Roy Mustang's sister

Chapter 15

We got back to Ed's room, where Hughes and Major Armstrong were.

Alphonse had put Ed down on his bed, and hadn't allowed him to get off since he had reinjured himself. I got by with just being set in a chair and having been ordered to stay there.

And, just in case I got any ideas, Alphonse plopped himself on the ground beside me.

Hughes had smirked at me when Al did that, but that smirk had died away completely when Ed told all of them what had happened in the Fifth Laboratory.

Hughes had given me some paper since he knew I could draw well, and instructed me to draw our two attackers. He knew as well as I did that I knew both of them by memory, since they had haunted my nightmares for years.

He was angry, but he also had a soldier's air of calm. So did Major Armstrong.

Ed had tried to draw Envy, but he looked like a badly drawn palm tree with angry eyes and feet. 

I finished with drawing the two of them, then handed the pictures to Hughes.

"That's what they look like." I said, fighting to stay calm. Honestly, PTSD wasn't fun, and I really did not need it right now. Not that I really had that much of a choice.

Hughes scratched the back of his head, "Despite all this info, the Research Institution is still a pile of rubble." His words earned him a few sighs, but he continued, "Still, I'll see if I can fish something out of the crime lists."

Armstrong looked up, "And I shall investigate Dr. Marcoh's assistants that participated in his experimentation with the stone."

I smiled gratefully at both of them, murmuring out, "Thank you both. I know you don't have to help us, but you still do."

Hughes ruffled my hair with a fond smile, "Don't worry about it, Reyna. We're friends. You do what you can to help friends."

Armstrong nodded, and was about to offer his own opinion, when a cool, charming voice I'd heard before intruded on us. "Excuse me."

I jerked my head up, standing before I know what I'm doing, as Fuhrer King Bradley stepped into the room. The two body guards at the door look as if they've seen a ghost, and are staring at him in shock.

Armstrong and Hughes snap to attention, both saluting and greeting, "King Bradley?" But the greeting was posed as a question.

Bradley holds up his hands, "Please be quiet. That'll do." He soothes them, a charming smile on his face.

"What are you doing here, King Bradley?" Hughes asks, making the question sound less demanding and more innocent curiosity.

King Bradley shrugs, looking at Ed and I, "I heard there were investigations going on in the military brass." He said cooly.

Armstrong stepped forward partly, almost shielding me with his body. I don't blame him for his protective instincts sparking. The look Bradly was giving Ed and I was giving me chills. Al had stepped closer to Ed, but also kept me within arms reach.

"How do you know, sir?" Armstrong asked politely, though I could see how tense he was.

"Don't underestimate my intelligence network." Bradley replied dismissively, before turning his attention to Ed. "Edward Elric. The philosophers stone, wasn't it? How much do you know? Depending on what you know...." He left that threat hanging in the open air.

I could feel the tension in the room, and lighting sparked between my fingers as my Alchemy reacted to the threat.

Then the serious expression faded from Bradley's face, replaced by an amused smile, "I'm just jesting! No need to be so defensive." He laughed, and Armstrong slowly moved away from where he was in front of me.

Ed tilted his head, giving the Fuhrer a dumb look, "What?"

"I understand that there are disturbances occurring within the military. That is why I want this looked into." Bradley explains to us all, with a serious expression firmly back into place. He took the list of names that Armstrong had been holding, frowning at it. "All personnel on this list who are assumed to have helped with the stone need to be investigated. Their locations are unknown. The enemy appears to be one step ahead of us."

Bradley's eyes swept the room, pausing on my unrelenting gaze, before continuing, "Even my intelligence network has no leads or connections. Size, location, true objective, or even how far they've penetrated our ranks. We know nothing of our enemy."

"So conducting research will be very dangerous." Hughes noted.

Bradley nodded solemnly, then swept the room again with his gaze, "Colonel Hughes, Major Armstrong, Elric Brothers, Major Mustang." He listed off, pinning each of us with his piercing gaze, "I have judged that you are all trustworthy. So it is now that I will tell you, for the sakes of your lives and safety, do not include anyone on this. We do not know our enemy, and it's possible that it could be anyone. Even those who claim to be our allies. Trust no one, every military personnel is an enemy. Understand?"

Instantly, Armstrong and Hughes snapped to attention and saluted, "Yes sir!" They barked in unison.

I met Ed's gaze, and we both nodded to each other. Something was off about this whole thing, and it was making me uneasy.

"Sir? Where are you?" A voice called out from another room.

The voice made Bradley jump slightly, before he strolled to the window saying, "Ah, my subordinates have found me. I snuck out of work. So, I'll return there now. Farewell!" Then he flung open the window and leapt out.

We all crowded the window, watching King Bradley stroll the street whistling a merry tune.

I looked back at my companions, "Did anyone else find that slightly unnerving?"