Disclaimer: I don't own Full Metal Alchemist. I do, however, own my warped dreams.
Note: This is basically, word for word, a dream I had a few nights ago. It was so specific, it had to be written down. Thing was, the only two recognizable characters in the dream were Mustang and Hawkeye. The others, some random male and female, I decided to plug in with Brosh and Ross. But yeah, it was a very strange dream, especially because I don't dream with anime characters... ever. But I blame working till 4 a.m. counting FMA merchandise at work, and listening to more than a healthy amount of Little Shop of Horrors (Which is where the title comes from.)Anyway...
Don't Feed The Plants
The tape recorder clicked. It was on. The on-base therapist sat back in his chair and lit a cigarette. With even movements he took out a pad and paper. He inhaled through the cigarette and blew it out before starting.
"So, Lieutenant Ross," he said. "Your superiors told me that you've been acting strange lately. Care to explain why?"
Maria Ross swallowed hard and flattened out a crease in her uniform with the palms of her hands. She didn't really think she was acting strange, exactly, maybe a little distracted. And who wouldn't be, after a dream like that one?
"Well," she started. "I guess it was about a week ago. I had the strangest dream.
"I don't know why, but for some reason I'd been sent on some sort of reconnaissance mission with Colonel Mustang, Lieutenant Hawkeye, and Lieutenant Brosh. We were given papers about a certain couple, a husband and wife. They'd somehow learned to turn simple house hold plants into mutant ones, to be used as weapons.
"Before heading out, Colonel Mustang turned to all of us.
'This will not be easy,' he said. 'I will take any precautions necessary to complete the mission. These people are not to be taken lightly. There can be no weakness, is that understood?' We all saluted. 'Everyone must pull their own weight,' he continued. 'If you get in the way I cannot hesitate to fire, if it means defeating these people. Those were strict orders handed down to me. So keep your heads on your shoulders. Obey orders. Stay alert. I want us all to come back here alive.' We saluted again and set out.
"The next thing I knew, the four of us were in a sort of underground storage garage. It was dark, and water was dripping in places. I remember being confused as to why we were sent to such a common place. But the colonel gave the orders to investigate, so we did.
"We all split up. Lieutenant Brosh walked with me for a ways. 'Do you even know what this mutant plant looks like?' he asked me. I told him I didn't, but that if it was a mutant plant, I'm sure we'd know it when we saw it.
"Finally he left my side and went to check on something in the far end of the garage. As I kept looking, I discovered a door nearby. I pulled out my gun, approached the door, and opened it. Behind the door was what looked like an abandoned laboratory. The tables and beakers were all grey and dusty from disuse. It looked like the place hadn't been touched. As I poked my head in farther, I noticed the floor. Something had been traced in the thick dust. As I stepped inside, the floor started to glow with an intricate alchemy array. I gasped. Just as I did, something shifted in the corner. As my eyes scanned the room, a large green vine with black thorns lurched from the corner and landed just short of my feet."
Ross took a deep breath before she continued.
"I was so shocked I dropped my gun, turned on my heel, and slammed the door behind me. The slam echoed through the garage. 'Colonel!' I cried. 'I think I found—' Before I could finish my sentence the vine broke through the door and sped toward me. I turned around just in time to see it rear up to wrap around me, when something barreled into me and I fell to the floor. When I regained my senses, I noticed Lieutenant Brosh holding me around the waist.
'Remember what Mustang said, Ross,' he said to me. 'Stay alert.' He stood and brushed himself off as Lieutenant Hawkeye and Colonel Mustang approached us. Lieutenant Hawkeye was shooting at the vine, but it managed to evade every bullet. I remained on the floor, staring at it in horror. Lieutenant Brosh started to shoot as well. The colonel reached down and grabbed me by my shoulder.
'Get up,' he snapped at me. 'Where's your gun?'
'I… I dropped it… in… there.' I pointed to the room where the vine was coming from. The colonel narrowed his eyes and made as if he was going to enter the room.
"Suddenly, from behind us, we heard what sounded like people laughing and the sound of footsteps splashing through shallow puddles. Colonel Mustang spun around just in time to see the couple running away, heading for a ladder. He pulled me to my feet and cried, 'Go after them. Run them down, don't let them get away! Brosh, go with her.'
"Lieutenant Brosh stopped shooting and ran past me. As he did, he caught me by the sleeve and pulled me with him.
"By the time we reached the ladder, the couple had already climbed up and out. Lieutenant Brosh climbed onto the ladder before me. I followed him. But then I heard what sounded like the Colonel screaming: 'Get down!' Lieutenant Brosh and I paused and looked over our shoulders. Another vine had come from another part of the garage and was attacking the colonel and Lieutenant Hawkeye.
"Lieutenant Brosh looked down at me and said, 'C'mon, let's keep going,' but I ignored him. I hesitated and kept watching the Colonel and Lieutenant Hawkeye fight. Suddenly, Lieutenant Hawkeye turned and met my eyes. 'Colonel!' she cried, and pointed directly at me.
"Colonel Mustang turned around. Taking several steps in my direction, he yelled at me, 'Are you an idiot? Keep going!' For some reason, I don't know why, maybe I was just stunned that the colonel had yelled at me, I froze. Then I heard Lieutenant Hawkeye scream again. She screamed, 'Behind you!'
"She fired a round of shots. The colonel spun around only to be knocked to the ground by a large vine hurtling past him. The vine was heading straight for the ladder that Lieutenant Brosh and I were clinging to.
'Ross!' Lieutenant Brosh called to me, from higher on the ladder. 'Just give me your hand. I'll pull you up.' He extended his arm to me. 'Ross, grab on!' he said. But it was almost as if I didn't hear him. I was hanging onto the ladder, transfixed as I watched the vine get closer and closer.
"The vine started to rapidly twist itself up the ladder. Colonel Mustang rushed to his feet and cried out, 'You fool!'
"Then he snapped his fingers.
"The last thing I saw was an inferno of flames coming up behind the vine, right as it was about to reach me.
"That's when I woke up."
The therapist stamped out his cigarette in the nearby ashtray and reviewed his notes. Ross began to twist the uniform that she had straightened out before. She kept her eyes glued to her lap.
"And why does this dream make you so anxious?" the therapist asked. Ross looked up at him, with almost frantic eyes.
"Well, sir," she answered. "I can only assume that I died at the end. The fire would not have stopped at just the vine. It was a rather large blast. Larger than any I've ever seen the colonel use before. And…" The Lieutenant trailed off and toyed with her uniform again. It really was uncomfortable, seeing a therapist like this.
"And?"
"And it was so vivid. It almost feels like a premonition of things to come."
"Don't be foolish." The therapist sat forward in his chair and turned the tape recorder off. "A dream is a dream. It is a simple manifestation of subconscious thought. It is not a premonition of things to come. My advice, Lieutenant, is to remember that. It was nothing but a fantasy. Forget the dream, and keep your mind on your work. You are a smart woman, you know the difference between what is a dream and what is reality. Have a good day now, Lieutenant Ross. Stay well."
Lieutenant Ross thanked the therapist and left his office. As she walked down the hallway, back to her barrack, she repeated in her head that it was just a dream.
"Hey, Ross," she suddenly heard. She looked up. Denny Brosh was heading her way. "I've got an envelope here with your name on it."
"What is it?" she asked as she took it from him.
"Not exactly sure," he answered. "But I got one too. Seems like some sort of assignment. Looks like we're gonna be on some reconnaissance mission with Lieutenant Hawkeye and Colonel Mustang."
Note: Sorry if that ending was predictable, but it felt like a decent way to wrap the dream up as a one-shot. Otherwise I feel like I would have had to continue the story, and I really couldn't think of a way to expand on that little dream I had. Ah well. If you got this far, thank you for reading XD