Fullmetal Alchemist: Lost and Bound

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. Hiromu Arakawa does. I only own the OC characters.

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Mustang was back at his desk in headquarters. With the confirmation that Edward had been abducted by chimeras, he couldn't help but feel worry for his youngest subordinate. He knew how risky it was to send out an Amber Alert and involving the military. It could expose the Elric brothers' secret: the performance of a taboo, human transmutation. But the fact that the chimeras had left Central with Ed meant that he could literally be anywhere in the country. Therefore, he needed said country to be on alert for the blond alchemist, before his captors took him somewhere where they could never get him back. That thought scared Mustang the most.

So far the only leads they had to go on were the remaining records from Laboratory 5, as scant as they were. The only files that remained were the enlisted staff records back when it was in use. A certain Dr. Howard Martin had sparked interest in the search, but hope was immediately dashed when it was found out the man was already dead. According to a dated obituary, he had died of a sudden heart attack. He was especially famous in Laboratory 5, performing experiments with chimeras that almost always ended up with success. However, there was nothing mentioned about using humans for these experiments.

Mustang sighed. 'These people really know how to cover up their tracks,' he thought to himself. His thoughts were interrupted by the phone ringing. Picking up the receiver, he prepared himself for another update without progress.

"Colonel Mustang," the voice of Sergeant Major Cain Fuery crackled on the other end. His tone was very stern. Stern enough that Mustang perked up when first hearing it.

"Yes, what is it, Sergeant Fuery?" he asked, his tone demanding that the mousy soldier tell him everything he knew.

"We've received word from a sentry posted on a trading road in the west that they have spotted the perpetrators behind Fullmetal's disappearance. They also saw that they had Edward with them," Fuery answered.

"What did they look like?" Mustang questioned, a little desperate. 'Finally. The first lead in almost two days.'

"According to witnesses, there were four of them, three men and a woman. One man was brawny, one was tall and skinny, the other looked young. The woman had black hair. They escaped the sentry with a stolen military vehicle with the Fullmetal Alchemist in tow. They appeared to have been heading for the western border," Fuery summarized.

A spark of hope ignited in Mustang's chest. He didn't care that Ed's captors had escaped with their quarry. He now knew where they were going, and he could easily catch up to them. He began to clear up the mess on his desk, the receiver tucked in the crook of his elbow. "Where exactly is this sentry posted?" he asked the sergeant.

"It's at a busy part of the trading route two miles outside of a western village called Braxton," Fuery replied.

"Thank you, Sergeant. I'm on my way to the village." With that, the colonel hung up the phone. He walked out of his office to meet the gaze of his lieutenant. "Get ready, we're going to Braxton," he said to the hazel-eyed woman.

"Of course, sir, but may I ask what for?" she inquired as she followed her superior officer out into the corridor.

"Fullmetal and his captors were spotted fleeing from a sentry posted on the trading route outside of the village. They were heading west," he filled in.