the others to jump. Ed glared at the Colonel darkly as he continued laughing as the Colonel’s subordinates stared in quiet amazement. They hadn’t ever seen Mustang like this before and needless to say, were quite surprised by it. Havoc and Breda found themselves chuckling while Fuery gave an amused grin. Hawkeye just closed her eyes and shook her head disapprovingly.

“Don’t you think you should take this a bit more seriously, sir?” she said sternly.

Roy began to take in a few breaths to calm down but another glance at Edward sent the Colonel into another fit of laughter. He leaned back in his chair a bit too far and fell over with a surprised yelp, sending Havoc, Breda, and Fuery into a small fit of laughter themselves. Ed smirked, thinking that that would be the end of it, only to hear more raucous side-splitting laughter escape from Roy’s lungs. Edward tried to control himself but after a few moments he couldn’t contain it any longer.

“ENOUGH ALREADY!” Ed bellowed, but due to his size, his voice came out at a higher pitch than normal further adding to Roy’s and the other men’s amusement. “SHUT UP!” Ed roared again but to no avail.

Al and Riza exchanged a blank look before heaving a submissive sigh as Ed’s tantrum increased to mostly just cussing than anything. Roy’s arms were clamped firmly around his sides as he began to calm down finally.

“God, I needed that!” Roy managed to stammer in between exasperated chuckles as he pulled himself together.

He sat up on his knees and placed his arms on the desktop. His face was flushed and his eyes were slightly misted. He coughed a bit to clear his throat but a broad grin remained firmly on his face. Ed continued to glare darkly at his superior, his teeth clenched firmly together as he emitted a low growl.

“I’m so glad to have lightened the mood, Colonel.” Ed hissed, “Now why don’t you return the favor and untie me.”

Al gave a small noise in objection but Mustang didn’t catch it as he gave a small shrug and snapped his fingers, burning off the bit of yarn that was wound tightly around the small alchemist. Immediately, Ed clapped his hands together and pressed his palms to the desktop and before Roy could retaliate, Ed transmuted a large wooden fist and forced it to slam itself into the Colonel’s jaw. Roy fell back behind the desk, caught completely off guard. He regrouped himself and quickly clambered to his feet as Ed tried to scamper away. Roy’s hand was faster and he caught the pint-sized alchemist in his grip, all look of amusement gone from the Colonel’s face. The others in the room all gave an uneasy look as Ed struggled to get out of Mustang’s grip.

“That was out of line, Edward.” Mustang growled lowly, his grip tightening as Ed squirmed.
“Colonel…” Hawkeye warned, her eyes narrowing as her right hand hovered over the pommel of her pistol, ready to fire a few warning shots if this got too out of hand.

Roy looked to her and matched her gaze for a moment before backing down. He dropped Ed on top of the box Al had been carrying him around in and turned away, allowing the tension in the room to ease up a little.

“The least you can do is return my desk to its normal state.” Roy added after a moment as he picked up his chair and sat down.

Ed grumbled and reluctantly obliged.

“So, what’s gonna happen now?” Havoc asked looking from Ed and then back to Roy.
“First you can tell me how this all happened.” Roy said looking back to Edward.

Ed glowered up at him for a moment and gave a small submissive sigh. At least now we’re finally being serious about this. He thought and then spoke up, “I breathed in some kind of gas…” he answered hesitantly, looking away for a moment as he recalled the events of that day, “I’m guessing they were still experimenting with it.”
“Well, they’re on the right track if they want to make super short midgets.” Roy remarked dryly and Ed glared at him again.
“This really isn’t the time for jokes, sir.” Riza advised.

Roy didn’t give her so much as a glance but said nothing in reply and Ed looked up to her gratefully, glad to see that at least someone was on his side. Al had yet to have said anything in his elder brother’s defense, thinking that he didn’t have much of a place to interrupt.

“What happened afterwards?” Roy asked.

Ed took a few moments to gather his thoughts before answering the Colonel. A vague memory of him being picked up and carried away to somewhere flashed through his mind but he thought that was just Alphonse carrying him to safety. In the end Ed just shook his head.

“Nothing really...after I breathed in the gas I blacked out. I kinda remember Al picking me up afterwards to get me out of the lab but when I woke up I was already inside this box.” he looked down at his personal ‘carriage’ for a moment.
"...Erm...brother?" Al interjected, “I wasn’t the one who carried you out of the lab.”
“What do you mean you didn’t? I know I saw you before I fainted.” Ed said, turning to face his younger brother.
Al shook his head, “It was one of the people that worked in the lab.”
“What? Hey, why didn't you say anything before?”
“I'm sorry, Brother, but he said that he didn’t want you or anyone else in the military to know.” Al explained, “He said it might endanger his own mission if the military knew any information before he was ready to report in.” he then added after a moment, “He got us out of the base and dropped us off at Youswell. You were unconscious the whole time, but he did help you.”
“Did he say he was apart of the military?” Roy questioned.
“Well, he didn’t say it directly, but...I did see his pocket watch.”
“A State regulation pocket watch?”
Al gave a small nod, “He’s a doctor too, and he cared for Ed while he was sick.”
“So you’re saying...” Ed began, “You’re saying that you’ve met up with the informant who’s been working in the field all this time?”
“Possibly.” Al answered, “He never gave his name. He just said he was a doctor and that’s it. He helped you the best he could, brother.”
“Is there any information on who that is?” Ed asked, turning to Mustang.
“I could find out in a few hours.” Roy replied, leaning back in his chair.
“Good, then I’ll need to know as soon as possible. Maybe he’ll know a way to get me back to normal.”
Roy smirked, “And maybe we could ask him to add a few more inches.” He added coyly. Ed growled at him and Roy continued, “But if he is back in the field there will be no way of contacting him until he sends word first. And that could be days.”
“Yeah, well, we’ll just have to find something else to do in the meantime.” Ed stated, still clearly pissed off, “Come on, Al, let’s get out of here already.” Al gave a nod and picked his brother and the box up off the table.
“I’ll send for you once I find anything.” Roy said just as the two brothers left.

Once the door had closed, Roy swiveled in his chair, facing away from his subordinates as he gave a small chuckle in spite of himself.

Riza quirked a brow, “Colonel, may I suggest something?”
“Hrm?” Roy inquired as he ruffled through a desk drawer and brought out a small leather bound book that served as his journal. The binding was thick and well-used.
“Maybe you should take a break from your childish antics for now.” Riza continued, watching him pick up a pen.
“Yeah, really, Chief,” Havoc chimed in, “They deserve a little slack after all they’ve gone through, don’t you think?”

Roy gave a small submissive sigh, “Fine, if it’ll get you all off my back.” He grumbled as his right hand scribbled a few lines onto a blank page of the journal, “But truthfully, I’m actually just relieved.” He looked up and over to them, a sincere gleam of concern shining in his dark grey eyes, “It could’ve turned out a lot worse. I really didn’t think that they’d be able to handle a mission of that standing. If I had been able to, I wouldn’t have allowed them to go.” He then added, “but orders are orders…” he snapped the journal shut with one hand and quickly got back to the business, sending the others off to find any information on the Elrics' new guardian.
-------------------------------------
Ed’s mood hadn’t lightened any as he and his brother headed back to their hotel room. The sound of Mustang’s laugh still echoed in the back of his mind no matter how hard he tried to get over it. He emitted another aggravated yell and kicked at the side of the box. Al looked down at the box he cradled in his hands. A look of what could have been concern showing in his glowing red eyes but he didn’t say anything. They made it up to their hotel room and Al placed the box onto the small glass table top in the center of the living room area. Once settled, Ed crept out of the box and paced about the tabletop as Al sat down on the dark colored couch and watched his brother curiously.

“I’m getting so sick of that stupid jerk.” Ed stated in a low growl, “I’ve had it with his stupid taunts and that damn ‘mightier than thou’ attitude. I’m gonna teach him a lesson, you’ll see. I’m gonna make sure he gets what’s coming.” Ed gave a final sigh as he exhumed all his anger and calmed down. “So, tell me more about the informant, Al.” he said, turning to look up to his younger brother.
“Well…” Al began, thinking back, “He was-”

BRRRRRRIIIIIIING………..BRRRRRRRRIIIIIIING

Al looked up and over to the small table on which the phone was summoning them from. He let it ring once more before standing up to answer it.

“Hello?” Al said into the receiver, “Oh, Colonel Mustang.” Ed’s ears perked up at hearing the Colonel’s name and Al continued, “Uh-huh…Ok…Yes, sir, I’ll tell him then. Good bye.” Al placed the receiver down and then walked back over to Ed who looked up at him questioningly, obviously interested in what the call was about, “We’re in luck, brother.” Al said, “The Colonel said that they’ve found who out who was investigating the terrorist base and he’s actually here at East Headquarters.”
Ed brightened, “Really? Can we go see him then?”
Al gave a nod, “Yep, Lieutenant Havoc will be coming by to pick us up and drop us off. He'll be here shortly.”
“Great, let’s get going then.” Ed said climbing into his box, “Who is this guy anyway?”
-------------------------
“I am Doctor Yan Filoden, Colonel of the State Army and also known as the Rebuilder Alchemist.” A tall, lean, lightly built figure greeted hollowly, sounding as if he had rather be off with his own business rather than dealing with the two brothers sitting before him. The doctor’s hazel brown eyes looked distant, seemingly unfeeling and cold as he studied the Elrics. He had neatly cropped dark brown hair with a few bangs hanging high above his brow though a bit longish at the sides. He was dressed in a dark green collared shirt, a black tie which hung loosely around his neck and a pair of dark beige Dockers pants. A long white lab coat was hanging onto the shoulder of the dark mahogany recliner he was sitting in with his elbows propped up on the arm rests while his fingers intertwined leaving his right leg to rest on his left at the ankle. As the doctor stared them down with his methodical gaze, Ed was getting a really strong vibe that this was one person you did not want to make cross.

“The Rebuilder Alchemist, huh?” Ed thought aloud. He was sitting on a small stack of medical books upon a small black wood table. The doctor was reading them when Al and Ed arrived after being dropped off by Lt. Havoc. “Well, I guess I oughta give you my thanks for helping us and an apology…though I don’t know if a simple ‘I’m sorry’ would be enough to suffice for blowing your cover.” Ed said sheepishly.

Yan gave a small shrug, “True, two words- though no matter how sincere you may be- is hardly what I would call compensation for nearly 2 months of work.” He stated dryly but with a cold undertone. Ed winced a bit and Yan continued, “But, it doesn’t change the fact that I was caught at a crossroads to either stick with my mission or let you die.” He paused for a moment and then added rather bluntly, “Either way, I would’ve found out the results of the gas, the question was whether or not I wanted to see it at work on a grander scale or not.”

Ed blinked, all look of sheepishness leaving him allowing an appalled look to dominate his features, “So you only helped me to document the results of the gas?”
“To put it frankly, yes.”
“Tch, and here I thought you would be different, but you’re just like any other self centered official here.” Ed scowled and stood up.

Al gave a small noise in objection from where he was sitting; an old, odd smelling couch the same color of Yan’s recliner. Ed ignored it.

“Watch it, Fullmetal,” Yan replied sternly, leaning forward in his chair just enough to place both feet on the floor, “Just be glad I didn’t allow the toxins to finish you off. If it weren’t for me, you’d be dead.” Ed glowered up at him but Yan paid it no heed as he stood up and moved to the back of the room. “I bet you haven’t even noticed yet.” He said just loudly enough for him to be heard clearly, “How long have you been sleeping for?” he asked as he began sifting through some luggage.
“What does it matter? And notice what?” Ed replied, shouting to be heard.
“He was asleep right up until I had arrived back in East city. By then his arms were still bound by the yarn like you had suggested.” Alphonse answered.
“Ah, good to hear that you followed my directions.” Yan stated, “Now where did- oh, here they are.”
“Notice what?” Ed asked again as Yan returned.
“Remember these?” the doctor asked, holding up two badly damaged metallic limbs.

They looked as if someone had ground them up and shoved them into a melting pot. They could hardly even be described as an arm and a leg anymore.
Ed’s eyes widened as his jaw hung open. He instantly rolled up the right sleeve of his jacket, a soundless gasp escaping him as he saw skin and flesh. He then knelt down to roll up the cuff of his left pant leg. Again he saw skin and flesh. He was whole again, not a speck of metal anywhere.

“But….how…? This…but…how…?” Ed gaped up at the Rebuilder.
“It was pretty simple actually.” Yan answered, sounding completely unappreciative of his own work. Ed figured that he wasn’t even trying to be humble about it and Yan continued, “And thanks to your new size, your recovery time was decreased dramatically. Normally it would have taken a job like that two to three weeks to finish and another two to three weeks before you could even stand.”
“So, you’re the one who’s responsible for why I look like this?” Ed asked, unsure of whether or not he should be pissed or grateful for the Rebuilder’s help.
“More than half of your body was merely melted flesh since the gases were eating you from the inside. I could only reconstruct- or rebuild as the State put it- your body at the stature you are now.”
Ed emitted a small growl as he yelled, “But if you’re so great, why couldn’t you have just rebuilt my body as it was rather than turning me into a three inch freak?”
“It’s better than being dead isn’t it?” Yan shot back, “Like I said, your body was far too damaged for you to have remained that way. You’re lucky I had managed to make you as you are now. Believe me when I say that it could have been far worse.” Ed’s temper all but dissipated as he turned away. “Still…I find it rather fascinating…” Yan added thoughtfully, looking over what used to be Ed’s auto-mail arm, “The toxins in the gas were strong enough to eat away at the metals used to create these limbs. Heh, we’ll be in high water if and when those gases are unleashed.” He turned Ed’s arm in his hands and looked at it from various angles, “Hrm…despite the gases’ efforts though, most of the interior hasn’t been touched. I haven’t seen this kind of craftsmanship before…The State must be paying you really well for you to have been able to afford such a highly skilled mechanic.”

Ed glanced up to Yan from the corner of his eye. A small look of content showed in his golden eyes. Winry would have been proud to hear that, he thought and looked over to Al. He could tell that his younger brother was thinking the same thing.

“Still, I’d prefer it if people had paid more attention and make it more of a priority for everyone to keep all their limbs.” Yan continued and sat back down in the dark mahogany recliner, setting the limbs next to the side of the chair, “It’s a shame that there are too many reckless people in this world, but then again, I’d be out of a job if there weren’t. The irony of it all.”

Ed gave a small nod in agreement and sat back down on the edge of the binding of the volume. His eyes focused on his right arm again. He had his limbs back. He had real flesh and blood flowing through his veins but yet, in spite of himself, he wasn’t pleased. This was not the way he had intended to get them back. He wanted to get the Philosopher’s Stone, and though this was probably just as good as if he and his brother had found it, this was like taking a shortcut than anything. No, he wouldn’t be able to keep these limbs, it wasn’t fair to Al nor was it fair for the Equivalence…unless…

“So, is there anyway to get me back to my normal size?” he asked, looking back up to Yan once more.
“Well…I can’t say that it’s impossible.” Yan said with a shrug.
“So there’s still a chance?” Al chimed in with a hopeful tone.
“Truthfully, I haven’t done anything like that before. Though, I am sure I can try to reverse it…might take quite some time, but I think it’s worth a few days of experimentation.” He then added, “On a side note, I still have a few other objectives that may get in the way of your own rebuilding. I need to make an ample amount of the toxins so that I can make an effective antidote or stabilizer in case the gases are released.”
“How long would that take?” Ed inquired gingerly.
“Well, back at the lab, it took us about a month to develop the gas to its full potency.” Yan answered, scratching his head.
“A month?!” Ed fell back onto the book, “I’ll be mouse-boy for a month?!” He wailed.
“The more time you spend griping, the more time you’ll be stuck that way.” Yan answered dryly, “Anyway, if you don’t have any further questions, you two can leave now. I should have everything ready for you by tomorrow. You’ll report to me first thing in the morning.”

Ed sat up again with a ponderous expression on his face as he looked back into Yan’s eyes. Yan looked back at him expectantly, awaiting any further word from the young alchemist but Ed just shook his head. He would find another time to ask him.

“Alright then, we’ll see you tomorrow.” Ed said finally and climbed back into his box.

(I definetly want to be Havoc, but Ill have to post later ^^ wink

(*cries* My Roy! No! He's already taken! *cries* Oh well...May I be Riza please?))

((characters name is River. you should all know her from the other rp threads on here. Okay if i join?))

(Added a bit more to the intro story...sorry for the longer read >>; but uh, I felt it neccessary so that everyone would be able to start easier. It'll be a new day so the military would be starting off their daily rounds; Ed and Al are off in their hotel room from which they could then head off to Yan's dorm and we'll see what happens from there)