Their Beginnings: Part 1

WARNING: The fallowing story contains SPOILERS. They don't come in for a while, but they are in there. Also, this story contains some bad language and other assorted PG 13 content

Characters: I own Liz, Mel, and all the other randos that aren't in the anime/manga.

Ok, now its time for the inevitable "I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist" statement in this fanfic. Yay for Arakawa-sensei!

THE FALLOWING SENTENCES CONTAIN SPOILERS.

This story takes place in 1924. If you didn't know, Edward is 15 in 1913, and Alphonse is 14. This story is set after the movie. Because we don't know if Ed and Al get back to Amestris (their world, other side of the Gate), this storry assumes they haven't made it back and are still in our world.

Ok, just to make sure you have this straight...

-This story takes place in 1924.

-This story takes place in Amestris (Ed's world).

-This story assumes The Elrics are still in our world.

-The Elrics are not main characters.

North of Central lies the large, but hardly inhabited town of Lawrence, it's territory spreading for miles and miles throughout the mountains and snow covered valleys. The sun was setting, and lights from the large, log-cabin-like homes and stores illuminated the darkening valley. But from one of the windows of the upper story of a tavern, a blue light flashed and then dimmed.

"Hey, Travis! Travis, look!"

A young girl,sixteen years old to be exact, with long blonde hair and blue eyes was rushing down the stairs of an old tavern to the bar. In her hand she held a glass with a chunk of ice in it. The girl put the glass down in the bar, folded her arms, and grinned triumphantly at the man behind the bar.

"Wassat, Lizz?" the man said to the blonde girl.

"What's that! Is that all you have to say, Travis!" She said defensively, then sighed and grinned once more.

"Its what I've been trying to do for a two years now...Alchemy!"

"Really? It took you two years to put ice in a cup, eh?" Travis said. He placed down the cup he had been cleaning, opened the refrigerator behind him, then dropped a few cubes of ice into the glass. "Well would you look at that! I'm an alchemist! I never knew I had it in me." He joked with Lizz

"Har har." Lizz said and she snatched up the glass she brought down with her. "You know I've been studying alchemy for a while now...The books suggested that for your first transmutation you use something simple that you know has other forms. So...I used H2O."

Travis smirked and said "Wouldn't it just be easier to say 'water'?"

"H2O has three forms...gas, liquid and solid. That's why I say H2O." Lizz said examining her glass of ice which was beginning to melt. "I finally was able to transmute the liquid, water, into its solid form, ice."

"Well, I really am proud that you've dedicated yourself to something useful like this." Travis said, leaning over the bar and putting his hand on Lizz's shoulder, a hint of pride in his eyes. "Now, once you get better...you can go transmute the ice off the front of my car so I can get to the market." he laughed.

"You can't be serious for more than five seconds, can you?" Lizz said sternly, but then smiled. Teasing her was just Travis' way of letting Lizz know he cared. Many years ago, when Lizz was 2, an avalanche that buried half of the town of Lawrence took the lives of her parents. Travis, being her only uncle, took the responsibility of raising her. When she turned 15, he put her to work in his tavern, which was a local hang out for many of Lawrence's inhabitancies.

It was then when Lizz's interest in alchemy first sparked. She loved the concept of how when she worked hard in the bar, she earned money, and then she spent the money to buy things. She lost the money, but gained something she wantedin return. Lizz had learned that that was the basic law of alchemy from a State Alchemist passing through Lawrence. She remembered that fateful day she met him in the bar.

Lizz was working in the tavern late one night. The radio blared Amestrian country music that some drunkards in the back sang to it out of tune. The smell of alcohol loomed in the air and she breathed in the sweet, farmiliar sent. Lizz could see out the frosty window the sun had just set and the 9 o'clock train had just let off passengers.

Within a few moments, groggy travlers flodded into the bar after departing the train station. Amoung them was a tall man in a knee length black travleing cloak. Is scruffy brown hair was consealed underneath a blue military hat, and he wore a nicly pressed military uniform under his coat. As Lizz poured a drink for another man, the uniformed man took a seat at the bar and removed his hat covered in snow.

"Ah, Amestris' finest!" Boomed Travis as he aproached the military officer from behid the bar. "Always a pleasure to have a guest like yourself, have a drink on the house."

"Thank you sir, a scotch please."

Lizz watched nochalontly as Travis served the offical a scotch. The two started to conversate and Lizz listened while cleaning some glasses.

"Ah! I see you've got a Silver Clock. That means you're a State Alchemist, if I'm not mistakin. What brings you al the way up hear?" Travis asked in his loud, but joyful voice.

"Oh, here to research some of the eliment properties of the mountains." Said the Alchemist and he took a drink. "We have reason to beleive Lawrence may be rich in precious metals that the State would be happy to use."

"Good! Its time Lawrence got some buisness. I mean the only busness that brings in outsiders is the skiing."

The two continued to talk about very boring subjects and Lizz only glanced over now and then. One time when she loked over, th man caught her eye, smiled, and winked. Lizz blushed and turned. She knew he wa only being friendly, but he was handsome.

"Sir, isn't that girl a little young to be working in a tavern?" the Alchemist ased inqusitivly.

"Oh, Lizz you mean. Well, she is my neice and relitives are allowed to work in bars. Well, at least around here they are." Travis explained. "Lizz, come over here and say hello."

Lizz bashfuly made her way tawrds the two and Travis' ourstreched arm caught her and sqeezed her tight to his side. He gave her a playful nuggie and introduced her to the Alchemist.

"I've never met a State Alchemist before." Lizz said to the man who's military name was the Stone Alchemist. "Whats it like being an Alchemist?" Soon, Lizz the the Stone Alchemist were deep in conversation. He told her about alchemy and all its helpful benifits to mankind. He displayed alchemy and before he left, the Stone Alchemist gave her a book; 'An Introduction to Alchemy'.

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Over the next two years, Libby applied herself to alchemy in her spare time. To her, is was amazing, she didn't know how she ever lived without it. And finally, on this cold winter night, Liz preformed her first transmutation. And it wasn't just any normal transmutation, it was her soon-to-be signature H2O alchemy...

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It was silent. Darkness engulfed the seemingly empty city's streets, the only light coming from the stars and moon hung in the dark blue sky. The building were crumbled and smoldering ash glowed inthe streets in heaps. Here and there, a lone body lie stone cold in death. Not more than a few hours ago before sunset, this had been a bustling city with happy citizens and beatiful buildings. Now the only signs of life were from the massive bats from the near by forest flying overhead.

A gun cocked.

Foot steps.

It was getting closer...

Just a few yards away...

From out of an ally, a tall brunette woman, dressed in military uniform pants and a black, short sleeved shirt, came running out into the street. She had in her hands a long metal rod (about 7 feet long), topped with a razor sharp, pointed end. One of the four men in the street shot at her repetitively, but she fell to the ground and rolled up to him, stabbing him in the stomach with the long pointed rod.

Another man from the group yelled to unseen comrades hidden by the darkness in the city's streets. "The State has sent troops! Send word to the boss--" but his sentence was cut short by the woman, who took the blunt end of the rod and whacked him up side the head. "Troops?" She spat as he fell to the ground. "Try, 'troop'."

"Bitch!" Yelled one of the two remaining men. He pointed his gun at her, but she smirked and whacked it away with her rod, then grabbed his arm and tossed him over her shoulder backwards. He rolled and quickly got up with help from the last man, and then the two ran. Lazily, the woman picked up the gun from one of the dead soldiers and cocked it. She aimed...

Bang!

One man fell to the ground. He was on his knees gripping is left shoulder. The last man stood on the spot, terrified. "You tell you rebel leader" she said loudly "that the State is onto your little terrorist cult. Unless you surrender yourselves and the hostages of the city within 24 hours, the State will be taking action."

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It was a normal night and the tired travlers, drunks, and preacticaly the rest of the Lawrence townsfolk were in the bar. It was Friday and that ment kick off the work free weekend with a night of fun at the local tavern. But their night of partying was inturpted by a oud bang of the door bursting open.

"Travis! Turn on your radio!" the man in the doorway said. Bewildered, Travis went to the corner of the bar and flipped on the old radio. All eyes were on Travis as he tuned in and raised the volume.

An urgent voice came booming from the radio "Twenty minutes ago, we received word of a terrorist attack on East City. Very little information has been given out by the military, but our sources tell us an entire city has been eradicated and terrorists are now using it was a base. The number of lives lost is thought to be in the thousands, military scouts have been sent into the city to find the main bases of the terrorists, who call themselves the Ta-Har."

The bar was silent as the man on the radio paused.

"If you live near the effected area, military officials suggest you leave you homes as soon as possible. We will bring you more information thought the week."

Travis clicked off the radio. The tavern became filled with worried muttering. Things such as "what if there is to be another war?", "There better not be a draft...", and "I'm glad all my relatives live in Lawrence!" could be heard floating though the air. Lizz had an uneasy feeling in her stomach. A war in the south? For the first time in her life, she felt so isolated in her northern hometown. Here they were, just a tiny town hidden in the mountains, doing nothing but sitting and listening to the radio.

She wanted to help. She couldn't just sit. Lizz remembered the State Alchemist who inspired her interest in alchemy. That is what she would do. Even if she was still too young to helping this particular war, she would some day help the State and fight the evils against it.

Over the next week, more reports came in, while Lizz took time off from work to practice her alchemy. She was now using large amounts of water to transmute into ice. Many times she had successfully transmitted ice sculptures from the bath tub which she used to practice with. She decided, if she were to work for the State, she should start to transmute weapons. After many tries, she transmuted a sword of solid ice that easily cut though firewood.

Travis supported her in her studies, but always warned her to be careful. But some times, humans tend to get cocky when they know they are getting good at something. 'If I'm going to be a State Alchemist' Lizz thought, 'I'm going to have to be good at close combat.' She soon got the idea to try to transmute the water into her hand, so that once the transmutation was over, she wouldn't have to bend over and pick up the sword. It would be there in her hand, ready to go and fight.

Lizz stood at the edge of the filled bath tub. She drew a transmutation circle on a piece of paper, the dropped it into the water. She touched the water and the transmutation started. As it began to transmutate into ice, the liquid dropped and froze on Libby's right leg.

"Ah, fuck!" she yelled. She lost her balance, and as she fell to the floor, she hit her head hard on the side of the bath tub. Everything went black, and all she should feel was the cold on her leg...

Authors Note (sort of..): Oooh! What now! Ha, I bet you were thinking her arm was going to get frozen! Well think again compadre, I'm not that predictable :D ! -gives you crazy look as you just stare back confused and slightly disurbed-

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The brunet woman sat with her back against the bench sitting in the covered bed of a military vehicle. Her eyes were closed, her arms folded, and her long metal rod was strapped to her back.

"Your looking calm, Lieutenant Colonel Melonie Fice." said one of the soldiers on the bench opposite of her.

"I told you, its Mel." She sighed. "And why shouldn't I be calm?" she said, peering over her small, rectangular, rounded edged sunglasses at the other soldiers.

"Are you insane? Were about to go behind enemy lines! That doesn't bother you the slightest bit?" one asked.

"She has already been over there..." said another.

"Yes, I went in after the first terrorist attack." Mel said, unfolded her arms and scratching her head. "But if I was the Fuhrer, I would just bomb the place..."

"We don't know if they have any civilians left in there." said the driver. "That's your mission."

"Peh, that's a job for search and rescue teams...Last time I was in there, I took out 2 and let 2 more go. Then I came back to our base to report that they were, indeed, using the city as a base."

The truck came to a halt. A whistling sound was getting closer and closer...

"EVERYONE OUT!" Mel shouted. She dove out the back of the truck and ran. She took a glance back to see the truck explode, and a group of men a few yards away with a rocket launcher of some sort. Mel reached behind her and grabbed her rod, and ran towards the group of Ta-Hars. But they spotted her half way and shot at her. She just barely dodge the rocket, but the explosion got her. She yelled in pain, and clutched her side. She felt blood run down her face, and things were getting hazy.

She heard a truck pull up near her. She tried to stand, but she fell out and vomited blood. Three men jumped out of the truck and grabbed her, placing her in the back of the truck. Thinking she was safe, she allowed herself to pass out in the back of the truck.

Mel awoke with a stabbing pain in her side. She clenched the bed with her hands as she tried to bare the pain. A wet rag wasplaced on her forehead, and she looked to see who it was. A man in a long sleeved white shirt was sitting in a chair next to the bed she was on.

"Wha- whats gong on?" she choked out. "This doesn't look like a hospital." Mel looked around the room. It was filled with cages full of animals, and some larger cages covered with canvases.

"I'll get right to the point." said the man. "I'm going to save your life, and you are going to work for the Ta-Har."

Mel was silent for a second. "You sound like an alchemist. You would call that a fair trade, wouldn't you?" she said through her teeth. The pain was immense.

"Indeed I am. I was captured by the Ta-Har when they invaded the city, and at gunpoint I told them I was an alchemist. They put me to work creating Chimeras from their wounded soldiers. They have a limited supply of soldiers, each one counts. If I can save one by turning it into a Chimera, then they will make me perform the transmutation."

"I'm not a Ta-Har soldier" Mel spat.

"I am aware of that, miss. Our prisoners of war, soldiers from the State, tell us you one of the best close combat military officers in the state. Up there with the Iron Blood Alchemist in skill, eh?" The man smirked. "it would be a shame to let such a talented soldier go to waist."

"Why!" Mel yelled, despite the pain."Why would you work for the Ta-Har? You should have given up your life as support for your country!"

The man laughed. "Really? If I were to point a gun at you this very moment, you would not retaliate to save your life? Or would you give your life up for the State, be a loyal dog of the military?"

Mel stared coldly at the alchemist. "Bastard..."

"I take that as a yes...Fine. I'm going to transmute you anyways, I think you will decide being a Chimera is better than dying with your wounds..."

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