Episode 8 POV Change- Chapter 1

The shrill ringing of the phone cut through the usual office noises, waking Lieutenant Colonel Roy Mustang from his nap. His head snapped up and he blinked the blurriness from his vision, he yawned as he grabbed his phone and brought it up to his ear.

"Hello?" he asked after clearing his throat, trying to keep the exhaustion out of his voice.

"Yo, Roy! Is Edward in your office?" the usual cheery voice of his friend Hughes was subdued as he cut right to the chase of why he was calling. No obsessive family man comments about his daughter or wife… What was wrong?

"No, he isn't, why?" A sigh was his response followed by the sound of Hughes shouting something to his secretary. "Hughes?" Roy tried again a small feeling of worry for his youngest subordinate making itself known.

"Sorry Roy, but could I get you to come help me out? I have reasons to believe that Ed's been kidnapped."

"What?" he snapped, a tad too loud, causing his subordinates to look up from their work to see what was wrong with their superior.

"Look, I know it sounds odd, but if you'd just meet me downstairs I'll explain everything. Bring someone with you, we're going after that serial killer," and with that, Hughes hung up, leaving Roy to listen to the dial tone for a few moments.

"Tch!" Roy slammed the phone down on to the cradle and stood up, grabbing his gloves from the desk drawer, then walking to the coat rack and grabbing his black overcoat to throw on overtop his military uniform. Evening was coming up fast and the temperature would be going down with the sun. By this point, all of his subordinates were staring at him with puzzled expressions, except Lieutenant Hawkeye, who was checking the ammunition in her guns before settling them back in their holsters. "Let's go," he ordered while walking right past her and opening the door.

"Yes sir!" she responded immediately, not bothering to ask questions, since she knew that she'd be told eventually.

"We'll be back," he informed the others still at their desks as he and Hawkeye swept out the door and let it swing shut.

"Hughes! You owe me an explanation!" Roy called as he walked down the steps and over to his friend who was reading a file of some sort while a soldier spoke quietly to him. At Roy's approach the soldier snapped back into a respectful salute that Roy ignored in favor of waiting for Hughes to look at him.

"According to this soldier, Edward had been called out here to see a visitor, a friend it seems, but upon getting out here the visitor was gone. Ed picked up a screw and looked at some tracks, then asked if there was a truck parked out here, which there was: a refrigerated truck that delivers food to the cafeteria here every week. Ed mentioned something about hiding a body, and then took off without another word. Is that right?" Hughes looked at the soldier, who nodded and said, "Yes sir, he seemed worried about something."

Roy didn't say anything, as he figured there was more to the story, and he was right as Hughes started speaking once more after scanning the file again. "Edward and myself had just finished a conversation about how the serial killer was possibly killing people in a secluded area and then using a car to bring them to the spot where he disposes them," he looked up at Roy, waiting for him to arrive at a conclusion. It didn't take long.

"You're saying that the serial killer is using a refrigerated truck to transport bodies and now he's kidnapped one of Fullmetal's friends and on top of that, the punk's going after the killer by himself?" Roy asked, scratching his jaw in thought. When Hughes nodded he sighed, "So what? I'm sure Fullmetal doesn't need any help," Roy pointed out, feeling a bit perturbed, why was Hughes so worried about the shrimp?

"Roy." Hughes said seriously, "Ed ran off about five hours ago and even Alphonse doesn't know where he is."

That caught Roy's attention. As if on cue Alphonse came jogging up to the group and even without facial expressions, the suit of armor seemed to permeate a sense of worry and tension as he came closer, "Lieutenant Colonel-!"

"I'm sorry Alphonse, I just found out about this myself," he admitted, cutting the boy off before he got any further with his question.

"But, what are we going to do?! What if Brother is hurt, or-"

"Alphonse! I told you, I don't know. That doesn't mean that we're not going to do anything," Roy tried to calm him as he turned back to Hughes. "Where does that truck come from? What business?"

"Don't know. I'm having someone call the company that sold the truck right now," Hughes said, returning his attention to his file, "Maybe Ed's not even in trouble? This guy only preys on women, I mean, there's always the possibility, but perhaps the risk isn't that high."

Roy and Al shared a look, as they both doubted that notion. After a few minutes of anxiously waiting a different soldier ran up to Hughes and snapped a salute before speaking. "The company said that they sold the truck to a man named Barry Saytantes, who owns a butcher shop not too far from here, I've already looked up the name," he added as an afterthought, while handing the address to Hughes, before he could be asked how he knew that.

"Well? Let's get going!" Al spoke impatiently, trying to look over Hughes' shoulder to see the address.

"Alphonse, you do realize we can't just run in there without a plan, right?" Roy's voice trailed off as Al turned to him with anger just radiating off of him, who knew that Al had it in him to get angry about anything?

"Of course I do! I'm not dumb Colonel, but we should talk about it in the car! Brother and Winry could be in trouble!" he snapped with annoyance. Is that the name of whatever friend had come to visit Fullmetal? Must be, Roy mused to himself as he gave a curt nod in agreement. Hughes called orders to his soldiers, while Roy, Hawkeye and Alphonse got into a car to wait for Hughes; the only one who knew where to go.

Hughes opened the door, slipped into the seat and pulled on his seatbelt mere moments later and started the ignition. "Alright! Who's ready to go save a certain trouble maker and his friend?" he proclaimed lightly, while Roy rolled his eyes and looked out the window in apprehension, somehow, the longer it took to get going, the more foreboding he felt.

You better be okay Fullmetal.

AN: There. My first fiction for this fandom and my first fiction on this account!

I just made up Barry's last name... I was tempted to just make it something like "Chopper" or "Sixty-Six" but that would be called: Not trying, haha.

Yeah, it's short and I was going to do the entire thing in one chapter, but I really don't feel like it right now. So I'll probably get the second chapter posted within the week, *grumbles* I was gonna get it done right now, but noooo! Just had to start feeling sick! Ugh. As for editing, I've barely glanced over it, so I'm going to do that, probably, tomorrow. It's definitely not my best work, but I think it's okay for a quick little idea.

Have a good day and if you've got snow galore outside, like I do, then have fun/stay safe!

~MBK