Full summary: When someone starts transmuting people into chimeras and killing them in the process, Ed suspects that someone in the military is committing the taboo. Determined to prove that he is right, he follows a lead and suddenly disappears for about three days. Roy, desperate to find him, realizes what Ed had discovered and goes in search of him, but not after Edward is changed into something slightly less...human.
Authors Note: I worked very hard on this chapter, and I would love to receive reviews telling me what I did wrong and what I did right. Each review motivates me to begin a new chapter, so if you want more, please review and tell me! Of course, only if you want to ^_^'
Warning- Language and slight gore
Disclaimer- I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, but I do own the plot
Edward pushed back his bangs from his eyes warily and traced the scratched surface of the table with his automail, trying to ignore the clang of pots and pans in the tiny kitchen they owned. He scribbled on a piece of scrap paper, trying to make the female figure he was drawing more realistic than it was at the moment and gave up completely, smirking as he drew a villainous mustache across the females upper lip and a top hat to rest on top of her head. He put a puffy tutu around her waist in front of her leggings and titled it 'The Crack Bunnies Strike Again'.
Edward sighed and let his head hang limp until it banged against the tabletop. He was out of leads. Everything that he worked for was blown away by one small piece of information that made all his explanations untwist and fall apart until they were left with nothing. He had been so sure that the culprit was someone from the military itself. Someone with great power, someone who was trusted by their comrades and subordinates. But Mustang, stubborn and smirking, had claimed that the corpses that they found were all from the military, and he was fairly certain that someone wouldn't murder their own men for the sake of making a perfect chimera.
But Edward knew that he was right. There was someone beneath the shadows doing the transmutations, leaving most victims half human, half beast, in a pool of their own blood, and Edward was going to prove that he was right.
The murders had started one month before, leaving everyone stunned and frightened. The first one was a man by the name of Dae Fulhren and the rank of Corporal. He had a wife and child that was one year old, and was a people person with a crooked nose and a head of curly brown hair. His body was found in an old abandon barn on the edges of Central, the roof was caving in, and it stank of forbidden Alchemy, making the hairs on the back of Ed's neck rise and his body tense. They found him in the middle of the floor, old straw brushed away neatly from a transmutation circle drawn in chalk and blood. His body was gnarled and twisted and one horn stuck up from the side of his head. He looked at them through slanted eyes, one pupil in the shape of a horizontal rectangle. His hands, reaching out to them, were bending different ways and plastic looking goo held the fingers together. Edward had suspected that he was supposed to be a goat human chimera. Blood had burst from his mouth and he somehow found the motivation to say three words in a hoarse animal voice, "Love...Rai and...Kally." Which was the name of his wife and child. He died not a second later.
The second was a female. Her name was Marcy Hepri and she was a newly promoted Captain who was said to be stubborn and strong willed, with a sarcastic sense of humor and a fetish for cheese. She lived with her fiancé, and had wild red hair that she usually kept short. She was found in a house not to far from the barn. Her body was barely distinguishable, her eyes pulled to the side of her face, popping out and her arms bent backwards with small spine-like bones poking out of her skin. Her mouth was pulled forward and pointed, as if she were pursing her lips. Edward was able to tell that she was transmuted to a bird hybrid by the feathers lying around her body and all the other factors. She was already dead when they got there.
It didn't seem logical that someone would be targeting military men and women unless they held a grudge and that wouldn't explain why they were transmuting them into chimeras. Failed chimeras at that. Edward suspected that it would be easier to use civilians in their experiments. Someone who didn't know how to fight back. Unless, of course, they were first thing available. Someone who worked with the military, held a rank higher than a Major, someone who had subordinates of their own who they could easily trick them into traveling towards their deaths would be the first the should have suspected.
But Brigadier General Roy Mustang thought otherwise. He was stubborn on the fact that if they were killing people from their own command that it would be obvious that they were to culprit. He doubted that anyone would use their own men when they could just as effortlessly; snag some helpless citizen from the street, or from their bed in the middle of the night. If fact, he claimed that it would make more sense for someone to use defenseless people than to risk fighting someone trained to kill or be killed.
Edward knew that what Mustang was saying made sense, and that if he had heard his own case against Roy's that he would more than likely side with Roy Mustang. But he just couldn't shake the feeling from his gut. He had a suspicion and he knew he had to prove it right or wrong or it would drive him insane. And for some reason, Edward just didn't want to see himself being dragged to a Insane Asylum because he couldn't figure out who was murdering people. Not that they would be able to keep him there, unless they put him into a straight jacket.
Edward lifted his head lethargically and shifted through the graphic murder scene pictures, trying to keep the grimace from appearing on his face. There was always a new animal they were blended with. It didn't seem like this killer had a pattern except for the fact that they slaughtered only people in the army below the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, and they all died from transmutations. It would be smart to suspect any Alchemist, not that he wanted the suspicion of the military resolving around him and his fellow Alchemists, but you could never be too careful, not when lives were on the line. So far, the serial killer had mixed the soldiers with a goat, bird, pig, horse, frog, bull dog, coyote, mountain lion, domestic cat and a rat which was the most gruesome of all ten.
Edward scrubbed his eyes with the palm of his hands and jumped when a plate and glass was placed in front of them. Edward grumbled and lifted the plate up to move the photos away from underneath. Alphonse grinned down at his brother, sitting down next to him to gaze at Ed's failed art. He pursed his lips and looked up at his older brother questioningly. "Is that supposed to be a snake with arms? Its kinda...curvy." He asked, raising one honey brow. Edward huffed at the insult and pulled the drawing away.
"That would be called a lizard, Alphonse, but no, it is not a 'snake with arms.'" He twirled the spaghetti on his plate around his fork and popped it into his mouth with a smirk. "It's a lady, a lady with a mustache, a tutu and a top hat. I named her Mustang."
Al grinned and chuckled as Ed crumpled it up and threw it over the counter into the kitchen next to him. "Your going to pick that up you know," He said triumphantly. Edward grumbled through a mouth full of food. Only Alphonse would make spaghetti for breakfast.
Alphonse pulled a plate towards him and began to twist the noodles around his fork slowly. He slid the fork into his mouth and pulled it out just as slowly, looking blissful and free. Ed smiled behind his hand and pushed another bite into his mouth. Al was finally home after spending about five years trapped in a suit of armor. And even after two months, Alphonse still savored the food as if he had just taken his first bite. Edward recalled the memory with fondness. He had put a piece of Winry's pie into his mouth and then he burst into uncontrollable tears. Of course, he ate the entire pie himself and then spent the night barfing it back up into the toilet, but for some reason, Al didn't seem to mind. After that he began cooking things that nobody would have thought of, asking everybody to try these small creations that were masterpieces. Edward wanted Al to become a cook. There was no doubt in Edward's mind that he would succeed to become the greatest chief of all time.
Edward sighed and picked up his plate, moving around the table into the kitchen with ease. He put the plate into the sink, grabbed the crumpled paper on the floor and tossed it into the garbage and trudged back into the dining room before plopping down into his seat. He slid the photos to the side and opened the file beneath it, the personal information on the victims. He tried to look at similarities in the victims and could see none other than the obvious, and so that gave him the impression that this person was just transmuting for the sake of finding answers. Just like Shou Tucker. Edward squeezed the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, wincing. That always brought bad memories. Even the mention of 'chimera' from the Bastard Brigadier General had made him grimace. No wonder Mustang was frowning so hard that whole day.
Whoever doing the Alchemy was clearly not exceptional. Edward could tell from the mistakes in the transmutations and the simplicity of the design. If someone of higher caliber had tried it, maybe they could have succeeded, and that was what bugged Ed so much. Maybe they would have been alive had someone else been there, maybe if Edward could figure this out sooner, less people would die. Maybe, maybe, if, if. It was hard not to take all the blame in a situation like this, even though Edward knew that it wasn't his fault. He was trying to stop this from happening. But Ed always had a problem with dumping part of his load onto someone else shoulders.
"Any luck?" Alphonse asked hopefully, propping his head up on his hand and smiling softly with optimism in his eyes. Edward shook his head slowly and closed the file dejectedly.
"So far, there is no evidence that proves useful to us except for the fact that they aren't that experienced and that the only people they are using in their Alchemy is people from the Army," Edward ran his automail hand through his hair, forgetting he had it in a low tail, getting hair stuck in the joints. Ed growled and yanked his hand out, pulling golden hairs from the metal in irritation. "It doesn't make since, what's his motive? And how can I get the Bastard to believe that someone from the military is doing the killings?" Edward slammed his head on the table and instantly regretted it.
"Ow," he said rubbing his forehead. "That wasn't the smartest idea." Alphonse giggled and clapped Ed on the shoulder, smiling brightly.
"How about I help you? I'd be just like old times." He suggested, already pulling a file from the mess on the table. Edward snickered and followed his younger brother's lead, letting the small smile that adorned his lips fall as he got deeper and deeper into the information. If he weren't the super stubborn Alchemist he was, Ed was sure he would have quit ages ago. Everything looked hopeless, and the farther you got, the more futile it felt.
"I think I got an idea," Alphonse quiet voice drifted towards him, and Edward's head snapped up, a grin taking its place easily.
"Really?" He said, scooting closer in excitement. "What is it?" Alphonse scratched the back of his head and gave Edward a bemused look, before glancing down at the photos he had been searching through.
"You can tell that this person isn't very good at what they do, so they must be new at the transmutations, the thing I found interesting was how closely it resembled Tucker's research notes and the transmutation circles. It seemed as though they were basing it off of his notes, starting slow to get the feel of it." He pursed his lips again, something he only did when he was thinking fast and hard. Edward's eyes widened in realization. "So if we found out who looked at Tucker's notes last," Alphonse nodded. "We might be able to find out who's behind this."
Edward jumped up and grinned, "Hell yeah! We got this! Fuck, Al, you're a genius!" Alphonse blushed in pleasure for the praise and looked away in embarrassment. "I was surprised you didn't notice it, Brother, you're usually so perceptive."
Edward sighed and sat back down, slumping back into the chair tiredly. He leaned back further, balancing his chair on the two back legs. "Yeah, well, I have a lot on my mind." He said, placing his feet on the counter of the table. Al's nose scrunched up and he pushed his older brother's feet from the table, watching in amusement as Edward toppled backwards onto the tiled floor.
"Comfortable?" Al asked in a delighted tone, sniggering softly as Edward rolled off of the fallen chair onto the floor with a groan.
"Who taught you to be such an ass?" He raged, glaring up at the taller man with enough venom to kill small animals. "Only from the best, of course." He retorted, winking down at him in a condescending manner. Edward smirked and pulled himself up with a groan, yanking the chair up with him before sliding into it gracelessly. He pulled out his hair band and let his hair tumble down to the bottom of his shoulder blades. Ed slapped it onto the table and yawned loudly.
"I'm going to take a shower, its way too early for this shit anyway." He heaved himself up and waved a hand back at his brother as he left the room. "Your welcome to see if you can go any further, but I doubt you'll get any farther than you already have."
Edward pushed open the door to Alphonse and his room, shutting it quietly behind him. He pulled his clothes from the dresser in the side of the room, cursing silently and wishing that he hadn't insisted on a sleepless night. Hoping a shower would wake him up he pulled open the small door on the left side of the room and entered the cozy bathroom with a scowl. Ed threw the clean clothes on the counter, and retrieved a towel from the cupboard before tossing it on the toilet seat. Ed turned on the shower knobs, smiling as the water poured down in sheets from the shower head. Once it had warmed up he stripped down, discarding his dirty clothes into the hamper before climbing into the shower, tilting his head towards the water and closing his eyes in bliss. This was just what he needed. A refreshing shower and a little nap and he would be as good as new.
Slowly, he forced himself to pour a glob of shampoo on his hair and lather it clean with his hands. Watching in fascination, he let the water wash the soap from his hair down onto the floor to swirl down the drain. Edward propped himself against the wall and closed his eyes contentedly. Sometimes he would take a shower just for the fact that it felt as if the water was washing away the dark thoughts and worries. He had always loved the feeling of the water washing over his bare skin as if it were cleansing him of all the sins he had ever committed.
Reluctantly, he turned off the shower and climbed out, rubbing the glinting water off with the towel. He pulled on a clean pair of briefs and his trademark leather pants, buckling then securely around his slim waist. He pulled a sleeveless black shirt over his head and rummaged through the dirty clothes to get back his State Alchemist watch from his other pants. He clasped it onto his belt loop and tucked it into his pocket with a fond pat. Edward ran his fingers through his hair and growled at the knots near his sensitive scalp. Finally, fed up, he pulled it back into a low tail and left the bathroom with a scowl, surprised to find Al sitting on his bed reading.
Edward smiled warily at his brother and collapsed onto his bad, groaning softly before rolling onto his back. Alphonse laughed, as if there was anything humorous about the situation. "I told you to go to bed last night, but no you had a lead." He nodded his head before turned the page of his book. "You should have listened." Edward tsked and turned onto his side, glaring at the younger man.
"Shut up, Alphonse." He demanded, pulling his pillow over his head to block out any sound.
"Whatever you say." Alphonse said, turning another page. Edward yawned loudly and closed his eyes, breathing in the musty scent of his pillow as well as the pine smell of his shampoo. Soon he felt his body relax and his mind drifted off into some dreamless land that only lasted a few measly seconds. Edward felt something tug at his consciousness and he blinked a couple of times before pulling the thin pillow from his face with a moan. He blinked blearily, rubbing sleep and grit from his eyes as he glanced around the room. It was lit up from the one window in between Al's and Ed's bed, sending rays of sunlight through the light blue curtains. he guessed it was late afternoon by the intensity of the light.
Pushing himself from the bed, he dragged his feet over to the door and swung it open hell-bent on getting himself some food to put into his grumbling stomach. He followed the straight past into the kitchen, looking at Al expectantly. After five minutes Alphonse glanced up, a slight frown on his face. "What?" He questioned, flipping over two grilled cheese sandwiches. Edward sank into the closest chair and rested his cheek on the rough surface tiredly, blowing flyway hairs away from his face. "What time is it?" He grumbled, not bothering to look up at the clock on the kitchen wall right in front of him. Edward chortled gruffly when he heard the younger man mutter, "I hate it when you answer a question with a question." Under his breath.
"Three fifteen." Al replied, before flipping the food onto two plates with a pile of cucumbers on each. Edward immediately perked up at the sight of food, sitting up straight as the food was placed in front of his hungry vision. There was a reason Alphonse did all of the cooking. Not only was his food actually good but Edward couldn't cook dehydrated Ramon without blowing something up or catching something on fire. So, while Edward got the money, Al was the one who cooked. Equivalent exchange. Not that Edward would cook even if Al was the one who made the money, he would try, but the last time he attempted to make dinner he caught half of Winry's kitchen on fire and blew up the oven. He never wanted to go through that hell again.
Edward finished his sandwich, as well as two others and got up from the table, startling the younger brother. "Where are you going?" He said, quickly finishing his second sandwich in record time.
"To Mustangs office. I gotta get his signature if I'm going to find out who was the last one to see Shou Tuckers research." He pulled on his red jacket straightening out the hood behind him. He pulled the apartment key from their hook on the wall and shoved it into the opposite pocket from the one where his pocket watch rested.
"I'm out!" He yelled behind, closing the door when he heard Al reply, "Bye! Be safe!"
Edward sauntered down the dimly lit hallway, glaring at the flickering florescent lighting above him. I mean, God, they had enough money to buy half of the city but they couldn't fix the lights when they went out? What a load of bullshit. Edward exhaled loudly, jumping down the slippery stairs two at a time. When he finally reached the bottom his shirt was sticking to his chest and a thin sheen of sweat dampened the back of his neck. He pulled at his collar, cursing himself for wearing black in such hot weather. He could get heat stroke wearing this much. But instead of shrugging off his jacket he left it hugging his shoulders snugly, making his body temperature heighten. He wouldn't let anyone see his automail if he didn't have to.
Edward opened the military car by the sidewalk and pulled himself into the passenger's seat, smiling as the leather wrinkled beneath his weight. He put the car key into the ignition and twisted it, grinning widely when the automobile purred to life around him. He pulled from the curb, hit the gas and began moving towards Central Headquarters. Edward had acquired it the car for his seventeenth birthday, when the military realized that Edward usually walked everywhere. It had made things a lot easier for him, but it had also made him quiet lazy, so every night he decided to cruise the streets until the streetlights went on, then he would trek his way back to the apartment he shared with his younger brother.
Edward let the vehicle slide into parking in front of the Central Military Base, locking it up before he pushed himself up the never ending steps. He pushed open the door to the building, pulling out his watch to show the attentive guard he knew his place before continuing on through the maze of hallways and floors. He stopped in front of a small door, small murmurs filtering through the door. Edward grinned and pushed it open. "Major." Hawkeye greeted with a small smile.
"Hey, Hawkeye." He acknowledged, smiling at the rest of the team. "Hey! Boss! How's it going, haven't seen you in a while." Havoc welcomed, slinking forward to rest his arm around Edward's shoulders with a grin. Ed rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. "Yeah, sorry, been real busy with the chimera case. " Havoc's naturally carefree face turned serious. "They still haven't caught that Bastard?" He said and Edward shook his head forlornly.
"I'm researching it right now, but I need Roy's signature to get some evidence." Havoc instantly brightened, holding his hands up as he backed up. "I get it, I get it," He cried, wiping fake tears from his eyes.
"You don't want me here...that's okay." Edward pushed Havoc out of the way with a smirk and kicked his way into Mustangs inner office, laughing when Havoc fell over the desk behind him, earning Jean a hard look from Riza, whose hand twitched towards her gun. As soon as Edward had entered Edward felt Roy's hard stare pierce his indifference like a stake.
"Ah, Fullmetal, what brings you to my office?" He was in a good mood by the casual way he greeted Edward, and he breathed out, relieved he wasn't pissed off because of the monstrous pile balanced precariously on the side of his desk. Edward walked forward and placed a blank paper on the desk, sliding it under Mustangs nose so he could see the meaning of it. "And what do you need with my signature, Edward?" He questioned, already thinking of logical explanations for Edward's rather tall desire.
"Well, you see, I have a lead. Al was looking over the papers with me, and he found out that they closely relate with Tuckers own notes. If I could see who accessed his research last then we could find out-" Roy raised a hand and narrowed his eyes.
"No." He said, clearly wanting no room for discussion. "But what if-" Roy cut him off with an icy glare. "I said no, we can't just go on empty leads that cause us to run in circles. This will get us no where, drop it or I'll pass the job on. To someone who is capable of doing the work."
Edward growled. "And what if I'm right?" He asked, letting malice drip into his tone.
"And what if your wrong and we search the house of a soldier, only to find out they had nothing to do with it. This is not up to discussion. You will not press this any further, do I make myself clear, Major?" Edward sent Roy a nasty look, grinding his teeth together in anger and frustration. "I'll prove you wrong." He said, snatching the signature sheet from Mustangs grasp. "I'll prove you wrong."
And then he strode out of the office, head held high, emotions buried deep. Ed let a sadistic smirk slide into place as he slammed the office door behind him, hearing Mustang curse as the paperwork pile fell to the floor. Hawkeye raised her eyebrow in question, but turned back to her paperwork when Edward simply strode past her with a furious resolve burning in his golden eyes like tawny fire. "Tell the Bastard," He began, stopping in front of the door that led out into the hall. Havoc raised his head.
"That when he takes his head out of his ass, we'll talk like equals, this time." And then he opened the door and kicked it shut behind him, turning down the hall towards the Research department.
Edward didn't pass anyone of higher rank than he was, and he had to hold onto his patience when they all saluted him like he was going to eat them for even walking in his presence. When he finally made it to the department he was irritable, furious and had the feeling that he was clutching at straws, since he knew that Roy was right about one thing. What if he was wrong? Well he wouldn't embarrass Roy Mustangs team by making them come along, he would go by himself. He would sneak into that son of a bitch's house and he would find the evidence he needed to put that person in front of the firing squad as soon as they went to work that next morning.
Edward smirked at his own tactics, knowing full well how immature it was. He walked up smoothly to the front desk and greeted the girl behind it with a smile. "Hey, Janine." He said, letting his arms rest on the counter. Ed had been there plenty of times to where he knew every secretaries name by heart. Every one of them liked him, as far as he knew, and so he wasn't surprised when she smiled back at him at ease.
"What brings you to our oh-so-happy department, Elric?" She asked looking at him over her glasses. She was tall and intimidating, with warm grey-blue eyes and a kinky sense of humor. Her hair was pulled back into a messy bun with a pencil stuck in the tangle of brown. She had a crooked front tooth that made her beauty slightly more eccentric.
"I forgot to grab a profile for the chimera case I'm working on," He replied with a slanted grin, tapping a gloved finger on the wood. "You mind if I go and grab it quickly?"
Janine scribbled something down on a notepad and walked out from behind the counter. Her keys clanked together musically before she unlocked an office door and pushed it open for Ed to enter. "Go right ahead." She said with a grin before letting the door swing close behind him. Edward felt a pinch of guilt in his system for lying to her, but he quickly smothered it, knowing full well that this could either make or break the case.
He strolled down the hallway flipping on a light switch before skimming through the files in a cabinet. "Alisa, Apple, Buckelyn, Barily, Carlis." He murmured to himself, smiling as he came to the T's. The filing cabinet he was shifting through was the research notes of the deceased State Alchemist, dating far back into the past. Some were lost, and some were too old to hold, so the legible ones were kept behind a locked door, only with a signature from your superior officer would you be able to enter the office. But since Edward was working on a very large case, Ed thought he should have been able to have full access to the files. And luckily, Janine thought so too.
Edward pulled out Shou Tuckers research notes slowly, opening the file with lackadaisical grace. He pulled out the back paper and looked it over leisurely. Edward whistled softly and muttered with a small grin, "Fuck, this is far deeper into the Brass than I thought." On the back of every file was a sheet of paper showing the printed name of everyone who had looked over the notes. It was required for every note and scrap, for what scared the military the most was not being in control, or not knowing what their dogs were doing. Edward's grin widened and he murmured out loud to the empty room, "Major General Reskae Dutson, here I come."
Edward quickly shoved the paper back into its place and slid it into the cabinet, closing the drawer as brisk and quiet as he could. He walked speedily towards the door, trying to ignore the nausea that swelling in his stomach at the sound of a hard, cold voice just outside the door. He pulled it open and skidded to a halt when he nearly ran into a tall, thin man. "'Cuse me." He cut out, starting to move around the man in front of him. "Major Edward Elric." Edward stopped and looked up with a small glare.
Edward found himself looking into a pair of black, pig-like eyes. Major General Dutson. Edward let his face go expressionless and he nodded shortly before snapping a salute. "Sir," He replied back smoothly, hoping his acting was better than everyone claimed it was. Dutson sneered down at him, and the light hit his flushed face dramatically as he nodded at him before turning towards Janine and saying in a gentle, faintly pissed tone, "I'll be staying late tonight, Private. Make sure no one disturbs me." Then he moved forward into the room Edward had once occupied. He shut the door behind him with a hard 'click'. Ed flinched and started walking towards the door looking back at the door with distaste. But something caught his interest. 'I'll be staying late tonight...' A grin lit Edward face. Tonight.
"What crawled up his ass and died?" Janine whispered quietly behind her hand. Edward gave a snort of laughter. Janine had never feared the higher ups, despite the rumor of them taking out any who opposed them. She was quick and witty, and she had a cunning grace about her that made for a great alley or a horrible enemy.
"Probably his dignity." He replied, and then he fell into silence. Edward asked one, very important question, "How often does he come here?"
Janine sighed and shrugged. "He comes in here every other day, I guess. Though, this was the first time this week." Edward nodded and walked away from the counter, stopping to wave back at her before moving out into the hall. His stride was brisk and long, and his shoes made slapping sound on the marble floor, echoing down the empty hallway.
Now all he needed to find was the place were Reskae lived, then he could go investigate. And he knew just the man to help him. Someone who wouldn't blow him off before his got right to the point.
Maes Hughes.