Ed tilted his head to the right and then back to the left. A slight crack could be heard coming from his neck. Ed hissed and brought his left hand up to massage it.

"Major Elric?"

Ed looked up to see the sheriff he was meant to be working with frowning at him.

"Long train rides," was all Ed said in response.

He flicked through the file again and suppressed a groan. Ed had been going from small town to small town all over the Southern area of Amestris trying to deal with what had been a minor problem. The locals were claiming Aerugo were poisoning their water supply, but that wasn't really the case. If it had been, it wouldn't have been so boring. However, it seemed the Aerugan people had better things to do then kill off the southern farming population of Amestris. No, instead it was the paranoia that was causing the animals to die, when their owners stopped using the main rivers and streams. They had resorted to old, bacteria infested wells that hadn't been used in over a hundred years. Probably for good reason, Ed couldn't help but think.

Originally, in Fotset, there had been people and livestock getting sick. This was a very valid thing to be concerned about, which warranted investigation. However, instead of Aerugan agents sabotaging the water, it had been an Amestrisian ex-state alchemist experimenting with the trees. His experiments had caused the trees to start producing a hazardous substance when they reproduced oxygen. It made people sick, and killed the animals. The people would have also died within a few weeks if Ed hadn't been ordered down there to kick some ass. The ass in question was being shipped back to Central for a trial and Ed was still cleaning up the mess two weeks later.

Because of the people of Fotset, and the rumour of sabotage being spread, other towns in the south were now resorting to old methods for water. The old methods were not so bad, but the reason they had been stopped was very clear. The water from their wells wasn't running, it was stagnant and collecting bacteria. These idiots didn't even have the forethought to at least boil the water.

So, Ed was traveling the train line, talking to every little, arrogant town, to try and convince them that they were idiots. Naturally, he meant it in the nicest way possible, but that didn't mean they seemed to accept it any quicker.

Changing the trees back, even with access to coded research notes, was not something Ed had time for. Reports were already coming in about the damage the rumours were doing to the other Southern towns. Instead, he killed the trees off and changed them into something useful, like timber planks. They were on the same train with the idiot who modified the tree in the first place for testing to make sure that the affects were neutralised by a state lab. Ed was already regretted his orders before he had gone to his first town. Investigating the materials and the research would have been so much better than dealing with the townspeople.

Ed couldn't help, but wonder what he had done to piss Mustang off this time. Surely he hadn't out blown his expenses that much, or been any ruder than usual to the brass. Had he? No… He treated them like the fat headed pigs he normally treated them to be. So, it couldn't be that. Since Ed had managed to get Al's body back, his temper had mellowed and calmed down, so did his monthly expenses. So it definitely couldn't be money. He didn't even act all that childish any more. After all he was twenty-one. So surely it wasn't that. Though, Mustang had always been more amused than annoyed at his childish behaviour anyway.

"Major Elric?" The Sheriff said again. "When is the military going to do something about the sabotage?"

Ed closed his eyes for a few moments and took a deep breath. As he opened his mouth to try and explain once again, the truth of the situation, when the phone rang.

"Sheriff's office," the man answered.

There was a small pause from the sheriff and another frowned as he listened to his call. Ed closed the file and got up to stretch.

"It's for you," the Sheriff said, holding the phone out.

Ed took it straight out of his hand.

"Major Elric speaking," he said, hoping this was his get out jail free card.

"Yo," Came a familiar voice. "Long time, no see, Ed."

"Hughes?" Ed said, a small smile forming. "Please tell me you have some emergency I have to run off and deal with that isn't in the south?"

The sheriff frowned at him, but Ed didn't care. He had more patience as he had gotten older, but it was starting to run a little thin with these people.

"Actually," Hughes replied. "I do. I want you to finish quickly with this town and catch a train back to South City. Once you're there, I want you to brief two of my men on the situation so they can take over from you. They will receive you from the train station. Afterwards, I want you to catch a train to Central so I can personally brief you on your new assignment."

"What's the problem?" Ed asked.

"These lines aren't secure," Hughes said with a serious tone.

"I'll be on the next train out of here," Ed said, pulling out a train timetable. "I'll be in South City at about… Four."

"My men will meet you there," Hughes confirmed. "They will have a train ticket for Central which will leave at five for you."

"Where will I meet you?" Ed asked.

"I'll pick you up from the station," Hughes replied.

"It'll be about two in the morning by the time I arrive," Ed frowned.

"I'll pick you up from the station," Hughes repeated.

"Fuck," Ed whispered. "I'll see you soon then. Bring coffee."

"See you soon," Hughes said before hanging up.

Ed sighed loudly before putting the phone down. The sheriff was already going off at him. It was something about how all military dogs are all the same. Ed turned his eyes on the man and glared. The sheriff was very quick to close his trap. Ed looked at the clock and got to work.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Ed was normally the sort that easily fell asleep on trains. It was one of those habits he just never grew out of. However, right now he was doing everything he could to sit still instead of pace the aisle while he waited for the train to reach his destination. It had been a very long time since Hughes had been so worked up or so hush, hush about something. The last time Hughes had been, he ended up getting shot by Envy before he could get word out. He'd been so damn lucky to survive, but he had ended up in a coma until the Promised Day had come and gone.

The Promised Day…

Still hard to believe they had won. Even five years later. Even harder to believe they had managed it with his father's help. The old man had really come through for them. Fighting side by side with Ed, helping him over power the bastard and he even got Al his body back. Ed still felt a pang of remorse over the sacrifice his father had given to get Al's body back. It still felt like it was his responsibility, not his father's, to fix that mistake. Though, in some way, remaining with his automail limbs might be his way of making it up. Not that Al had given up on trying to restore Ed's limbs. No! Instead he went off to Xing to study alkahestry.

Ed loved that his brother cared enough to try, but he had hoped Al would get the normal life he had always deserved. Then again, Al had hoped Ed would quit the military afterwards, especially as he wasn't going to use the resources to look for a way to get his limbs back. Guess they just both had different views on how their lives would be if there was ever an 'after' for them. They were still close, but it wasn't the same as when they were younger.

Ed could hear the brakes starting to hiss as they came into Central Station. Ed was already out of his seat and waiting at one of the doors with his bags in hand. As soon as the train stopped, he was off the train and scouting around for Hughes.

The older man was waiting for him just a bit further up the platform with coffee in hand. The man was amazing.

"Yo!" Ed called out.

"Ed," The older man smiled and held out a cup of coffee for him. "Thank you for coming so quick."

"Well, what would you expect?" Ed accepted the coffee. "I can only think this had to be dead serious for you to leave Elicia at this hour."

Ed noticed that Hughes grip on his cup only tightened.

"Is this going to be another briefing at the station, or am I going to get to sit somewhere that isn't moving?" Ed asked, trying to lighten the mood a little.

"Your train leaves at six," Hughes said, managing a small smile. "But we'll do the briefing in the car til it comes in a few hours."

"Lead the way then," Ed nodded, drinking some of his coffee.

The car was parked down a side street, only a few minutes' walk from the station. It was more comfortable than the train seats, but what Ed wouldn't give for a real bed. After all, not many of the towns he had been in lately had been that hospitable, not even accepting him as a patron to their hotels.

"Okay," Ed said as he shut the door behind him. "Spill. What the hell is going on? I'm grateful to be off that stupid ass mission, but all this cloak and dagger shit is getting old."

"It's about Roy," Hughes said. "He's been receiving threatening letters from a terrorist group."