The Blue Squad

“You seem real distracted,” Jean pointed out, casually lighting a cigarette.

Alee looked at him glumly from across the table in the busy mess hall. Maybe if she’d actually been hungry, she would’ve chastised him for smoking while she was eating, but she’d lost her appetite long ago. She just sighed and pushed her plate away.

“Is it the raids?” he continued, leaning forward onto his elbows.

She shook her head.

“Well, they’ve got me going for sure. It’s like since we’ve captured their leader, the organization has all disappeared. I’m not stupid; I know they’re just waiting around for the right time.”

“Sorry, but are you talking about the Blue Squad?”

“Yeah. I can’t track ‘em.”

“Did you send Breda out again?” Alee chuckled, glad for the distraction from Isaac. “I couldn’t help but notice he’s not here.”

Jean frowned and puffed on his cigarette.

“Not happy, huh?” She imagined the hefty Second Lieutenant Breda’s face when he realized he’d been sent on yet another wild goose chase by Jean, and laughed.

“Anyway, it’s not like it’s my fault!” Jean huffed, crossing his arms defensively. “The higher ups keep breathing down my neck for results when they hardly give me anything to work with! How am I supposed to catch ghosts?”

“Lieutenant Colonel!” someone called from across the hall. “Lieutenant Colonel!”

Alee looked up, surprised as a bespectacled young man with a sweet, boyish face and black hair ran up to their table and saluted.

“Sir, Colonel Mustang says it’s imperative that you come to C-sec as soon as possible.” After a moment’s consideration, he added, “You too, Havoc.”

Needing no further invitation, they followed Fuery out of the mess hall.

“What’s wrong, Fuery?” Alee asked as they walked briskly down the hall, all business.

“It’s General Hakuro. We think he’s on a train that’s just been hijacked by the eastern extremists—“

“Lemmie guess,” Havoc groaned.

“—the Blue Squad.”

Havoc groaned again, rubbing his face with his hands.

“Stow it, Havoc,” Alee ordered, casting him a sympathetic look. “Any ETA on the train to East City Station?”

“Breda was working on it when the Colonel sent me to get you. He’d just gotten back to HQ when we got the call.”

“Just our luck,” Alee mused. “Now no one can go home early. Can’t the general take a vacation to the North for once?” Come to think of it, that sounded like a good idea. Maybe she’d take her own Northern vacation when this was over.

The tree of them quickly turned a corner and Fuery led them through the first door on the right. All kinds of beeps and whirs and typing and chatter greeted them as they entered the room. Soldiers flitted from screen to screen relaying orders, getting intel, reporting back. The whole room was buzzing; lights winking, every radio in use.

“Heeeeyyy,” a large, scruffy man greeted, raising his steaming cup of tea. “Glad you could join the party, sir.”

“Second Lieutenant Breda,” Alee acknowledged, striding towards him. She noted with distaste that his uniform was unbuttoned and wrinkled, as usual. How many times would she have to remind him to clean up before he would listen?

“Fuery, the Colonel wants you back on intel,” Breda said gruffly, waving what looked like a time table.

He nodded curtly and rushed past them.

“You’ll get it big time now, buddy,” Breda teased Havoc, eyeing him over his cup.

Havoc scowled at him, about to retort but Alee quickly cut him off. “Where is the colonel?”

Breda turned and pointed back behind him wordlessly.

“Thank you. Come on, Havoc,” Alee said briskly, heading in the direction Breda had pointed.

As they passed him, Havoc stuck out his tongue at Breda who swiped at him with the time table.

“Would you two cut it out?” Alee snapped. “I swear, you two act like children.”

“You’re one to talk,” Havoc shot back.

Colonel Mustang was bent over Sergeant Fuery as he worked furiously at a typewriter, headphones over his ears.

“Sir,” she addressed him, saluting. “You summoned us?”

He looked up and nodded. “Yes. You’ve been filled in, I imagine?”

“Yes, sir. Are we sure the General is on board?”

He shrugged. “Fuery’s getting the guest list to the party now. I sure wish one of my subordinates who was assigned to track down Blue Squad had actually done his job—“ (Jean scowled and pulled out a cigarette.) “—now we’re all stuck here.” Roy cupped his chin in his hand and leaned towards Alee conspiratorially, saying, “I guess the general’s just going to have to sacrifice himself so that we can wrap this thing up right away…”

Alee smiled and shook her head at him.

“Don’t be ridiculous, colonel,” Fuery said, voicing Alee’s thoughts as he pulled off the headset. He reached forward and tore a piece of paper off his typewriter and handed it back to Roy. “Here is the list of passengers, sir.”

Havoc sidled closer to Roy to look over his shoulder. “Ah. Old man Hakuro really is on board with his family,” he said, glancing up at Alee.

“Shall I mobilize a team to intercept the train, sir?” Alee asked.

“Good grief…” Roy muttered, ignoring her. “I’m sure he knew that the situation out east is unstable, and yet he still comes here on vacation…” He rubbed his temple and scanned the page again. Suddenly, his face lit up. “Hold on, everyone!” he announced loudly. “I think we can go home earlier today than we thought.”

Everyone paused in what they were doing to stare at him in confusion.

“Sir?”

Roy looked up at Alee, smiled, handed her the list and said, “The Fullmetal Alchemist is onboard.”

Everyone relaxed but Alee. Fullmetal was a good kid and all, but a hothead and was just as likely to do more damage than help in this hostage situation.

“As for intercepting the train,” Roy continued, stuffing his hands in his pockets, “no need. Assemble a cleanup crew, that’s all that will be necessary. Have them ready to be at East City Station at—what time, Breda?”

“Three fifteen, sir,” he answered promptly from across the room.

“Yes, there you are then.”

He motioned for Lieutenant Hawkeye and they started to leave.

“But sir,” Alee complained, following him as he made to leave. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. You know how he is—“

“And so do you,” Roy cut her off sharply. “Elric is more than capable of handling these terrorists—probably not discreetly—but he’ll handle them.” He lowered his voice to a whisper and beckoned for her to come closer. “Listen AJ, I know you’re itching to fight. Your talents are squandered here in East City. I get it. I’m frustrated too. I’m reduced to lighting some of Havoc’s cigarettes sometimes, just so I can put on my gloves. It’s boring, it’s demoralizing, I know, but we can’t go mixing up in things unnecessarily. Think of it this way, if the general gets murdered, would you rather it be your fault or Fullmetal’s?”

Alee rolled her eyes at him. “That’s selfish! I just think that since this is happening in our district, we’re the ones responsible, we should take care of it.”

Roy smirked at her. “Just got transferred and you’re already trying to leave? You won’t attract anyone’s attention with theatrics, trust me. I’ve been trying for years.” He and Hawkeye stopped in front of his office door, his hand on the knob. He turned to Alee with an impish grin and said, “Face it, Alee: you’re stuck here with me for good.”