Chapter Two: In Memory Of…
Disclaimer: I don't own 'Fullmetal Alchemist' or Jackie.
Author's Note: Please excuse the AU and OOC, since this is based off an RP.
Another day at the office…Ash thought, filing some paperwork her uncle had asked her to organize. She looked out the window, wishing she were outside, before returning to the task at hand. She shifted through the paperwork on her desk, trying to locate the least painstaking one to complete, when she heard the creak outside of the office.
She shook her head. Honestly, Jackie.
She continued writing on the forms she had to complete when she heard a second creak, and then the crash of metal on wood, followed by heavy footsteps and another resounding crash.
Crap…Ash thought, getting to her feet and running out of the office to see if Jackie was okay. She waved away the curious soldiers opening their office doors, before coming to the top of the stairs at the end of the hall. She noticed Jackie was in a heap at the bottom of them, one of her automail legs disconnected and stuck in the railing. Ash ran down the stairs to assist her.
"Here you go," Ash said as she handed Jackie her automail limb.
"Thanks," Jackie said, sitting up and pulling out a small wrench from her pocket. "Now I can reconnect it slowly, for once," she chuckled under her breath before starting the reconnection. She suddenly collapsed.
Ash shook her head. "No wonder that part's done quickly…Now, what am I supposed to do with her…?" Ash suddenly smirked.
She knelt down and hoisted Jackie up, supporting the older woman as she slowly made her way upstairs. She stopped outside of Jean's door and knocked.
"Ash?"
"Good afternoon, Lieutenant. I brought you something." Ash then entered the office, bringing Jackie in with her.
"Jackie!" Jean exclaimed.
Jackie Havoc opened her eyes. What the—? Where am I…? She looked around, and spotted her older brother, Jean, sitting beside her, looking at her with concern. Crap…she thought as she spotted Roy's niece behind her brother.
"I am going to kill you," she mouthed before she looked up at Jean with a sheepish expression.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Lieutenant, Jackie." The young Mustang hurried out of the room.
A silence fell between the Havoc siblings, before Jean finally broke the silence.
"So…What happened to you? I just remember those people taking the two of you away, and knocking me out when I tried to come after you…"
"Maybe some other time," Jackie replied, hugging her knees to her chest. "It's just good to be back."
"But what about Lily?"
Jackie fell silent, fighting the urge to cry. "I honestly don't know," she whispered.
"Jackie, can you please tell me what happened?" Jean begged at lunch the next day.
Jackie sighed. "Well…" She looked around and noticed soldiers from every side of the cafeteria leaning in to eavesdrop. "Mind your own business, people!" she growled before sighing again. "You remember the night we were taken? It was right after we had passed our alchemy exams."
Jean nodded.
"Well, I didn't wake up until much later. When I did, Lily told me that we were far from home. And we soon found out that the people that took us…were Homunculi."
Jackie glared at everyone as muttering broke out among the soldiers before continuing.
"They did things to us… Lily wasn't reacting well to the experiments, but I managed to make her better…Not long after that, I lost my arms and legs, and Lily promised she'd get us out. So, we escaped one night. We got as far as the edge of Resembool before they caught up to us. Lily hid me, but they took her again.
"The next day, Pinako Rockbell found me and gave me my automail. As soon as I was able to walk, I went back to where they had taken Lily, but all I found was a puddle of blood."
The entire cafeteria was dead silent.
"Who the freak was eavesdropping!" Jackie demanded, and everyone quickly busied themselves with their food.
Jackie sighed again.
"So…Lily?" Jean asked.
"I don't know if she's alive or dead. I'm sorry." Jackie stared at her plate, poking at her food.