Listen Folks, I'm sorry about this, but I've been running through different crossover idea- DIE PLOT BUNNIES DIE! – ideas and I've come to a conclusion. Unless – DIE YOU THEIVING MONGRALS! YOU'LL NEVER HAVE ME! – I manage to get at least one on pixels, I'll go insane. Therefore, I'm writing this fanfiction.
Now, - YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE YOU DAMN BUNNIES! – Who here has read the Hungry City Chronicles Quartet? If you have, then this story will make much more sense. Enough that you won't be giving me a flame. The reason this is in the FMA mainstream is because there are no stories for the Quartet, regular or crossover wise. So, where else to publish where it will get read? Right here. Now, here's what's happening; Edward, in exchange for his brother's body, is sacrificing time instead of alchemy. Truth has told him he will spend an unknown amount of time in another world and when his payment is fulfilled, an obvious way home will appear. I don't know if I will continue with this story, but you get the gist of the idea. Now, I've placed the story to begin a day after Edward is dropped off on the Dead continent, North America. Specifically? The place where old area 51 would be. So, I've decided to give Ed a few pals.
On with the story.
Edward cursed, crawling over another hill.
He had arrived about a day ago, having departed from Truth's realm to this... place.
Standing at the top of a hill, he looked around, scanning his surroundings. There was nothing but long, green grass about waist high everywhere, blowing softly in the wind. Truth had said he would find 'information' when he got to the world, but he would have to search for it.
"Perfect, Truth messed up and now I'm in the middle of a field in god knows where." He was scanning when he noticed something on the horizon. He squinted, trying to see what it was. He raised his automail hand over his eyes to shield them from the sun, looking at the thing.
It was what he would assume was a chimera, something looking vaguely like a Rhino. The difference was he could make out long sharp teeth.
And it was heading right for him.
"Ahh shit, just my luck," cursed Ed, bolting in the other direction. He wasn't sure if he was on the menu, but he didn't want to find out. Hence his running.
He was running for about five minutes, during which the Rhino/chimera thing had managed to gain on him. He heard the massive feet trample the earth where he had ran, slowly getting louder.
Leaping over the crest of a hill, he was surprised to land on something harder than the earth. Looking down, he saw it was metal, some sort of door with a simple twist hatch on top.
"Please don't be rusted please don't be rusted," chanted Ed, twisting the wheel slowly, the millennia of environmental wear and tear on it causing it to screech horribly.
Amazingly though, he managed to get it open, diving inside. Turning around, he closed the door, ignoring the twist part and alchemically fusing the door to the metal frame.
He leaned against the wall of the bunker, taking a breath. So, he had just... survived?... a giant man eating Rhino/Chimera thing, by crawling into a bunker of sorts.
"Well, might as well see if there's something to find," muttered Ed. Looking down the hall, he noticed that the light was vaguely lit by lights that were already dimming. Perhaps some sort of solar power? It had been experimented in Amestris but efforts were never successful.
Looking around, he found what looked like a switch for lighting. Flicking it, he was blinded with harsh white light, filling the corridor.
Blinking a few times, he noticed there was writing on the walls.
EXPERIMENT S-R MK II – MK III LAB
OTHER PROJECTS -CK M- OF—I-E FOR IN—
Edward looked at the wording. Something about a mark two and three experimentation lab? And something about other projects? Weird. He wondered what this place was for.
Walking further into the bunker, he got to an elevator. He noticed there were two blocks of black plastic beside the call button. Possibly the floor number the elevator was on?
On a whim, he pressed the down button, and was surprised when the doors opened, revealing a grey elevator. Inside, there were buttons from 1 to 100, all labelled with negatives. Probably to show that he was going downwards.
"Hmm, nameplates to each word as well, interesting." He looked at the small tags on the buttons, noticing one in particular.
MK II – MK III ACTIVATION / CODING
"Hmm, just like the hall." He pressed the button, the elevator racing downwards to the lower levels. When he got there, the lights flickered on, yet the scenery was much different.
It looked like a circular desk like object with a chair in the middle, about 80 to a hundred objects in neat rows. Down a set of stairs, a name plate above the stairs told anyone that the 'MK III' testing was down below.
Walking out of the elevator, he wandered over to the nearest object, taking a look.
He backpedalled when he realized it was a metal man.
It was a black color, a reflective 'MK II' on the chest. Metal plates covered entire thing, while a black metal face was placed on the head. It looked totally metallic. Almost like a metallurgists attempt at making people.
"So, these are all the 'MK II's in the building? Or are there more?" wondered Ed, walking over to the desk.
There was nothing but a layer of dust over everything, so he transmuted it away, revealing a glass layer in front of the chair. It was curved inwards, almost like a cone.
"Weird, but looks soft," muttered Ed, sitting down.
The moment he did, a low whirring sound started up, and various images flashed into existence.
It looked like a photo in midair, displaying information. His gaze wandered over to three... icons?... that piqued his interest. All marked 'MK' with a one, two or three.
As if powered by his mind, MK I opened, and Edward was repulsed by what was contained inside.
It spoke of scientific projects at creating soldiers, dragging bodies from the battlefield and combining them with machines to send them back fighting, stronger, faster, better.
The very idea, using a corpse to fight made him heave. Sensing his repulsion, the screen changed, opening MK II.
When he looked, he was pleased. Apparently, the MK II 'Stalker' as it was called, was made entirely of metal. While much more costly to produce, it was far more effective than the MK I. According to this report, tensions between North America, or the 'American Empire,' and the Asiatic countries, were running high enough to delay any more production of the MK II Stalker program to other areas. This was apparently the only base.
He got to a section outlining improvements on the old design of Stalkers. Apparently, the eyes were a blue color, processing time was 257% faster, reflexes were 124% better, the standard melee weapons was sharper, and they had a magnetic rack for the Stalker Particle Rifle.
Curious, Edward wondered what the Stalker project in general was. A window popped up out of thin air.
"Speak and ye shall receive," muttered Ed, reading the floating words.
The project was in fact a re-hashed version of the original MK I project. The original goal was to create a soldier that would be effective in the battlefield, while also striking fear into the enemies hearts. Zombies attacking was apparently the best they could think of.
Various political backlash forced new efforts made into the project, now aimed at making a completely robotic army. Out of this came a multitude of projects. There was a small report next to the larger one, displaying the status of these various projects.
STALKER PROJECT
MK II = COMPLETE – PENDING INSPECTION APROVAL / TESTING
MK III = CLASSIFIED
STALKER AIR = COMPLETE – PENDING ACTIVATION
STALKER NET = ACTIVE – ONLINE – AWAITING UPLINK
Reading on some of these projects, Ed discovered some information that was quite interesting.
The Stalker project was a giant project to replace the common soldier on the battlefield. The MK II Stalker was to be the test group, but due to some combination of reasons, failures and some catastrophic event, it was halted at 100 units.
Stalker air was a method of delivering Stalkers behind enemy lines, completely invisible. The idea behind the project was started when someone looked through an old file and found pictures of something called an 'airship.' It would hold a crew of 80 while being able to stay aloft for an indefinite amount of time.
The Stalker net was some sort of satellite network up in space, all kept there by ion pulse engines. There were currently 120 out of 120 units still in space.
As for the MK III, well, that seemed to be the only file with an encryption on it, preventing him from reading it. It was actually confusing, this was apparently top secret military information, and the only encryption was on the MK III?
A small orange glow lit up on the glass surface.
"Hmm, what could that be," spoke Ed aloud. He pressed his flesh finger against the orange dot, causing another screen to pop up. It was what looked like a video of an empty chair. Quickly, a man sat down, seeming rushed.
"Greetings, My name is Dr. Robert Fraiser. I'm the chief scientist working at the Second generation Stalker research facility. If you are watching this, you have displayed an extreme interest in the MK II stalker project while having been disturbed by the MK I project line.
"This video is recorded for you, and you alone. I don't know who you are, but the computer, during your time looking at the files, has registered you as the new head of the facility. You have access to anything except the MK III project. That will come later.
"I don't know how long after what will be known as the 60 minute war this is, but I suspect with the level of devastation that can occur, I can't help but think centuries will have passed.
"The Stalker Project is yours, do with it as you will, but please, make them a force for good. Too many times have people rioted because of the MK I Stalkers mere presence. Make the MK II's a force for good in this new world.
"This is Dr. Robert Fraiser, signing off for the last time."
Ed gaped as the small window closed, leaving the previous file open.
No, there's no way he was now in charge of these metal men... was there?
A window popped up.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO ACTIVATE STALKER UNITS MR. |
A small keyboard popped up, obviously wanting Edward to type his name. He typed it in, his hands falling to his sides, followed by the keyboard closing.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO ACTIVATE STALKER UNITS MR. ELRIC?
Y/N
Ed considered. Robotic metal men at his disposal.
Was that a good thing?
"Ok, hold it, just pause," shouted Ed into the darkness. Things were moving way to fast.
First, he's fighting Father. Then he's bargaining with Truth. Then, as payment, he's put on this world where the first interesting thing that happens is some weird man eating Chimera chasing him. Then he finds some old research bunker for an alternative to a frontline soldier. And then, a video recording of a dead person said this 'computer' has marked him as the sole commander of the Stalker MK II and the other affiliate projects.
And now he's being asked if he wants to turn them on.
"Well, not like it could get any weirder," muttered Ed, pushing the 'Y' icon.
At once, the terminal shut off. Loud humming from beneath the floor started up. Lights started to flash on, lighting up the Stalkers. Wires that flowed into their skulls and backs began to crackle with energy, blue lightning speeding along the lengths. A window popped up.
STALKER UNIT ACTIVATION PROCEDURE
BOOT UP – IN PROGRESS
TRANSPORT – AWAITING
LOADING – AWAITING
TOTAL PROGRESS – 12 PERCENT COMPLETE
Edward leaned back. With a start, he realized two things. Under 'transport' it was labelled that the stalkers for the most part would be loaded into the airship. There would be a few that would be on the ship, manning it.
Then he realized his state of dress. And his automail.
For clothing, he was wearing battered, torn, bloodied and burnt leather pants with similar condition boots. He was wearing a simple black work out shirt, leaving his flesh and metal arm for all to see.
As for his automail, it was slightly rusty, creaky in some places. The metal was dented, deeply scratched, and in one place, torn. Some wiring inside was frayed, even broken, resulting in no movement in his three end fingers.
"Maybe with all this advanced tech, there might be a medical ward, or a repair shop," muttered Ed. He walked back to the elevator, looking at the buttons. A few caught his eye.
MEDICAL FLOOR – 12
AIRSHIP HANGER/DEPLOYEMNT – 4
STALKER STORAGE – 18
MK III – 19
UNIFORM / ARMORY – 13
Edward marked these into his mind. The medical floor seemed like a good idea.
4 HOURS LATER
The medical ward was not a good idea.
When he got there, some sort of medical system started to scan him. One thing noted was his lack of arm. Viewing it to be 'defective and obsolete' the system decided it would outfit him with a new arm.
This promptly released a burst of gas in his face, knocking him out for about 3 hours.
When he woke up, he saw his automail, port and all, lying on a cart, two robots, not stalkers, but robots standing there. A brief explanation later revealed they integrated a Stalker arm onto his body, fusing it with nerve endings.
Winry was going to kill him.
Fortunately, it worked even better, was lighter, and he could feel with it.
"Alright, now that that little fiasco is done, let's try the armoury," muttered Ed, pressing the floor button.
When the doors opened, he cautiously poked his head out, looking back and forth.
To the one side was a fitting station, complete with military uniforms and knee length coats. On the other side, a vast arrangement of firearms, labelled from 'crowd control,' to 'standard.'
Looking at the uniforms, he looked around.
The color scheme was black, from the boots to the jacket. There was a stiff collar, emblazing the American Empire on it, a bird with white furred head. The jackets were thicker, not in the sense of warmth, but of protection. The fibres were woven closely, made of materials that Ed could not label with alchemy.
Grabbing a set in his size, he transmuted the American Empire markings off, instead, on the jacket and coat, putting the Flamel on the shoulder. He grabbed a set of black gloves, fitting them over his flesh hand and Stalker hand.
Then, he turned to the armoury.
"Alright, I can either go unarmed in a world where technology is far advanced, and where people don't have a complete grasp on it, if there are people. On the other hand, I can grab a weapon, defend myself."
A memory of the crazy Rhino/Chimera thing surfaced to the forefront of his mind.
He grabbed a holster and a blocky pistol labelled as a particle pistol. The American Empire sure loved Particle weapons, he thought.
While walking back to the elevator, his eye caught a shelf full of what looked like sunglasses. Shrugging, he grabbed a half dozen pairs, shoved them into a nearby backpack and headed towards the elevator, pressing the button for the hanger. If he was right, then the procedure should be done and the unknown airship finished.
While the report had information, size dimensions and other info, there was no actual picture of it.
The elevator binged, the doors opening, revealing the airship in all its glory.
It was 400 feet long, coated in black metal. It was about 100 meters wide, at a guess, ample space for a large bridge area. From the front area there was a small staircase, leading into the thing, while along the back was a larger cargo ramp. Along the sides were what looked like turret bays. Ed took a guess that they were particle guns. The engine pods were not a propeller shape, instead they were some sort of disk with ports on the side. Ed wondered if they used this 'ion pulse' engine like the StalkerSat uplink. Beside the door was a small computer. The controls were obvious, pull the lever to open the bay doors, pull the other one to release the cables on the airship.
Ed checked a computer, seeing the process was finished and he could go any time he wanted.
"Let's check this thing out first," muttered Ed, walking up the stairs near the bridge. What surprised him was there was a small lift in the center that would go up to a second level. Ignoring that, he walked to the bridge. Panels flared to life, blast proof shutters opening along the windows, letting the lights in the hanger flood in.
The console area was devoted to different sections. There was one for navigation, one for communications, one for Stalker tracking, one for engine readouts. What surprised him was instead of hydrogen, his initial guess at what made if float, the Empire had created a gravity nullification system that would let the ship rise and lower, adjusting the 'weight' of the airship. The actual propulsion is what looked like the ion pulse drive, modified for in-atmosphere travel.
He turned around, checking the rest of the first level. It looked like this level was devoted for human crew, while the Stalkers had the upstairs. Near the bridge there was a bunk, complete with light. Next to it a small kitchenette, having a stove, fridge and freezer. A second set of bunks were laid out beside that, double stacked and a smaller fit. There was nothing on either side of the lift, only a small wall switch. Ed flipped a nearby one, labelled as the one to close the cargo door. The second button he pushed was to raise the lift. As it slowly ascended, Ed wondered what the MK II stalkers looked like in full light.
When it stopped, he was shocked.
They were looking at him. 100 pairs of glowing blue eyes watched him.
Ed found it hard to breath.
"Umm, hi?" he squeaked. While he was almost as tall as these things, they were still intimidating, those black metal faces highlighted only by robotic blue eyes.
One stepped forward. It was different than the others in the fact that it had a white stripe on it's shoulder.
"MR. ELRIC. WELCOME ON BOARD THE AIRSHIP 'NIGHT STALKER.'" Ed jumped at the voice. It was flat, gravely and cold. Yet, it sounded slightly human.
"Umm, ok. Nice to be here. Are we ready to go?" asked Ed, hesitantly.
"YES. ALL PREPERATIONS HAVE BEEN MADE. FOOD STORES HAVE BEEN LOADED, WEAPONS PRIMED, AMMUNITION LOADED, FLIGHT SYSTEMS CALLIBRATED, ENGINES TESTED AND STALKERSAT HAS BEEN CONNECTED TO." Replied the Stalker. Edward nodded slowly.
"I'm... going to open the bay doors." Ed started to reach for the lift button when the stalker spoke.
"MR. ELRIC." Ed froze. He looked at the stalker, a questioning look on his face. "PUT ON THE GLASSES." Ed nodded, grabbing a pair from his pocket and putting them on his face.
Images flashed across the back, what looked like information displayed with the same blue color as the Stalker eyes. Instantly information began to scroll across. Information on the stalker before him, it's designation. As his eyes wandered, other information came up. What buttons did, how to work something, what to do if it breaks. He realized that it wasn't just a pair of sunglasses, it was a computer all on its own.
Ed nodded his thanks. "Could you tell me if this ship has some sort of automated system?" asked Ed, feeling braver.
The stalker spoke without hesitation. "THE AIRSHIP IS PROVIDED WITH AN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE COMPUTING AGENT. THIS AGENT IS CAPAPBLE OF DOING WHAT IS ASKED OF YOU WITH HELP OF STALKERNET."
"Thank you, I'll be going below now," stated Ed. He almost peed himself when the stalker walked forward, silently as a ghost, until it was beside him on the lift. "I WILL HELP IN THE ACTIVATION OF THE NIGHT STALKER." Ed nodded. Looking at the assembled Stalkers, he realized something.
"Umm, if we go outside and we want to remain... unnoticed... perhaps you should have coats like this? And some sort of headwear? Just so people don't freak out." The stalker tilted it head in confusion at the statement, before two others walked onto the lift.
"THEY WILL GATHER 100 MILITARY GRADE COATS TO 'BLEND IN' AND NOT 'FREAK PEOPLE OUT' AS YOU HAVE STATED." Ed nodded. The lift was getting crowded.
He pressed the button, letting the lift descend onto the main level. At once, one Stalker opened the back hatch and hopped out, followed by the second Stalker, heading for the elevator.
"Alright, I have no idea how to start this thing or move it, do you want to open the bay doors and I'll talk with the computer?" asked Ed.
"AFFIRMATIVE. NOTIFY ME WHEN TO DETACH CABLES." Ed nodded. He walked to the bridge, seeing how it was fairly large. Big enough that him and two Stalkers could walk around.
"So, an artificial intelligence? You here?" asked Ed to no one in particular.
In midair, a window popped up, displaying text.
Hello. I am the 'Night Stalker's' computer. I have been notified that you are now in charge of the base and its contents. Based on observations, you have no destination in mind. Therefore I have compiled a list of commands you might wish to consider.
Scan for communication signals
Scan for large settlements
Go to the nearest military base
Edward considered his choices. "Scan for any communications signals. Right down to classic radio signals. Let's see if anyone's talking out there."
The screen changed, what looked like a dish pointed to a satellite with small waves bouncing back and forth.
At that moment, the two stalkers came back. They both had 40 uniform coats with them and 40 hats. They were wide brimmed, made of a stiffer material than the jackets.
"Good work, go back up and hand those out and do... stalkerish things." The two metal warriors nodded, heading for the lift. Ed leaned out the side hatch.
"Alright, open the doors and detach the lines!" he shouted. The stalker beside the control panel pulled both levers and bolted for the airship. It squeezed through the side hatch, heading for the lift.
"SHOULD YOU REQUIRE ASSISTANCE, MEARLY ASK THE COMPUTER TO CALL US." Ed nodded in thanks as the Stalker rose up towards the second floor. The computer beeped.
He walked over to find a list of old style radio signals. Ed touched one, listening in. It turned out to be nothing interesting. Scanning a few more, he found something interesting. It was slightly garbled, but it was something about London eating Salthook.
The next one was slightly more promising. A place called Airhaven.
"Computer, pilot this thing towards Airhaven. Use the StalkerSat uplink and the radio transmissions to plot a course." The computer beeped in response. He closed the side hatch as the airship began moving. When it cleared the hanger, he could see the doors close.
And nearby, the Rhino thing. "Umm, computer, not to sound cruel, but can you destroy the Rhino thing down there?" asked Ed, staring at it.
A second passed, before a small shudder passed through the deck plates. A small sun took place where the Rhino was. When the smoke cleared, only a crater remained.
"Thank you."
{A.N.} There you go, chapter 1 of a possibly longer story. I know it seems rushed, but I had to get rid of it from my mind. Please review this plot bunny from inside my head.