AN: I'm so sorry this is so short, first of all. Before you kill me for not updating for a long time, I have a perfectly good excuse - my sister was away for a week. She's the one always demanding I update so she can read the next part sooner, and without her hanging around to nag me, I didn't get anything done story wise. She told me I could blame her, by the way. Just saying. So now I'm back, working like the wind to get the newest chapters to you guys. Also, here's a big thank you to beecee12, for your kind review! Sorry about the very late chapter update! (But now you get to see Ed's first infiltration mission - I wonder how that'll go?) Enjoy!
Disclaimer: No ...Fullmetal is not mine ...or Al wouldn't have been stuck in a whole suit of armor and everything would be like how I wrote it here ...
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Edward had only been on this mission for a week, and he was already sick of it. Specifically, he was sick of Cornello. It'd become a mantra in his head to not kill the annoying priest. All he ever talked about was that statue out front and the rebellious people who dared defy Leto and needed to be converted or silenced. On and on, he never shut up! It was a good thing he'd promised Alphonse that he wouldn't do anything rash until they found out what kind of alchemy he used or the man would be so much rubble in the corner.
"Angels, gather! I have exciting news, a new prophesy from the great Leto!" Cornello bellowed. Edward scowled. 'Leto' had been giving prophesies almost three times a day, and it was all complete drivel that the brainwashed people ate up ravenously. From his research, it seemed that Cornello claimed to be performing miracles, which he promoted with alchemy, and claimed his supernatural abilities were a gift from his statue god. Edward still didn't know what his game was - power, status, money - but it wasn't right. The town of Liore loved him and his fake miracles, and he was currently the most powerful figure this side of Xing. It was ridiculous - Edward just didn't get it. How could an entire city follow him? Sure, it was the desert with not much else going on, but still ...
"Ahaha, Eric, good to see you!" Cornello laughed, heartily slapping Edward on the back. Edward wanted to heartily slap him in the face, but instead he plastered on a fake smile and calmly shook the man's hand.
"Ah, Father Cornello, what can I help you with?" It was a struggle to keep the irritation out of his voice, but he managed. Somehow. Cornello motioned to him and began walking towards a blank section of wall.
"Come with me, there is something I need to show you," Cornello announced, his beady little eyes glinting. This immediately put Edward on guard. He'd never singled out any of his followers before - what could he need to show him? "This way!" Cornello pressed his hands to the wall, red sparks flaring to life to open up a long staircase that spiraled down into the dark. He lead him down a long hallway, twisting and descending lower and lower. It was claustrophobic, reaching the bottom and having the ceiling only a foot above Cornello's head.
"Excuse me, Father, but where are we going?" Edward was honestly curious. He didn't even know the building extended this far down. And why had Cornello thought it necessary to seal this off with alchemy? Something wasn't right here. There was a laugh in Cornello's voice as he said, "you'll see, just be patient." Eventually they came to a door. It was the only one they'd seen in a while. Cornello turned to him, grinning, hand on the knob.
"Prepare to be amazed," he exclaimed quietly. He pushed open the door, and Edward took a hesitant look inside. Thin covers draped a canopy over the bed on the other end of the bland room, and Edward squinted - was that a person sitting up on the bed? At Cornello's insistence, Edward crept inside. A person was down here, alone - who was it? Why were they even here, underneath Cornello's sham of a church?
"Hello?" He called out cautiously.
"Rose?" A hopeful male voice asked, the silhouette of the head turning to face him. Edward froze. The voice continued. "Oh, Rose, I'm so happy to see you! Has Cornello left? I must speak with you! Please, Rose, I've missed you so!"
"I'm not Rose," Edward whispered to him. It couldn't be ...
"It was my boyfriend. He almost had enough to buy a wedding ring next month. I was going to stop him, tell him it was too dangerous, but I was too late .."
"Isn't it thrilling? I've found a way to bypass the laws of alchemy with a gift from the generous Leto!" Cornello boasted. He threw the sheet aside. "Behold, human transmutation without the absurd cost, and it was all thanks to my precious stone here!" Chestnut hair and big brown eyes blinked in surprise, a flash of red in Edward's peripheral vision.
"You didn't ...human transmutation ...that's forbidden alchemy, how could you?!" Edward shouted. He was furious - life and death were things that humans were never supposed to toy with. Cornello's grin widened.
"I used my Red Stone - it's brought this man back to life! It's only temporary, though, but if I can get my hands on a more stable stone, I can create an entire army of willing soldiers to march on Central Command, all of them indestructible, and we'll have an even larger community of lost ones forever returned by me! Just imagine, Leto has given me a great power, and soon I'll sit at the top as this country's leader!" A Philosopher's Stone, Edward's fizzling brain helpfully supplied. That must the only source of Cornello's transmutations. He couldn't use alchemy at all, and insisted on performing human transmutation anyway. How was he still alive if he couldn't use the power correctly that had been carelessly dropped in the palm of his hand?
"You're mad," Edward snarled, preparing to fight this man. He was absolutely crazy!
"Oh, I don't think you will, State Alchemist Edward Elric," Cornello replied. Edward stopped in his tracks. He knew his identity? For how long, how had he found out? They'd been so careful!
"What do you want with me, Cornello?" He muttered. Cornello casually stuffed his hand carrying the Red Stone set ring into the folds of his pocket.
"I want you to help me in my quest, that's all. You've got power, immense power, more than I can wield myself with this single stone, and you'll be able to do better than all of my soldiers combined." Edward dared to tread the dreaded question.
"I'm flattered. And if I refuse?" Cornello belted a laugh.
"Well, then I'll make you do it anyway. Your brother is right outside this complex, isn't he? I've heard the Fullmetal Alchemist never goes anywhere without his little brother." Edward growled low in his throat.
"Don't you dare," he threatened back. NOBODY was allowed to touch his little brother in a violent way. Cornello shook his head, still grinning that idiotic grin.
"I'm afraid we already have him in protective custody, there's really no room here for you to decline." Edward glared. The man behind him had been strangely silent - maybe he was already dead. All Edward had on his mind was making sure Alphonse was alright. The man wasn't alive anymore anyway. Edward had a duty to those still living and untouched by transmutations.
"Let me see him," he demanded. Cornello nodded pleasingly.
"Of course. You need to make sure we have the right person, that's no problem." Cornello began walking away again, and Edward cast one last glance back at the bed. The man he'd seen before had collapsed backwards, his chest still and unmoving and his corpse already decaying to how it was before. Edward bowed his head to him out of respect, closing the door behind him. He dearly hoped that Rose would never have to witness that sight, if the man was truly who he thought it was. Cornello lead him back to the surface level of the building, out to the courtyard, and Edward stared. It really was Alphonse, missing his now ever present cloak and fighting the two men holding him down. Alphonse, in an attempt at escape, bit a hand fiercely and was backhanded for his efforts. Blood started trailing down his face and Edward saw red, and this time it wasn't only a speck in his peripheral. Screw the mission, Cornello was going down right now.
"AUUURRRRGGGGG!" Edward launched himself first at the attackers on his brother; they went down easily, and were later sent to the hospital for numerous injuries. Next on the list was Cornello, who seemed a bit nervous and began backing away, and as Edward tackled him, he thrust the Red Stone ring in his face.
"I'm going to transmute you into a little pile of molecule dust!" Cornello yelled. He appeared to have forgotten that he wanted Edward alive. But something backfired. The stone vibrated furiously, suddenly shattering into a thousand tiny, irreparable pieces. It's a fake.
"A fake stone," Edward repeated aloud for good measure.
"Brother!" Edward drove his fist downward just once. Cornello was out. Edward hurried to Alphonse's side, helping him to his feet as the younger winced, rubbing at a sore socket near his shoulder.
"Are you all right, Al?" Edward asked. Alphonse wrinkled his nose at the question.
"Brother, what's going on? I thought the plan was for you to turn Cornello over to the military quietly, not take him on yourself!" Edward chuckled nervously.
"Heh, well, things escalated a little too quickly to let you know ahead of time. Sorry, Al."
"Al! Alphonse, where are you?!" A head of rose colored hair came flying their way from around the wall, Rose looking slightly panicked.
"Al! Thank goodness, I called Colonel Mustang just like you told me, he's sending forces right away, are you both okay?!"
"We're fine, Rose," Alphonse assured, a fond smile brightening his features. Rose dropped to her knees, panting, and theatrically threw her head back.
"Oh, good. For crying out loud, Al, next time warn me if this is part of the plan, I thought you were going to be killed by those men!" As Rose dissolved into a steady stream of babbling, the brothers exchanged knowing looks. She didn't need to know. Besides, they had their man. Everything would be fine. Edward sheepishly grabbed up a hand of each of them, pulling them towards the exit.
"Uh, guys, we need to leave," he said, just as the windows of the second story blew out simultaneously from an explosion that rocked the complex.
"Brother, what did you do?!" Alphonse cried as they began running with everyone else trying to escape the explosion. Edward tossed his nose up pridefully.
"I was sick of hearing Cornello yap on and on, so I figured blowing his fake cult up would get him to shut up for a little while," he boasted. "The rest was simple alchemy!"
"Brother!" Al exclaimed despondently. "You can get arrested for that!" Edward screeched to a halt, pondering this.
"..oh yeah ..."
"Edward, how could you forget that?" Rose yelped. Edward shrugged.
"I figured they'd let me off the hook if I just caught Cornello!"
"BROTHER!"
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Raven hair fell in waves out the window of the watchtower not far from the toppling temple, a beautiful woman smirking at the trio running as if their lives depended on it the opposite direction of where military soldiers were marching into town.
"It looks like we've found the alchemist we need," the woman purred. A bald head appeared next to her, a chubby finger stuck in his mouth wonderingly.
"What about my snack, Lust? You promised, you promised I could eat him!" Lust smiled down at the fat homunculi.
"Of course. Cornello is all yours, just eat him where no one will see, okay?" Gluttony's eyes glittered hungrily.
"Okay!"
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AN: Wow ...wrote all this today ...start to finish ...an entire chapter, even if it is too short like a certain alchemist we know ...I'm a little proud, impressed, and frightened by my own skills. Kowaii. Oh well, here it is, no matter how it got here! I'm not sure if I kept my promise of it being longer, but at least there's progress being made, and that's what counts ...right? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed, and hopefully I'll get back on track with longer chapters soon! Thanks for reading!
Note: Kowaii = scary!