Chapter IV: Assuming the Throne
The Elrics, Ling, May Chang and Scar stared down a host of chimeras that stood between them and the surface. The creatures these once had been were gone and what remained were vicious monsters bred to these accursed tunnels and tear to shreds anyone who dared venture below. The type of these creatures varied amongst the horde from canine based to serpent based to simian based. Whatever breed they were they were all dangerous and all poised to strike at any moment.
"We have no choice! We have to break through!" Scar cried out as he was the first one to make a move, rushing to clasp the face of a tiger with scorpion like claws and a tail.
As Scar destroyed the beast with his incomplete alchemy Ed and Al watched from behind, hesitant to join in at first. They both had their reasons to despise the man for what he had done but now was not the time for justice. Now was not the time for revenge. They all had to work together if they were going to escape this place alive. Ed fashioned a blade out of his automail and rushed to Scar's right flank to engage a gorilla like beast while Alphonse using his size and martial arts skills attacked to Scar's left first running into a ravenous avian monster.
"Well come on kid, unless you're too scared." Ling teased May Chang, unaware of who she was at the time.
Ling drew his sword and rushed in to assist Edward, the two of them dispatching both bear and bird based chimeras. May Chang looked on and wondered what she could do. The fighting was in close quarters and there was little room for her to get involved. Then she spotted a lupine chimera about to tear into Scar while Scar was deconstructing a leopard based monster.
"Mr. Scar look out!" May Chang shouted then she flung two of her knives into the chimera closing in on Scar.
The group continued to furiously fight through the chimeras, smashing them one by one as fast as they came at them but ultimately getting nowhere.
"There's too many of them!" Alphonse exclaimed as he punched downward onto the skull of a hyena-like chimera.
"Stand back!" Scar commanded.
He stuck his hand into the water and split it into hydrogen and oxygen gas and directed it towards the horde of chimeras. Without warning he then yanked off Alphonse's head and struck it against a steel pipe to generate a spark. The resultant explosion ripped through the mass of chimeras before them and kicked up a cloud of dust and smoke which obfuscated everything for a short time.
When the smoke had cleared Ed, Al, Ling and May Chang had a clear path forward while Scar was nowhere to be found.
"Mr. Scar? Mr. Scar! Where did you go?" May Chang called out.
"Forget about him we've got to get topside now!" Edward shouted and raced on ahead.
Ling followed close behind Ed. Alphonse looked over at May Chang for a second then he too took off running. The Elric brothers had no love lost for Scar if he had sacrificed himself so that they could escape. As for May Chang she couldn't be left alone in this place. She had to leave too. Wherever he had gone to, Scar was on his own now.
"Don't you leave me too!" May Chang cried out as she ran to catch up to the others.
May Chang quickly caught up to Alphonse and the entire group managed to escape to the surface, fighting off the stragglers among the chimeras who tried to come after them.
Meanwhile back in the inner chamber beneath Central Command Vader was pondering his situation. Feeling somewhat refreshed he stood back up almost as quickly as he had sat down. He felt small hoses that had somehow fused to his back snap off and ooze a hot pink fluid when he arose. It was a strange sensation really, one that Vader had hardly noticed until now. It seemed his vertigo had passed and he now could take a full measure of his surroundings free from the demands of combat. The room itself was unremarkable, a standard underground dungeon of some type. The physical reality was nothing spectacular to Vader. It seemed primitive and dreary enough. The metaphysical aspect of this place was what truly piqued his curiosity.
Force or something akin to it still existed in this place. Vader had felt the little girl and the disfigured man utilizing its energies. The others were manipulating something entirely different, something Vader did not quite understand. Instead of an interconnected web of ethereal energy connecting all living things this energy which the others, most notably the monsters fighting on his behalf, utilized came from within themselves. It was a power they could possess as well as merely tap into. This assuredly had limitations as the user would have been bound only to be able to utilize the energies which said user possessed. It was not like the Force in which a nearly infinite stream of life energy formed the prima materia for the user's abilities. This power required the user to exchange something of himself along with the matter that was to be manipulated in order to grant him the ability. In essence the user would have to trade substance, energy or both in order to achieve an effect.
As for the substance itself there was a distinct underlying difference to the physical properties of this universe that Vader had not felt until he began probing into it with his mind. Vader felt the fundamental structure of material elements here was more malleable, as if everything existed in a permanent state of flux. He could even alter the form of substances with his will alone, though he wasn't very good at it. What appeared to be a lump of gelatinous clay was morphing in the air a few feet away from Vader. After a few minutes of failing to take form the clay fell to the ground and turned back into a puddle of mud and water. It would take a lot of practice before he mastered this art.
"Why are Father's transmutations all funny?
"The gate must have taken something from him that affects his ability to transmute." Envy assumed.
"There's no telling what else he might have lost so be careful Gluttony and don't go off and get yourself killed." Envy warned Gluttony implying that Vader may not be able to bring him back.
Envy and Gluttony both approached Vader and stood before him. These creatures were clearly his servants and viewed his as some kind of a father figure, why he did not know.
"Father, you might want to sit down. It seems your run in with the entity beyond the gate has left you fatigued." Envy advised.
Heeding his apparent minion's advice Vader sat back down. This time he sensed the tubes reconnecting with his biomechanical armor. Once again he felt a surge of power running through him when he had taken his place in Father's chair. It was as if he had become joined with a greater energy, one similar in nature to that which the monsters contained within themselves. Once he had absorbed it perhaps he would be able to utilize the same abilities that were displayed to him earlier. Perhaps then his "alchemy" as they called it would function as it was intended to.
"Don't trouble yourself any more over those meddling boys Father. I'll go speak to Wrath and he'll make sure they stay out of our plans from now on." Envy told Vader anticipating his wishes as if they were the same as Father's.
"If only we didn't need them as sacrifices." Envy half laughed half grumbled before he walked away.
Gluttony just stood there staring mindlessly at Vader not exactly knowing what to say or do at the moment. Vader disregarded the creature although he was aware of its presence. The power Vader was absorbing felt as if he was a starving man eating his first meal in weeks. The utter euphoria he experienced as he restored himself and became one with the powers of this world kept Vader seated upon his new throne this time. Could this energy be the secret to. . . .immortality?
Later that afternoon Ling took Ed, Al and May Chang to the house of Dr. Knox where he and his protectors had been staying. Ling knocked on the door and expected the good doctor to answer shortly.
"We've been here before haven't we brother?" Alphonse asked.
Edward nodded in agreement just before noise could be heard from the other side of the door. When the door opened Ling's eldest protector Fu was standing there to greet them.
"I am greatly relieved to see that you are well my young prince. Who are your friends?" Fu greeted them.
"This is Edward and Alphonse Elric, the Fullmetal alchemist and his brother. The little girl I have no idea, but she helped us fight off the Homunculi." Ling replied.
"Who is it?" called out Dr. Knox from the spare bedroom.
"Hey Doc! It's us, the Elric brothers!" Edward shouted back to a faint almost undetectable groan from the doctor.
"They are with Master Ling and some girl." Fu added.
"Well come on in. You're letting in a terrible draft." Dr. Knox called back.
The group entered into the home and shut the door behind them. They then passed by the room in which Fu's granddaughter, Lan Fan was resting from her injuries. Whilst Ling and Fu had not recognized May Chang at first Lan Fan knew exactly who she was.
"Master Yao! Get back!" Lan Fan exclaimed as she vaulted out of bed and poised herself for battle.
Despite having one arm and recently lost a lot of blood Lan Fan was determined to protect her master from what she perceived as an immediate threat to his well-being.
"What is it Lan Fan?" Ling asked as he stepped away from the others.
"This girl! She is a princess of the Chang clan! Stand aside!" Lan Fan declared.
In response to her aggressive posturing May Chang drew her knives and prepared for a showdown. However before they could strike Edward stepped in between them and held out his hands to hold the two girls back.
"Now wait a minute no need for things to get ugly. Why don't we all calm down and. . ." Edward started to calmly make an attempt to defuse the situation.
"Don't interfere with the affairs of our country!" loudly shouted May Chang and Lan Fan in unison startling Edward into tumbling back a little.
"Now little princess, you might think my wounds give you an advantage over me but you will find you are sorely mistaken." threatened Lan Fan.
"Yap! Yap! Enough talk let's get this over already." May Chang mocked her.
All the sudden Dr. Knox walked in and saw that the bedroom he had converted into a clinic for the time being was about to be torn up in a dynastic squabble.
"What do you two idiots think you are doing!?" Dr. Knox shouted.
"This doesn't concern you." Lan Fan replied.
"Yeah, don't interfere with the affairs of our country!" May Chang snapped.
"I don't care about the affairs of your country!" Dr. Knox shouted as he grabbed both of the two would be combatants by the collar.
". . .But while you are here there will be none of this!" Dr. Knox demanded.
"You're my patient and as such I can't have you dying on me now. You, little girl, you're welcome to stay the night with the Elrics just don't cause any trouble." Dr. Knox explained to the two of them.
"Don't worry Doc; she won't cause any trouble while we're here." Edward bragged.
"Don't you speak for me you little. ." May Chang started to chastise Ed.
"Who are you to be calling me little?! You're shorter than any of us!" Edward shouted back at May Chang.
"I'm just a kid and I'll keep growing. You're going to be short forever. Hmmph!" May Chang sneered.
"Who are you calling short!" Ed fumed.
"Brother! Calm down, there's no need to get this upset. I'll watch her for the night." Alphonse offered.
"In the mean time you should call Winry and see about getting Lan Fan a new arm." Alphonse suggested.
"Good idea Al, I'll do that, right after dinner, I'm starving." Ed replied.
"Say Doc, when do we eat around here?" Edward asked Dr. Knox.
"Whenever you want. The food is in the kitchen. You'll have to cook it yourself. I'm a doctor not your personal butler." Dr. Knox replied.
With that Edward went off to make himself a sandwich while Ling remained with Lan Fan and old man Fu. Being that he didn't have a body that would get hungry Alphonse took May Chang to another room away from the Yao clan members. When he got there some movement within his armor reminded him of something.
"Oh excuse me miss. I believe I might have something that belongs to you." Alphonse mentioned to May Chang.
He then removed the right hand of his armor and shook it a little until May Chang's pet panda, Xiao Mei popped out. The dwarf panda bear immediately looked upon May Chang and hopped back onto her shoulder and ran around excitedly until it came to rest in her cradling arms.
"Oh Xiao Mei! I had looked all over for you! I was so worried!" May Chang exclaimed, sobbing for joy at the return of her dear pet.
"Thank you Mr. Armor." she looked up graciously thanked Alphonse.
"Don't mention it. Oh, and it's not Mr. Armor; it's Alphonse, Alphonse Elric." Alphonse replied.
"Elric? Elric hmmm? Are you that mean little dwarfs brother?" May Chang asked him.
"Hey I heard that!" Ed shouted from the kitchen.
"She wasn't talking about you brother!" Al shouted back.
He then turned back to May Chang. ". . . and yes he is my brother." Al answered her.
"Well you are awfully taller than he is. Do you look the same as he does under that armor?" May Chang asked.
"Sort of, except taller, a little younger, clean cut and not so angry looking." Alphonse replied.
With that she immediately poured her affections for the fictionalized version of the Fullmetal Alchemist into Alphonse, dreaming that he in fact would be the man she had made up to fall in love with.
"But right now there's nothing underneath this armor. You see I've kind of lost my body and me and my brother have been looking for a way to get it back." Alphonse explained.
"Oh that's terrible." May Chang said.
"I do hope you get your body back soon." she continued.
"Me too." Alphonse concurred.
Back at Central Command Envy entered Fuhrer Bradley's office in the form of an Amestrian General. The Fuhrer was having a meeting with some of his senior staff officers concerning routine military operations when Envy barged in. The level of disrespect for proper protocol and procedure displayed by the general in question led Fuhrer Bradley to assume it had to be Envy. None of the actually military would be so audacious to barge into his ward room unannounced.
"That will be all for now. Leave us." Bradley dismissed his staff officers and guards, speaking as pleasant and cordial as he always did when conducting business.
Bradley got up from his seat and turned towards Envy while his staff filed out of the room and closed the double doors behind them. Once the Fuhrer and Envy were alone Bradley changed his pleasant demeanor to a more stern and serious one.
"You have something to tell me Envy?" Fuhrer Bradley asked.
"It was that obvious?" Envy asked as he knew he was still in human form.
"You're not hard to pick out." Bradley reminded him while tapping his eye patch twice.
"Oh but yeah, there have been some developments down below." Envy said his voice slightly tinged with fear.
"What kind of developments?" asked Bradley.
"We brought the Fullmetal pipsqueak and his brother to see Father and a gate opened up without warning. It swallowed Father and spit him out all deformed with his memories erased." Envy reported.
"I see." Bradley mused and turned away from Envy and walked towards the window.
He stood at the window for a minute or two looking out over the courtyard in front of Central Command. He didn't understand how a Gate could be opened without performing human transmutation. Furthermore Father had been sucked into the Gate against his will. If they could understand the process behind this they could have a simpler time obtaining the remaining sacrifices they required. After thinking it over a little while Bradley turned back towards Envy who was still posing as a soldier.
"The Elric boys were down there when it happened you say? Interesting." Fuhrer Bradley inquired, returning to his pleasant cordial demeanor.
"Yes. I don't see how they could have opened the Gate though. They were our prisoners." Envy replied.
"I would like to have a word with the boys. Bring them to me." the Fuhrer instructed Envy.
"They ran off after our dust up underground and they haven't been seen since. It might take a while to locate them." Envy replied.
"Do what you must." Fuhrer Bradley said.
Envy turned to leave and started walking away.
"Oh and one more thing." Bradley spoke up, his voice stopping Envy in his tracks.
"We will need leverage when we sit down with the Elrics. How about you invite their delightful automail engineer for a visit?" Bradley suggested.
Envy looked back over his shoulder and cracked a devious smile.