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Assassination Attempt - Frank Archer
Feb. 7th, 2014 12:14 amIt's a common boast of the military that soldiers do more before 9AM than most people do all day. It's also a common gripe that the higher up one is in the military, the less they actually do. Both of those sayings were panning out that morning; decorated war hero and State Alchemist Colonel Roy Mustang had had a forgettable few hours of paper work, mostly remnants of he and his crew's still recent transfer to Central. It was a forgettable enough morning, enough that when recounting it later, he would surely say the day began when Jean Havoc had come rushing in with frantically delivered news at approximately 9:30AM.
By that point in the morning Frank Archer, slightly lower on the status rungs, had decidedly done a bit more than sign his name and take a report. For one thing, he survived without injury. Maybe not much of an accomplishment when not at war, but if hearing about his survival was the highlight of a certain Colonel's morning, surely said survival itself was busier work. If nothing else, it was likely not a forgettable morning for him.
Which brings us to undecorated war veteran, State Alchemist Major Alex Louis Armstrong. Despite being born to prestigious stock and serving as a State Alchemist in the most recent war, he was ultimately still at the lowest rank for State Alchemists: Major. Thus he'd had the busiest day. Unlike the aforementioned man one step above in this case study of status and accomplishments, he did not manage to pass the early hours of the morning without injury. He did manage to take a deep piercing bullet to the right side of his chest and continue moving for several minutes however, and most would consider that quite the accomplishment. The Major was often said to be built like a tank, but he was undeniably flesh and blood--something the man he had been protecting could attest to, what with splotches of said blood still adorning his stoop.
The Major was far from all brawn; a quick thinker and a man of swift reflexes, it was mere seconds after the blow that knocked the breath from his lungs that he had choked out for the Lieutenant Colonel to return back inside the door, behind the cover of the walls of the building. He twisted himself in order to be a proper human shield for him in his retreat, though no second bullet came. Maybe at that moment, he didn't think that a bullet that was chest level for him was the perfect height for hitting his commanding officer right between the eyes. In fact, he may not have thought so far as how likely it was that somebody else was the real target; probably, it was his natural instinct to protect and to shelter, even if there was no visible enemy.
Such a conclusion was less likely to escape Archer himself.
By that point in the morning Frank Archer, slightly lower on the status rungs, had decidedly done a bit more than sign his name and take a report. For one thing, he survived without injury. Maybe not much of an accomplishment when not at war, but if hearing about his survival was the highlight of a certain Colonel's morning, surely said survival itself was busier work. If nothing else, it was likely not a forgettable morning for him.
Which brings us to undecorated war veteran, State Alchemist Major Alex Louis Armstrong. Despite being born to prestigious stock and serving as a State Alchemist in the most recent war, he was ultimately still at the lowest rank for State Alchemists: Major. Thus he'd had the busiest day. Unlike the aforementioned man one step above in this case study of status and accomplishments, he did not manage to pass the early hours of the morning without injury. He did manage to take a deep piercing bullet to the right side of his chest and continue moving for several minutes however, and most would consider that quite the accomplishment. The Major was often said to be built like a tank, but he was undeniably flesh and blood--something the man he had been protecting could attest to, what with splotches of said blood still adorning his stoop.
The Major was far from all brawn; a quick thinker and a man of swift reflexes, it was mere seconds after the blow that knocked the breath from his lungs that he had choked out for the Lieutenant Colonel to return back inside the door, behind the cover of the walls of the building. He twisted himself in order to be a proper human shield for him in his retreat, though no second bullet came. Maybe at that moment, he didn't think that a bullet that was chest level for him was the perfect height for hitting his commanding officer right between the eyes. In fact, he may not have thought so far as how likely it was that somebody else was the real target; probably, it was his natural instinct to protect and to shelter, even if there was no visible enemy.
Such a conclusion was less likely to escape Archer himself.