Chapter 2
After the long night of preparation, the Elric brothers returned to the warehouse, where they forced the SS commanders to use as their 'meeting point' – they were going to arrest (in Nazi-Germany, 'arrest' was much more severe than it was given credit for) the SA leaders.
Edward climbed up a ladder and loaded the bags of flour into the trapdoors above, while Alphonse oiled the hinges at the door leading to the underground passage. The traps were set, and the escape routes were secured. Plan A was to lead the SA leaders into the escape passage, and if that fails, plan B will be put into action – a secret level would open the back door, still allowing them to escape from the building.
They cleaned themselves up, careful never to leave any trace. The time spent in Germany taught them that extra caution was always wise. Mistakes were not tolerated here, not one bit. Their only concern here was that the portal would open again.
About three months ago, they spotted Jean Havoc emerging from the warehouse. In first thought, they assumed he was 'Jean Havoc' from the alternate world (Germany), and was one of Hitler's men. Worried that he may have noticed the traps they have been building for months, the brothers spilt up – one to trail him, while the other to comb the warehouse. They found a portal in the warehouse, poorly hidden behind crates. It was obvious. The Jean Havoc from their original dimension managed to come over, somehow.
Shaking his head, Edward continued to patch up the place. He took some dust from the warehouse next door and spend them all over the place to cover their tracks.
"Come' on Al," Edward tossed him a black SS uniform – fresh from the soldiers they captured the night before. "Put them on, I'm driving tonight."
They grinned playfully as they practiced their lame 'Hail Hitler' salutes. It was going to be a long night.
Central Headquarters, 30th June 1934
Winry got off the train, and the Fuhrer passed her the suit case (he was struggling slightly). Several soldiers welcomed them with a swift salute upon the emergence of their Fuhrer.
"Welcome back, my Fuhrer," General Brigadier Louis Armstrong exclaimed, his muscles ever bulging. "Ach and Winry, too!"
He opened his arms widely for an embrace, and left Winry breathless after the suffocating gesture. Walking them to a plain grey military building, he boasted about his family heritage, while the Fuhrer occasionally whipped up the photograph of his daughter. It was an entertaining, but rather grueling walk.
Finally, the General Brigadier led them to a target practice room. The lights for every lane were switched off except for one. A state pistol laid on the counter of the lighted lane seven.
"You'll need a little training if a war is coming over there. For security-related reasons," the Fuhrer instructed, as he handed Winry the state pistol.
He demonstrated and fired a shot into the bullseye with his own pistol.
"The state pistol has seven rounds. Try to get at least one into the bulls…"
The Fuhrer's words were cut short by seven consecutive shots. General Brigadier Armstrong went forth to retrieve the target and returned with an impressed look on his face. He passed it to the Fuhrer who counted several times. One, two, three…seven bullseyes!
"Perfect aim, Winry," the Fuhrer applauded her (along with General Brigadier Louis Armstrong – they were both equally astonished by her skill, as well as her calm). "Tonight. We can set off tonight."
"Thanks," she gleamed at them. The years of automail work had made her hands as steady as rock. "Tonight will be perfect."
She picked up her suitcase quickly; Winry was all set to go. She was like an excited child, impatient to see the Elric brothers again (But really, it's still more of Edward). Laughing, they walked together into another building. Unlike the dull-looking building they just exited, this one was much smaller, but more elaborate. Green banners carrying the imperial lion crest flanked the sides of the only entrance - a pair of crystal doors that shone a marvelous golden light under the evening sun, giving the dome-shaped building a romantic atmosphere.
They entered the building and Winry gasped. The entire building was made up of only one single large room, and there was a gigantic transmutation on the floor. A small model of a pair of metallic-looking doors stood in the exact centre of the room.
Pointing at the miniature doors, the Fuhrer began to explain, "We all know that The Gate is a source of knowledge. Many secrets are stored behind these doors. Thus we hypothesized that one may pass safely if we present to it any secrets we manage to unveil.
Now, tracing back to the event in which the Elric brothers entered the gate and made their trip to the alternate world. When the portal opened up, I caught hold of some flaky material. I brought it back for analysis shortly after, and discovered it was sawdust and paint. To be exact, it was maple, if not known as shorin, and the paint contained only natural pigments. That was the secret – the doors are not metal like the records state, they are made of wood.
With that knowledge, we crafted small models of the gate, with references to past records and using the same wood and paint. Finally, we got it (on the hundredth and seventy-fourth try); the exact, glowing replica of The Gate. We knew we got it because it glowed blue.
This building was constructed immediately, for the experiment. We tried it without the model at first, but it did not work. The Gate model was the key – the secret we unveiled."
Winry lowered her head. She did not have a good impression of military experiments, nor good memories of them. The Fuhrer caught the point immediately and placed his hand on her shoulder.
"No lives were sacrificed," he muttered, as he passed Winry the state pistol and silver watch. "Don't worry, your fear is not unfounded. We have all seen the horrors of the atrocities committed by the military during the regime of the previous Fuhrer. Now, hold your suitcase tight!"
Everyone stepped back, as the Fuhrer removed his gloves. As he clapped his hands, the sun set behind them (Winry looked a little embarrassed). The darkness that just fell vanished almost instantly when his palms touched the transmutation circle. The entire circle glowed a crimson red, making the symbols on the ground more visible. At the centre where miniature doors should have been, a bright yellow portal floated. It was an amazing sight.
"Thank you so much," Winry attempted salute, causing her elbow to bend in an awkward angle. She did not know how else she could thank them, it was a free ticket to seeing the Elric brothers again.
General Brigadier Armstrong repaid the gesture with another bulging, muscular and unbelievably suffocating hug. The Fuhrer saluted back and wished her luck. Winry turned around and inhaled deeply.
'Well here goes nothing,' she thought, as she took her first step into the circle. A powerful force lifted her off the ground, causing her to gasp in shock. She was floating towards the portal.
