penny (badpenny) wrote in no_true_pair, @ 2008-06-02 03:58:00 |
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Entry tags: | ! 2008 twelve characters challenge, author: badpenny, crossover: eureka 7/fma, pairing: falman/maria |
"Dangerous Hope" Eureka Seven & Fullmetal Alchemist
Title: Dangerous Hope
Author: badpenny
Fandom: Eureka Seven & Fullmetal Alchemist
Pairing/Characters: Maria Schneider & Vato Falman
Rating: PG
Warnings: Spoilers for recent chapters of FMA manga (definitely from ch. 64 on, and maybe as early as ch. 60?)
Prompt: 12/5 captivity scenario
Notes: I'm not exactly sure how to describe the universe. It's mostly the FMA manga universe but tweaked a bit to allow for the E7 inserts to keep their airships and most of their relationships.
Five days. Falman was beginning to doubt the plan, and his doubt made him feel stupid and guilty. Yes, time was critical, and yes, he had reason to be antsy, but as far as he could tell, the plan was running smoothly. The flurry of activity surrounding his capture should have allowed Miles and Izumi to slip into Drachma without notice.
And once they slipped in, they'd rendezvous with the Gekkostate, convince Holland Novak to help them stop a Drachmanian assault on Fort Briggs, and then they could turn their attention to stopping King Bradley or Father or whoever was in charge in Central. Falman straightened up and focused on that thought. He could endure imprisonment if it meant saving Amestris.
The door to his cell squealed on its hinges, and a moment later, someone stepped inside. Falman squinted against the harsh light. Then the door clanked shut, and Falman could make out the insignia, see that his visitor was a Petty Officer, First Class. And then he could see his visitor was a woman, slim with a smooth face, high cheekbones, and brown hair drawn back and twisted up under her uniform's cap.
Falman looked away. The set of her shoulders and the steely look in her eyes reminded him of Hawkeye, and he was surprised by how much that hurt. He missed her. Her and Havoc, Breda, Fury, and Colonel Mustang. But he missed Hawkeye the most.
She studied him for a moment, her expression neutral. "You are Warrant Officer Vato Falman. Number seven two oh nine four dash eight three two." she finally said. Her Ameristan was flawless with the warm, rolling accent of the rural west, so it almost sounded like she was mocking the only words he'd spoken so far.
She wouldn't have that accent if she had just learned Ameristan to interrogate prisoners. So she was a spy. Falman wondered how many times she had infiltrated Ameristan institutions, what kind of intelligence she had gathered for her people. He glanced her over. She was a good choice for a spy, pretty enough, but not a seductive temptress most people envisioned when they pictured a Drachmanian spy. He chuckled to himself. Perhaps Drachma had spies in the Ameristan movie industry.
"You were captured attempting to infiltrate Fort Tresor."
"Yes."
"Ah." She flashed him a brief smile. "So I get another word out of you."
Damn. So much for holding firm. "Yes."
"I am Maria Schneider." She took a step further into the cell and started down at him. "I would appreciate it if you answered my questions."
He snorted.
Petty Officer Schneider moved to crouch down in front of him. "If it comforts you any, I am not interested in Fort Briggs. I want to know about this man." She held out a photograph.
Falman reached for it before he could stop himself. He didn't want to cooperate, but her expression was pleading, like she was trying to communicate something she couldn't say within earshot of the guards. Or maybe he just wanted to believe she was secretly on his side because she was a pretty woman who reminded him of Hawkeye.
And then he was looking at the photograph, letting himself gasp in shock before he could hide his reaction. Kimberly! Kimberly, alive and well and sitting at a small café table with a -- he squinted to make out the insignia -- Drachmanian admiral. The café was somewhere further north, down at the base of the mountains, in what looked like a quaint little town with cobblestone streets and cozy A-frame buildings.
"You recognize him, yes? The dark-haired man with the ponytail. Though perhaps you also recognize Admiral Novak?"
"Yes. I recognize Kimberly." And he recognized the name Admiral Novak, though he had never seen a picture of the man.
"The Crimson Alchemist, correct? Your Mad Bomber of Ishval?"
He handed the photograph back to her. "Admiral Novak? Your Bloody Admiral of Ciudades de Cielo?"
She smiled sadly. "The Vodarac are much like your Ishvalans."
"Are they trading war stories?" He was being cruel, and he didn't like it, but the look she was giving him was so similar to the look he'd catch Hawkeye giving the Elric brothers just before they'd run off to do something dangerous.
"It would be naive to hope it is something so...well, I suppose innocent is the wrong word." She sighed. "Their meeting concerns certain people, Warrant Officer Falman. Does it concern you?"
He didn't answer.
"Perhaps you were trying to infiltrate Fort Tresor to stop their meeting?"
Again, he didn't answer.
"You were caught with a sniper rifle."
He stared straight ahead. "I have nothing to say."
"Are you sure?"
"I am Warrant Officer Vato Falman. Number seven two oh nine four dash eight three two."
She sighed and rose to back towards the door. "Very well, Warrant Officer Falman. I will make sure you receive an extra blanket. The temperature is supposed to drop tonight." She knocked twice, the sound echoing dully on the metal. "It will be cold and clear. A bad night for flying, if one's goal is to avoid detection."
He glared at her back as she exited. Five days. Miles and Izumi would have met up with the Gekkostate yesterday. If Petty Officer Schneider wasn't lying about the weather, they probably wouldn't fly tonight, so his rescue would be set back a day. Maybe two. That was all right. He'd endure.