"Are you sure they can handle this?" Winry inquired Komui. They were hiding behind Komui's desk. The akuma had charged directly towards the exorcists. While Miranda couldn't directly attack, she was doing her best to hold back any injuries Sheska suffered. Sheska held her Innocence, which had taken the shape of a shield in front of her while she half chased and half ran away from the akuma.

"Supervisor, this is dangerous! There's a reason Miranda and Sheska are not on missions yet! They're can't handle akuma!" Reever reminded him.

"Maybe I should keep them around, in case akuma come again. They're definitely better than that useless Gate Keeper," noted Komui.

"Supervisor! Are you listening?" Reever tapped Komui in panic.

"Yes. They'll be fine. You watch," Komui assured Winry, Reever and Jean. Even as he spoke, one akuma got too close to Sheska. It tried to attack her, but Sheska's shield shifted into a shell-shape that covered her. Sheska then changed her shield back into a book. It ate the akuma.

"Very impressive!" Komui cheered. Sheska went for another akuma, with her shield by her side. Her movements were sure, but everyone could tell she was starting to get tired. Sheska blocked some bullets from the akuma. She attempted to change her shield back into a book, but it failed her. Sheska tripped and fell in the process. The akuma continued firing at her, but her shield blocked the attacks.

"That's right. 72 percent. The lower it is, the harder to activate Innocence. And Sheska's just starting, so it's even harder for her," noted Komui.

Just then, the two other akuma seemed to notice Komui & crew. They floated towards them, aiming their cannons at the desk.

"Duck!" commanded Komui.

Komui, Reever and Jean shielded their faces with their arms, while Winry made a move to protect Elicia. But the girl was a step ahead of her. Elicia made a move as if to jump onto the table. She was quite a bit shorter than Komui's desk, but she seemed to levitate, as if invisible strings pulled her. Elicia floated even past the desk. She stood suspended in mid-air, with her arms outstretched towards the akuma. A bright red aura surrounded her. The aura glowed the brightest at her collar, where the heart-shaped Innocence was embedded. Her red aura began to bleed into the air.

The akuma began to fire, but when their bullets met with the red light, they miraculously dissolved. No one was harmed. Elicia then pointed her palms at the two akuma. The light from her collar traveled along her arms, to her palms. There, they shaped into orbs of pure energy. The orbs shot through the air, and towards the akuma. Elicia's light hit their mark. The orbs engulfed the akuma, surrounding them with red auras. The akuma seemed to be immobilized. Then, to everyone's surprise, the red aura started getting smaller and smaller… it was dissolving the akuma. Soon, the aura formed back into small spheres. It glinted a blinding magenta for a few seconds, then disappeared. Komui and Reever waited with baited breath, but the akuma seemed to be gone.

At that moment, Sheska was finally able to manipulate her Innocence back into the book, killing the akuma she was fighting. Elicia stayed suspended in air for a few more seconds. However, her eyes closed, and she dropped down onto the desk. Winry rushed over to her.

"She's still alive, but she's unconscious," said Winry, picking up Elicia.

"Of course. She's so young, yet she had so much power. It's amazing," said Komui. He walked over to Sheska, and helped her up. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. For a moment, when my Innocence didn't work, I thought I was going to… die…" Sheska choked back tears. She had quite a few bruises, and was bleeding, but was otherwise fine.

"That's reality for an exorcist," Komui embraced her, and patted her on the back. "Good job. You did well."

"This isn't good at all!" Reever exclaimed, looking around the room. The shelves were destroyed, and most of the books and files were ripped apart. He picked up the remains of one of the files. "This contains the exorcists' information! Some of these are really important!"

"I could restore everything," offered Miranda timidly. "But it won't be permanent."

"You can do that?" Sheska was impressed.

"Yes. My Innocence can sort of turn back time by taking away injuries or damage. However, when I let go, everything returns. I can't bring back the dead," sighed Miranda.

"This is perfect!" exclaimed Winry. "Sheska can read everything, and copy it down!"

"I can't activate it for that long. I'm sorry," apologized Miranda.

"The length that you held it for during the battle would be fine. Believe it or not, I have a photographic memory. I can remember everything I've ever read word-per word," said Sheska.

"What?!" gasped Miranda, Komui and Reever.

"She really does," agreed Winry.

"Her old employer once made her copy down over a hundred files, straight from memory," added Jean.

"Are you serious?" demanded Reever.

"There are some really amazing people in this world!" exclaimed Miranda, feeling more useless by the moment.

"There isn't too much we need reproduced. We only really need the information on the exorcists…" Komui said thoughtfully. "Okay! Then let's do this!" He excitedly rolled up his sleeves in excitement. "Miranda, activate your Innocence!"

Miranda nodded, and held her Innocence to her heart. Time seemed to shift back, as the shelves pieced themselves back together, and the torn pages flew back into the books. Sheska's wounds disappeared. Even the shattered glass few back in place. Miranda bit her lip, concentrating very hard.

"Here, Sheska. Start with this," Komui handed Sheska a fat black folder. She staggered a little under the weight. Komui led her to his seat behind his desk. "I'll get the rest for you while you finish that."

--------------

"Please tell me we're done!" groaned Sheska, her hand throbbing.

She, Miranda, Komui and Reever had pulled all-nighters. Sheska had crammed down every book she could read while Miranda activated her Innocence. When Miranda couldn't hold it anymore, Sheska wrote while she rested. Komui had been amazed by her ability, and before long, she had found herself copying every piece of literature that had been destroyed by the akuma. And there were a lot. Stacks. Piles. Hills. Mountains. Sheska had gotten a little taste of what life was like for Komui's subordinates.

"Supervisor Komui?" Sheska glanced over at the man. He was sitting across from her, head leaning back and mouth wide open. Snoring. Sheska looked towards Miranda's direction, and saw that she had fallen asleep on the floor, with her back against the desk. Reever was nowhere in sight. She vaguely remembered Reever saying something about coffee a few minutes ago. Sheska woke Miranda up.

"Are you done?" asked Miranda.

"I hope so. What should I do about him?" Sheska pointed to Komui.

"Wake him up, I guess," said Miranda.

Sheska timidly approached Komui. She tapped him on the shoulder. "Supervisor?"

To her surprise, Komui actually woke up. He sat up straight, and yawned. Komui rubbed his eyes and looked at Sheska. He smiled pleasantly. "Are you done?"

"Yes…" Sheska replied cautiously. She knew that smile. It was Maes Hughes' 'Great! I've got more work for you!' smile.

Sure enough, Komui's eyes wandered around the room. After spotting small mountains of paper piled in front of him, they grew as round as saucers. "You did all that?!"

"That's just what you gave me," Sheska replied meekly.

"Sheska! You're amazing!" declared Komui.

"Oh… thanks…" Sheska blushed.

"And I have to thank you, too, Miranda. The two of you really saved my skin. Who knows what the bosses would do if they found out I lost the exorcists' information…" Komui shuddered. He looked towards the doorway, where Reever and his other subordinates were standing holding various repairing tools. "We're going to repair this place. Why don't you get some rest?"

"Okay," Sheska and Miranda nodded.

"Oh, and Sheska?" Komui caught her hand before she left. "I'm giving you a promotion."

"What, supervisor?" Sheska blushed noticing how cool and refreshing his hand felt against her own aching fingers.

"I'm making you my secretary!" Komui announced with a glint in his eye. His subordinates winced.

"Okay," shrugged Sheska. As she and Miranda passed, she received a pat on the back from Reever, and sympathetic looks from the other subordinates.

"Coffee. Coffee always helps," one subordinate whispered helpfully.

"Alcohol doesn't hurt either," added another subordinate.

"Don't trust anything Komui invents," advised a third subordinate.

She received more advice, such as "The magic words are 'Lenalee's getting married'", "Always look at the mail before it ends up on supervisor's desk" and "Anything Komui says will make work easier gives as ten times more trouble".

"What are you telling my new secretary?" called Komui.

"Nothing!" chorused the subordinates.

"Get plenty of sleep while you can," the last subordinate patted her on the back sympathetically, leaving Sheska to wonder what she'd gotten herself into.

----------------

Meanwhile, miles away…

"That's the last of them!" Armstrong dusted off his hands. Noise Marie dusted off his robes silently.

"Akuma attacks are getting more and more frequent," noted Riza, putting her gun back into its holster.

"Put your robe back on!" Kanda snapped, picking up a crumpled pile of black cloth that he had almost stepped on. He tossed it at Armstrong. "It's not just any piece of clothing that can be ripped and repaired! Exorcists wear it!" And while he was still in his bad mood, he turned towards Roy. "You! I know you're capable of destroying akuma! Why don't you actually help us instead of standing there watching?"

"If they're destroyed by anything other than Innocence, they're gone forever. No chance of being redeemed. That's what Allen said," replied Roy. "Allen told me akuma are also humans. I believe him. And I don't want to kill another human ever again."

"So Beansprout makes my life harder even so far away," Kanda glowered at something in the distance. He turned back towards Roy, and his lip curled up grimly. "We'll see if you still think that when we meet the Level 2s and 3s."

--------------

Now, to check on the process of Team Allen…

"It… it left…" Allen stared at the empty tracks tearfully.

"Damn!" Edward was livid. "If you two hadn't insisted on rescuing those damn cats from that damn tree, we wouldn't be in this damn situation!" Only he didn't use the word 'damn'.

"We're sorry…" apologized Allen and Alphonse. Meowing sounds came from the inside of his armor. He was housing the four said damn cats that they rescued from that damn tree.

"Damn! What are we going to do now?" demanded Ed. Suddenly, he and Allen each felt a hand on their shoulder. They turned around, to see a mustached man dressed in a black coat.

"Whaddaya want?" Edward was still pissed.

"Can we help you?" Allen asked politely.

"Are you from the Black Order?" the man had a thick, Romanian accent.

"Yes," replied Allen.

"Then, maybe you can," the man turned the boys towards the direction of the village. "You see… our village has a slight problem."

---------------

Meanwhile, on the train…

"Those youngsters are mighty late," noted Bookman.

"Do you think they found other seats?" suggested Lenalee. "Maybe they're waiting for us."

"I'll go check. You two wait here, in case they come." volunteered Lavi. He returned half an hour later.

"Well?"

"Checked all the compartments. They're not here, although I did burst into one young couple-"

"What now?" Bookman cut Lavi off before he could expand on that story.

"Well… I don't remember them actually getting on the train," said Lenalee. "I think Allen and Alphonse were trying to rescue a cat or something… I told them to hurry up, and I boarded the train. That's the last I saw of them."

"I bet they're still at the train station!" declared Lavi. "I'll go check!" He opened the window. Making his Innocence grow, he hopped onto it. He pushed off and flew away.