Summary:

A lot can happen with the simplest of mistakes. Joan Elric had no idea dropping her silver pocket watch, that once belonged to her great-grandfather, could have such an impact. Because of it, she met Laura and Clarissa Mustang, and learned about a secret slave trade going on throughout Amestris. Starting with a simple rescue of two slaves, Tessema of the Chang clan in Xing and an Ishvalan named Takara, that one rescue quickly turns into the liberation of many slaves.

But as events unfold, the group discover more serious matters. A new 'Father' has created new homunculi and runs the slave trace from the tunnels beneath Central City. Not only that, but highly trained and highly skilled assassins appear at every turn, hunting them down with an agenda of their own.

Can the group of liberators, ever growing in number as they make new friends, manage to destroy the slave trade before they're killed?

A/N This was originally a role-play that my cousin, a couple of my friends, and I did. With some editing, we turned it into a fanfic. I did some last minute editing to make it better, since we didn't start out the best, but improve as we go. And even though this is a Fullmetal Alchemist fanfic, none of the original characters show up, they're mentioned but the don't appear. This is about three generations after the end of the manga.

...

Fifteen-year-old Joan Elric swung around the silver pocket watch she always carried with her as she waited for the train to get to its destination. It was the same silver pocket watch that state alchemists once used to prove that they were, in fact, state alchemists. But that state alchemist program had been abolished after Amestris became a democracy not long after Fuhrer King Bradley was killed. Joan used the pocket watch to pay for many things and get admission into otherwise restricted areas. The bank funds for the state alchemists were mysteriously still full and being refilled. So that begged the question: was the state alchemist program really abolished? Or did it secretly still exist? Joan had gotten her watch from a chest she found in the attic. When she asked her dad about it, he'd told her the watch belonged to her great-grandpa, Edward Elric, who was referred to as the Fullmetal Alchemist when he could still use alchemy.

She opened the pocket watch and took a moment to gaze and the date inscribed on it with her golden-brown eyes. She had to brush back her long hair that mirrored the color of her eyes. After some research, she had discovered it was the date and Edward and his brother Alphonse had burned their home and started their journey to get their bodies back after they committed the alchemists' ultimate taboo of human transmutation. She averted her thoughts and just hoped that she'd get to Central soon.

Finally, the train arrived at Central and Joan pocketed the watch, gathered her stuff, and got off the train. She saw a girl walking in circles at the station and took a moment to stare, but decided that she was hungry and went to find something to eat, passing by the girl to get there. She failed to notice her pocket watch fall out of her pocket.

...

Clarissa walked around in a circle at the train station, very bored, playing with her braided black hair and she did so. Her brown eyes scanned the crowd, looking for a familiar face. Clarissa saw the girl with long golden-brown hair all tied in a ponytail, except her bangs, which flowed down freely, stare at her and stopped walking in circles. She noticed something fall out of the girl's pocket as she walked away, then bent down and picked it up. Looking at it, she recognized it as one of the old State Alchemist watches from her great-grandparents' time. She looked up, searching for the girl, and noticed her just before she disappeared into the crowd. She reached down and grabbed her suitcase, heading the direction the girl had walked.

...

Joan headed for a nearby restaurant when she heard someone yelling and turned around to see who it was, seeing the girl that had been walking in circles. Clarissa caught up to Joan and handed her the watch.

"You dropped this. Where did you find it? It's pretty cool."

Joan had a momentary feeling of dread when she realized that she had dropped it then felt relieved that this girl returned it. She took it and put it back in her pocket.

"It belonged to my Great-Grandpa and is very valuable to me. Thanks for bringing it back." Wanting to repay the girl who looked around her age, maybe fourteen, she offered, "Do you want something to eat? I can pay,"

"Oh, thanks. I'll come with you, but I can pay for myself," she said kindly. "That's awesome, where you got that watch. I've seen pictures of those watches in books and stuff, but I didn't think I'd ever see a real one."

Joan smiled, "Are you sure you want to pay?" She would have had very little money if she'd lost the watch. They walked to the restaurant together, talking. "So what's your name anyway?" Joan asked.

"I'm fine," she said, "I'm Clarissa."

"That's a cool name," Joan said, "I'm Joan, nice to meet you."

Clarissa nodded, "Nice to meet you, too."

They ordered some food and continued talking while they waited for it to come.

"So what were you doing at the Station, walking in circles?" Joan asked, "Waiting for someone?"

Laura was walking the streets of Central City when she saw a familiar face, stopping dead in her tracks. It was her sister, and she was talking to someone Laura didn't recognize. Laura walked over with a smile.

"Hey, Clarissa," she said when she got to the restaurant.

"Who's this?" Joan asked Clarissa.

Laura looked at the other girl with a confused face, eyeing the stranger with her green eyes. "Who're you?"

"I asked first," Joan said.

They didn't give Clarissa a chance to talk.

Laura smiled. "I'm Laura Mustang, Clarissa's older sister," she explained, playing with her black hair that matched her sister's in everything but style, which were slightly different.

"And I'm Joan Elric," Joan informed her. "Me and Clarissa were just talking."

"Hey sis, glad you finally showed up." Clarissa said, finally getting a word in. "Why don't you join us? We just ordered."

"Yeah, eat with us," Joan smiled.

Laura smiled. "Sure, so what were you talking about?" she asked, sitting down.

"We were actually talking about who I was waiting for," Clarissa said.

Laura nodded. "Which was me?" she asked, confused.

"Well, yes. Don't you remember? I wanted to meet you in Central. Or did you totally forget that conversation we had at midnight a couple nights ago?" Clarissa said, "Ok, it wasn't midnight, but you were acting like I woke you up at midnight."

Laura shook her head. "No, I don't remember. And you did wake me up at midnight!"

"Now I'm lost," Joan put her hands up in the air, unable to follow the conversation. The waiter brought their food and Joan started eating hers. "So what are you guys doing in Central anyway? You're both around my age."

Laura looked at Joan. "Hmm? Oh, um, I don't know, I'll let Clarissa explain that one," she said tiredly.

"Well, I'm just traveling. I dragged her here because I wanted to see her," she said carefully, like she was trying to avoid mentioning something. "What are you doing?"

Joan wasn't sure if she wanted to tell her exactly why. She hesitated before saying, "I'm looking for someone."

Clarissa nodded, gathering from the way she answered she really didn't want to talk about it much either. Joan pulled out her pocket watch and looked at it. She opened it half to check the time and half just to look at the engraving on the inside. Don't Forget 3 Oct 11. It was ironic, because the month and day were the same as when she tried human transmutation. What were the odds? So the engraving seemed to mean something to her just as much as it did her great-grandfather.

Laura looked at her sister and Joan, confused. "Um, is there a reason you both are very quiet?" she asked with a titled head.

Clarissa shrugged. "I'm just enjoying my lunch."

Laura nodded, but didn't really believe her. If she knew about mom... she suddenly thought, then Laura pushed the thought away.

"So how are things at home?" Clarissa asked her sister to change the subject. "You and Mom doing alright? I haven't heard from either of you in a while."

Laura looked up and bit her lip. "About that, I'm not living with Mom anymore."

"Oh. Since when?" Clarissa asked, a frown forming on her face.

Laura frowned. "Since she died when I was twelve," she said as the memory came back.

"Wait, what?" Clarissa could hardly believe her ears and refused to believe it.

Laura frowned, "I'm sorry I never told you, it was too hard to talk about it at the time."

"Oh..." Clarissa said quietly. She sat silently for a minute, but eventually said, "So where are you living now?"

Laura smiled a little. "My friend Poppy and her mom took me in after I lost my left arm."

"Alright, you have a lot of explaining to do! But let's not bother poor Joan with all this, she probably has her own problems to worry about, she doesn't need ours as well," Clarissa said, wanting to know all the details eventually.

Laura nodded, "True."

"It's alright. You can go ahead and talk about whatever you need to. I'm kind of interested. How'd you lose your arm?" Joan questioned, hoping what she suspected wasn't true. She didn't want to believe that anyone would make the same mistake she did.

Clarissa glanced away, rubbing her right hand unconsciously across her left forearm. Please don't say what I think you'll say, she thought nervously.

Joan subtly rubbed her leg stumps and her left shoulder ached from the memory of when she lost all three of the limbs. She really hoped that Laura hadn't done the same thing to resurrect the dead mother she had been talking about.

Laura sighed sadly, noting their reactions. "I can tell that you did the same thing I did, which I shouldn't have. I know that now," she said, holding her left arm and looking down.

Joan whispered, "So you saw the Truth?"

Laura nodded sadly. "I was being stupid!"

"I'm sorry," Clarissa said, even though she knew it wasn't her fault.

Laura smiled a little at her sister. "It's not your fault."

"I know," she said, "I just wished you weren't; you didn't deserve to be in that situation."

Laura smiled sadly. "I do too."

"And I thought I was the only one who had been stupid enough to try the forbidden alchemy," Joan sighed, "It cost me much more than it gained. I'm lucky I still have my right arm." The others don't know about her three automail limbs.

Clarissa nodded. She stayed quiet, but her mind was going nuts. 'How weird is this? I manage to meet Joan the same day I realized that my sister made the same dumb mistake as me? I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I should have told my sister what happened, but then I think she tried it first. She should have told me about it sooner! I wouldn't have made this stupid mistake.'

Laura sighed. "I know, I was being stupid, but I was only twelve."

Joan almost laughed. She did it when she was about the same age. Was she 11? Yeah, she was 11 when it all happened. Don't forget 3 Oct 11. It continued to be ironic. Same month and day as her mistake, and the year was the same as her age. She was in rehabilitation for about a year and a half then took off to make her father pay the bills. She still visited and kept in contact with her automail mechanic, Sean, and his sister, Cerise, who was the designer, for repairs and maintenance. Speaking of which, she really should go back for some maintenance, her automail felt a little loose.

"The past is the past and we need to move on from it," Joan said, looking at her feet. Automail feet actually. "So what exactly did you guys come to Central to do anyway?" she asked, changing the subject. Given their ages, the three of them should be in school. Laura was sixteen, Joan was fifteen, and Clarissa was fourteen, after all, but they were all alchemists, geniuses practically, and were too smart for school.

Laura looked at her sister. "You tell her, Clarissa."

"Let me guess," Joan said when they seemed hesitant to tell her. "You came to investigate the rumors about the chimera."

Laura nodded. "Yes, is that why you're here?"

Clarissa nodded.

"Figures. A lot of people are leaving, while the curious idiots come to investigate," Joan laughed, "I guess that makes me an idiot. I came here for multiple reasons, and that just happens to be one of them."

"Yeah, we're definitely idiots," Clarissa said in agreement. "Where else you headed?"

"Well, I already said I was looking for someone. And the last place is kind of a secret right now," she said, "Speaking of which, I should probably go. I'll see you when the chimeras attack." She said the part about the chimeras like she knew for a fact that they would soon.

"See ya," Clarissa said. After Joan was gone, Clarissa glanced at her sister. Her very curious side was getting the best of her. She really wanted to follow Joan. Laura noticed her sister looking at her.

"You want to follow her, don't you?"

Clarissa smiled mischievously. "I can't help but wonder where she's going..." she said.

Laura sighed. "Well, what are we going to do about it?"

"I don't know... follow her?" Clarissa said.

Laura smiled at her sister, "Then let's go!" She took off running the direction that Joan went, her sister running to catch up.

Clarissa quickly caught up to her sister, eagerly curious about the secret place Joan was headed to.