Hey everyone I've got some good news! School gets out in three weeks for me, and then I should have tons of time to update more often. I'll be honest; I'm really looking forward to not having to worry about molecular biology tests until August lol. Sorry it took me so long to update again, school's been getting intense with finals coming. On top of that, I've been fangirling over the new Kingdom Hearts game that's out. Looking for subtitled videos of gameplay really does make the time fly. I can't believe the ending! I don't really understand what happened (I really wish I could speak Japanese), but I can make a guess. Wow! They weren't kidding when their slogan said "Light would become Darkness and Darkness would become Light!" My mind was blown and I didn't understand half what was going on!
Ahem, enough fangirling. Thank you all so much for the reviews that I've gotten! I really hope this story meets your expectations. As a serious question, does Charity seem Mary Sue? I would die if she ended up being one so please tell me if it seems she's going in that direction. This chapter was super fun to write. Finally, some villains! As always, please review and tell me what you think! Without further ado…. Chapter 3 (wow I've made it to chapter 3!)
Disclaimer: I don't own FMA just the OC'c (do we really need to put in the disclaimer?)
A lone figure walked down the long, wide courtyard towards the looming Czar's Palace. Snow swirled about in the bitter wind, and the figure pulled his hooded cloak tighter to ward off the chill. It had been an eventful day, and he was running late to his meeting. He quickly glanced upwards towards the Hukaren Mountains barely visible in the snow storm. Those mountains stood tall and proud, casting their shadow over Drachma's capital city, Idenrov. He couldn't help but admire them as he entered the foyer.
"Young Master." A servant rushed up to greet him and, bowing, reached for his cloak. "The Master has been waiting for your arrival. He's in his office."
"Perfect." he said. "Go and prepare my dinner. I haven't eaten much today while I've been running errands."
"Of course Young Master." The servant said as he bowed again and hurried from the room.
Not giving the servant a second glance, the young master walked towards the grand staircase at the end of the hall. When he had reached the top, he turned left down a richly decorated hallway. The fine carpet and bright lamps would have given off a cheerful atmosphere, but the young master didn't have time to spend with such foolish sentiments. He had a job to do, and news to deliver. At the end of the hallway stood a fine oak door decorated with intricate carvings. He gave the door a small knock before he entered.
On the other side of the door was the Czar's private office. This room had been the young master's favorite from the first time he'd seen it. The floor was a very high quality wood imported from Xing, and intricate paintings decorated the walls. At the far end of the room, sat a large, chestnut desk covered with all sorts of documents. These things were certainly nice, but they weren't the reason he liked this room. That feature was to his right where the wall was made up of full length windows so one could look out and up at the mountains.
"You're late my son." said a voice, catching the young master's attention. A blazing stone fireplace stood to his left, and a solitary man stood there, gazing into the flames with his back turned so the young master couldn't see his face.
"I'm sorry Father, but there was a lot of information I had to gather, and I wanted to be sure it was too your liking." The young master said as he smiled.
"What do you have to report? I will decide if you received sufficient information that would excuse your tardiness."
"It was indeed as you thought, there was a tremor in the world's Gate of Truth yesterday, the very same as two years ago. Once again, Amestris was the epicenter, and this time it was right in front of Central Command. I was also able to confirm, with the information from our spies, that a girl was recovered from the crater."
"And you are sure she is like the man that came with the last tremor?"
"There is no mistaking it. She probably has the same connection to the Gate as he did too."
"This is excellent news. With this, our plans can finally move forward. It is just as Jackson Evans was told by the Truth, his daughter did come. She will no doubt be looking for him. Perhaps we should show Jackson our appreciation for his help by giving them a little family reunion." The Czar smiled wickedly. "It's a shame it won't be a happy one. Fortunately, she won't maintain her identity for long after so her pain will be short lived. Send word to the army, the war with Amestris begins soon. Also, call in the Hunters, they have a small doe to bring in."
The young master grinned smugly, "As you wish Father."
There was an awkward silence after Mustang left. I sink into my pillows, stunned at what he had told me. I feel something brush my check and I reach with my hand to wipe whatever it is away. I'm surprised when I realize my hand is wet. I'm crying. Riza gives me privacy by looking away as she claims a chair in the corner and begins going through paperwork on her clipboard. I can't help but feel gratitude towards this woman I don't even know.
We sit there for a while with the only sounds coming from the faintly ticking clock and the occasional scribbling noises coming from Riza's pen. I want to say something, but I can't think of anything so I just stare at the curtains over the window that block this room from the outside.
The silence is broken by a nurse that walks in with a tray of food. She smiles brightly as she sets the tray on a small table on wheels that she extends over my bed. "Zah. Te brought dea food. Please tak a eat mal. Tel ze back vek dea finished." She says, handing me some silverware.
"Thank you." I say, and she turns to leave.
She stops right at the door and turns to address Riza. "Do dea want anitan Mrs. Hawkeye?" she asks.
Riza looks up and smiles. "No. Te fine." She says.
The nurse nods and opens the door, stepping into the hallway without saying another word. Once the door closes behind her, I look down to examine what she brought me. It's a bowl of soup and a roll from the looks of it. I feel my stomach growl and blush, positive it was loud enough to be heard from across the room. I haven't eaten since dinner before I fell through the Gate. I wonder how long it's been? My stomach growls again and I give in to its demands.
It's pretty decent for hospital food. I dip my roll in the soup and take a bite. I figure it must be chicken noodle since it tastes just like it. Then again, what if they don't have chickens in Oz? I think sarcastically. After all, I'm not in Kansas anymore. I just shake the thought away and keep eating. This is one of those times I don't want to think about the "It tastes just like chicken" phrase.
I finish quickly and push the tray aside. Then, since I don't have anything else to do, I turn to watch Riza again. It's almost like there wasn't any interruption from the nurse. She's busily filling out paperwork like she was before the nurse came in. I remember my first impression of her as a secretary. She could be, but, somehow, I keep thinking there has to be more… She and Mustang seemed closer than just a secretary and boss. I shrug the and decide to break the silence. "What are you doing?" I ask. It seems that the more I hear these people talk, the more I understand, so if I can get her to talk, maybe…
She stops her writing for the second time and looks up at me. "Roy et horrible a kondates ta paperwork so te picking alt zu slack." She says.
I just nod my head and try to pretend I know what's going on. She looks at me like I'm amusing her and sets her clipboard down. "Tell te akush yourself Miss Evens. Vos ak you from? Sa you hamit a family?" She asks slowly.
My brain feels like it's going to explode with all these questions. I know she's slowing down to help me, but it still feels like my head is going through an oil press. She wants to know about where I'm from? What can I say to that? I'm an alien I come in peace? I think sarcastically. I decide on the truth. It can't get any worse right? "Well, I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. I have a mom and a dad, but no siblings. I'm 15, and I was born May 25, 1997…" I trail off as her eyes grow wide at the last part.
"1997?" She says.
Uh oh. "Yes?" I answer.
"Da… Zut 1935."
I feel my insides freeze. 1935? There's no way that's possible! So am I still on Earth but in the past? If that's the case… I do some quick calculations in my head. I know World War II was going on around that time. So does this am I just in a different country during World War II? That can't be right, only the Germans had the title Fuhrer as far as I can recall, and that title belonged to Hitler. That guy's name was Mustang, and he doesn't even have a weird mustache so he can't be Hitler. "Where am I?" I ask frantically, gesturing around the room for emphasis.
"Vos? Central Command Reguete e Amestris." She pulls out a map from her jacket pocket and points to a large, round country divided into five subsections like States.
The map confirms my suspicions since I don't recognize any of the countries surrounding Amestris either. I frown and sink back into my bed and look up at the ceiling. Okay so I'm not on Earth…, and it's 1935. I guess that explains the nurses' outfits. That must really be their uniform. I glance back at Riza who is looking at me with concern. That would make sense since I just told her I'm from 1997, just not her 1997 apparently.
"Thank you. I…. " my voice shakes. This whole thing is really starting to get to me now. For the briefest moment, I want to go home without my dad. No, I need to find him. I can't leave him here, and once I find him I get to kick his butt for messing with dimensions. The Truth probably won't let me go home without him anyway. I take a deep breath and muster all the strength I can. With two years of experience dealing with my dad's disappearance and the rumors about my mom having something to do with it, I've gotten pretty good at handling things, but this if the most difficult situation I've ever been in. With my resolve strengthened, the tension in my head seems to dissipate. "I guess this whole thing is really freaking me out. I would try to explain the whole thing, but I don't think you would understand me anyway." I say.
Riza looks at me and her lips curve into a wry smile. "That's the fastest I've ever seen someone pick up a language before." She says.
I stare at her in shock. Did I seriously understand what she just said! I think. I have never been so relieved in my life. I officially feel sorry for all the native Spanish speakers back home in California. I will never complain about them not learning English ever again! "You can understand me?" I say.
She nods. "Perfectly. This makes things easier for everyone." Then, she sits up in her chair and takes on an all business expression. "Now, let's start over. My name is Riza Hawkeye. It's a pleasure to meet you Charity Evans."
"It's nice to meet you too Mrs. Hawkeye."
"Just Riza is fine. I want you to tell me how you got here, but we should wait for Roy to get back with Edward and Alphonse. It wastes time if you have to explain more than once."
"You're probably going to think I'm crazy." I respond
Riza gives me a small smile. "You'd be surprised. I've seen a lot of crazy things I wouldn't have believed if I hadn't been there. So, tell me more about yourself, and I'll tell you about myself. What are your hobbies?"
"Well, I really like playing tennis…." We talk back and forth for what feels like a long time. I'm able to forget a little bit about my situation as I enjoy learning more about her and telling her about myself. Turns out she is Mustang's secretary, but I was right about there being something more. She's his wife too! They have a daughter named Rebecca who's twelve now. She smiles as she talks about how much of a doting father Mustang is, and I have a hard time picturing that since he looked so serious when I met him.
We're interrupted by a knock at the door. "I'm back. The traffic coming in was terrible though so it took longer than I was expecting." Mustang says as he walks through the door followed by two other men. My eyes are instantly drawn to one of them and I shriek in alarm. I've never seen anything so terrifying in my life! Not the man, but what was behind him. I'd come to accept that everyone had a floating door of some kind following them around, and apparently only I could see them. This was different. There was nothing there, and not in the normal way. It looked like a gaping black hole to oblivion; it left the room feeling empty, and I felt empty too.
I panic and, forgetting about how sore I still am, try to climb out of my bed. I stumble and fall to the floor where I see a giant eye opening underneath me. Small black hands stretch out and around me protectively. I'm vaguely aware that I'm the one moving them, and I can feel them in a way too. I hear frantic shouting and I see a flash of blue light come from one of the new men. The wall next to me seems to reach out and wraps itself around my ankles and wrists. I scream and the little black hands attach to the wall that is restraining me; the bonds around my wrists disintegrate.
I try and struggle to me feet when I hear a small pop and feel a small pain in my shoulder. I look up and locate the source of the sound; Riza is standing there with gun in her hand aimed right at me. I just got… shot…? I think as I look down at my shoulder. There's a small dart protruding from it. Suddenly, I feel a wave of dizziness and everything around me goes fuzzy. The last thing I see before passing out is the eye underneath me slowly closing…
There was a stunned silence as everyone watched the blonde girl sway and then go limp. As she began to fall, the eye underneath her closed and disappeared. Al managed to catch her before she hit the floor.
"What the hell was that?" Ed exclaimed, breaking the silence.
Al shook his head as he picked her up and set her gently back on the bed. "I'd like an explanation too, but I don't think we'll get one from her as long as she's unconscious." He said. "Brother…," he looked at Ed. "Could she be a homunculus? That was eerily similar to what Pride could do, except it also looked like the Gate of Truth."
Ed looked at Charity thoughtfully. "No, I don't think she's a homunculus. Otherwise, that tranquilizer wouldn't have taken her down even if she was human based. She's something else."
Mustang sighed with exasperation and pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. "This is just getting more and more out of hand. We should restrain her so that doesn't happen again once she wakes up. If any hospital staff get involved…. That would be more paperwork. Riza, do you have any idea what set her off? You've been with her this whole time."
"No, but I do have some news to report. While you were gone she picked up the language. She's fluent now. She also said she was born in 1997…"
He just looked at her as his eyes widened in surprise. "What? How is that possible?"
"I don't know, but nothing would surprise me now." She said.
"So what do we do now? How long is that tranquilizer going to last Riza?" Ed asked.
"It should last about fifteen minutes, long enough to restrain her, although Alphonse already tried that and it didn't work. Roy, what's your plan?" Riza said.
"We'll restrain her anyway since she at least won't be able to pull any sudden movements." He turned to look at the Elric brothers. "You two should leave the room before she wakes up. I have a suspicion that she reacted because of you two. Riza and I will be fine on our own. Alphonse, if you would use alchemy to make sure she's secured before you go."
"Alright." Al clapped his hands together and touched the bed frame. It quickly wrapped itself around Charity's arms and legs, firmly holding her down.
"Al and I will be just outside though…in case anything happens" Ed replied before strolling out of the room with Al right behind him.
The first thing I feel when I wake up is my head throbbing. What happened…? Then I remember. I got shot with a tranquilizer gun after going on a crazed rampage. Wonderful. I probably just labeled myself crazy. The next thing I feel is tightness around my arms and legs. I try moving them, but they're held fast. They tied me up too… Can't say I blame them. I can hear hushed voices talking in the corner and consider feigning I'm still asleep. That gets me nowhere though. I take a deep breath and open my eyes.
Mustang and Riza are watching me closely as they whisper to each other. We all sit there quietly for a bit, nobody really sure what to say. Then, Riza breaks the silence.
"Are you okay?" she asks.
What an out of place question. I think. I just went off the deep end and she wants to know if I'm okay. "Yes…" I say.
"Good." She says.
Not missing a beat, Mustang quickly steps in. "So it's true, you really do understand. In that case, what happened? I want an explanation for your actions."
"I… I don't really know what happened." I say. "I saw…" I trail off and look away.
"You saw…?" Riza presses me to continue.
"I've been seeing doors that float in the air above people. That's never happened to me before. I've never seen people with doors floating above them where I come from. But here, they're everywhere, and they're all a little different."
"Doors that float above people?" Mustang asks.
I nod. "Yes." I turn my head to look at Riza. "Yours has a lock on it, just like the nurses that have come in." Then, I look at Mustang. "You have one too except its open and there's a giant eye that's looking out. That's how I knew you'd seen the Truth. I don't know how I knew, but… The same goes for one of the men that came in with you…" My voice cracks when I mention those two. I don't want to think about what I saw on the other one.
"I see, so if you've been seeing these doors everywhere, why did you panic like that?" Riza asks.
I bite my lip and shake my head. Then, taking a deep breath, I say, "One of the men that came in didn't have a door, but it wasn't like I've always seen up until now. There was a black hole where it should have been, and it was so empty and dark. It felt wrong, and sad. It was very sad; I can't even imagine how something like that happens. I've never been so scared in my life."
Mustang and Riza's eyes both widen at what I say. I think they realize something I don't.
"Those two were involved in an unfortunate accident a long time ago. The one you're talking about sacrificed his door to save the other one's life. They've both seen the Truth, and the price they paid for that meeting it was very high." Riza says.
I don't know what to say to that, so I just nod and look at my hands that are being restrained by… my bed? This world is so messed up. I think to myself.
"Is it alright if we bring them both back in? They came here to help you." Riza says.
Again, I nod my head and watch as Mustang stands up and leave the room. I can hear muffled voices beyond the door, and, a few minutes later, Mustang walks in with the two men close behind. I feel myself instinctively stiffen when the black hole floating above the one with longer hair also comes in.
"Charity," Mustang says, "I'd like to introduce you to Edward and Alphonse Elric." He points to one and then the other. "Elrics, this is Charity Evens."
"It's nice to meet you." Says Alphonse as he reached his hand out to shake mine. I just stare at him with my arms still tied up. "Oh! I'm sorry, I'll fix that right away." He claps his hands together and touches my bed. There's another flash of blue sparks and the bed releases my arms and legs and repairs itself.
Okay don't panic again. Remain calm Charity. You've seen floating doors, black holes, and you're in 1937. There's no reason people can't have super powers too. Take a deep breath… I think my face must be giving away my thoughts a bit because everyone is watching me with concern. "Wha… What did you just do!" I say as calmly as I can, but my voice goes up a couple octaves.
"I'm sorry Charity; I didn't mean to startle you. It's called alchemy. Lots of people use it. Have you really never seen it?" Alphonse says.
Alchemy? That's what we had before chemistry, but I thought that was a bunch of wackos mixing stuff in labs and trying to turn lead into gold. I've never heard of alchemy like this! It shouldn't be possible. Then again… I'm here and that shouldn't be possible either. At this point should anything surprise me? "Do you mean alchemy like with a philosopher's stone and turning lead into gold? That's a junk science where I live, nobody's practiced it in over four-hundred years. I've never even heard of something like that happening when people did practice it!" I say quickly.
Alphonse just smiles awkwardly and scratches the back of his head with his head. "Well, it's not junk science here…"
I notice the other brother, Edward, seems to be hanging back a little, and I figure it's because of how I reacted when he first came in. I can't help but feel really guilty, so I look right at him. "I'm sorry, I…" I trail off, not sure what else to say. There's a really awkward silence after that.
Mustang breaks it. "So, you say you've never seen alchemy where you're from, but that doesn't tell us where that is or how you got here. If you would, Miss Charity, I want to know about your trip through the Gate of Truth and what you're doing here."
"Just Charity is fine. I don't really know where to start. I guess it was when my dad disappeared…" I begin to tell them my story. I know it sounds totally crazy, but I figure they can just deal with it after everything crazy I've had to witness. I talk for a long time, only occasionally interrupted by a question or two from my audience. For the most part, they just listen quietly. "…And then you two came in and, since the language was still weird, had me draw some really lame pictures. I guess you know what happens after that." I conclude my story.
Every sits there for a while thinking over what I've just told them. To my surprise, it's Edward who talks first. "So you come from a different time and dimension, and you're looking for your dad who disappeared two years ago…" He trails off and looks at me. "Two years ago there was a similar incident to your appearance in Eastern Command, but nobody was found in the crater that was left over. Al and I were some of the people who examined it. That would be a good starting point for your search."
Finally! A starting line! For the first time today, things are starting to look up.
"Jumping the gun as usual Fullmetal. Despite my efforts to keep this whole thing low key, the people know someone was found alive in the crater. She's going to be in the public eye once she leaves the hospital so getting to Eastern Command would be tricky without drawing attention. We're in a cold war with Drachma right now, and it's possible they may want to know more about the girl who showed up in a crater what wiped out a four hundred meter radius. On top of that, the other crater is an area fenced off from the public so she would need a military escort, which would also draw attention." Mustang says. I can feel myself deflating with every word. He turns to look at me. "It won't be easy, but I think I can come up with a plan with a little time. It's perfect since you should stay here for a few more days. The doctors informed me earlier you shouldn't be up yet."
"Thank you! I'm fine waiting a few more days before I start, this is… more help than I was expecting. I figured you were going to lock me up for study or something…" I trail off. Maybe I shouldn't give them ideas?
Alphonse looks at me with an expression of horror. "Is that what they do where you're from!" he asks.
"It happens in movies. I don't know if it happens in real life…but you have a lot of stuff here that doesn't fit "real life" back home so…" I can feel myself blushing in embarrassment.
Riza spares me from the attention by what she says next. "It's getting late, and you still have paperwork to file Roy." I watch as Mustang visibly cringes. "We should all give Charity some space; she's had a rough day. Edward, Alphonse, you and your families are welcome to stay with us since you're both here as a favor. Everyone else is out seeing the city, right? We'll have their escorts round them up."
"Thank you Riza, that's very generous." Alphonse says as he stands up from the chair he'd been sitting in.
"Winry will be happy…" Edward added, although he looked sick for some reason.
After they leave, another nurse comes in with my dinner. This meal tastes better than the last one. Maybe it's because my biggest trial seems to be behind me. I'm coming dad…
