TO BE KING: A FMAB FANFIC


A/N: My muse is loving this fanfic, so much that I am almost tempted to stay up late at night after cramming useless equations just so that I can get a new chapter done. Some of the chapters are going to be long now, as things are slowly turning towards action.

And the Homunculi? Is it someone we know? Hehe...read to know!

And thank you to all those who have reviewed, followed and favorited this story...means a lot.


CHAPTER 07: LURKING

THREE YEARS AGO

BRIGGS FORTRESS, AMESTRIS

A tall, strong-looking woman clad in the blue military outfit walked purposefully down the corridor, her trademark long sunny blonde hair swishing in her wake. Soldiers who were dawdling in their work or were plain gossiping quickly reverted to their set jobs.

No one in their right mind would afford to mess with the Ice Queen.

Major General Olivier Armstrong.

The one responsible for the unyielding Iron Wall of Briggs.

And currently was extremely pissed off.

She entered the conference room to find her subordinates Falman, Keynes, Seylum and Miles sitting around the oval table with Falman cradling a cup of black coffee.

As she entered, the four of them stood up to salute her.

"At ease, soldiers," she said gruffly, drawing out a chair and sitting on it in one fluid motion.

"What is it, General?" asked Miles, voicing out what the others desperately wanted to know.

"I have been called to Central ASAP," she said heavily. Four shocked gasps followed her terse statement.

"But why?" asked Falman, surprised. As far as he knew, Central was up and running happily. Surely Lieutenant Hawkeye would have told him if something was wrong.

"I do not know for certain but if I have to believe that matchstick—" Falman cringed at Armstrong's reference to Mustang "—then it is imperative for me to go there. And whatever the issue is, Fuhrer Grumman has given the go ahead so, frankly I cannot refuse. The matchstick says it cannot be discussed over the phone but I cannot help but feel a little apprehensive—we all know what happened the last time I visited Central."

Lieutenant Andrew Keynes looked at his commanding officer thoughtfully. He wasn't part of the active military when the Father business occurred but he knew what happened all the same. He might be inexperienced on field, but his ability to form simple yet almost fool-proof strategies at the drop of a hat had earned him a quick and early promotion. Though being posted to Briggs was treated as punishment in the military circles, he loved the work environment here. The informality along with the friendly aura that enveloped the frosty outpost was more than enough to make him feel happy here.

Though not as well-built as the other men around, he could still wrestle a bear and live to tell the tale. Thus, he did pass the "unofficial" initiation to become one of the "Briggs' men".

At present, he was shaking his head with shaggy black hair while his bright blue eyes looked sharper than usual.

"Pardon my interruption, General, but could the reason be something related to the Promised Day?" he asked.

Armstrong looked a little puzzled as she considered his opinion. This was the other thing he liked about Briggs—he could be new and inexperienced, but he wasn't ignored.

"A well-thought out proposition indeed, Lieutenant. But as far as I know, everyone related to that incident has been dealt with...hmm...but when you think about it, it could be. In fact, it is the only reason that could force Mustang to speak seriously for once...and if that is the case, then we do have another matter in our hands."

Armstrong sighed, leaning back on her chair. Somehow, after the Promised Day, the daily Drachman assault felt more like a toddler pelting her with minuscule stones.

She pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to consolidate her thoughts.

"Okay, listen up now. I will be leaving tomorrow morning. Miles will be in charge until I return, Falman will be assisting him. Keynes will come with me, Seylum will take over Keynes duties along with her own," she said briskly.

Warrant Officer Alicia Seylum was the newest recruit, just a year into her military blues. She was just twenty years old, fresh out of Academy and handled most of the legal documents in Briggs. She had a calm, unruffled disposition and no one had seen her excited, not even when the Drachmans had actually succeeded into drilling underground and right into the fortress' basement some six months back. She had just nodded when she received the news, pressed the alarm button and efficiently noted down the date and time and recorded the event in her report binders.

Her pale sandy brown hair was held up in a bun at the nape of her neck while her grey eyes on her fair face always looked bored.

On receiving her commanding officer's instructions, she just nodded.

"Stay on your toes—expecting the unexpected is the only defence we have. Now, hop to, soldiers. You are dismissed."

With that, Armstrong left the room, leaving a bunch of worried soldiers in her wake.

THE LIBRARY

PHOENIX PALACE, MILOS

Ed buried himself under the books again, determined to unearth the cryptic meaning of the notes he had decoded last night.

Yeah great. Decode only to get more codes. Either that alchemist was a loony or plain darn paranoid—who codes his notes this much?

Apart from alkahestry, no one had even bothered about exploring medicine with alchemy. Four hundred years and people were still stuck on ripping out each other's throats.

Hohenheim did create alkahestry, though. His...father.

He sighed. Well, that was a small consolation, at least. He wasn't the perfect father but at least, he did pave a way for humanity to triumph when faced with trouble.

He skimmed through the pages again, searching for something. He almost dropped the heavy tome on his flesh foot when he found it.

He cleared out some space in front of him, unceremoniously piling the loose papers, the diary and his own notes on one side and placed the book.

"For times long, there have been whispers of the Gold Man from the east. The man well-versed in the tricks of the Gods. I did not believe such tall tales—humans cannot transcend God, ability and zeal notwithstanding. But the landlady said that the Gold Man would be visiting out town today. I would like to see these "miracles" with my own eyes."

Ed flipped the book to see its cover. The Mysteries and Magic called Alchemy.

Written by Nicolas Flamel. Hang on a second, didn't Teacher follow Flamel's principles?

Intrigued, he turned the page when another paragraph caught his eye.

"I am astounded. I have seen, but my mind refuses to accept. Logic is all that rules this world, nature thrives on it. Then how can something so unnatural be allowed? To get something, we have to give something, something of equal value. Something cannot come out of nothing!

But I have witnessed evidence to the contrary. I have seen a plant grow from a lone petal, child levitate, thunder crash and fire dance on the Gold Man's fingertips. People of my town are worshipping him, putting him on the pedestal of God. But what if he is the Devil?"

Ed shook his head as he read the last line.

You were damn right, Flamel.

The tome was a thick one, and heavily coded in Ancient Cretian and children's rhymes. He looked at the pile of paper on his side and sighed—it would be a lot of work to separate out those papers.

But his spirits soared...finally, he was onto something!

He decided to replace the other books back on the shelves—already the librarian was fuming at the extra work she had been dumped with. Within an hour, he looked pleased with himself. Not a book remained on the floor.

He picked up the tome and walked to the librarian's desk to get it checked out. He decided to read into his room where it was slightly cooler. Besides, he couldn't eat in the library and it was only so much he could drink.

"Checking out, Mr. Elric?" the librarian said, relief evident in her voice.

"At present yes," he shrugged, fanning himself with his hand.

She took out the register and noted down the title in it before turning it around for him to sign. He squiggled his signature with his left hand.

"You are a lefty?" she asked curiously.

Ed looked at the pen in his left hand before sighing.

"Not exactly...I couldn't use my right hand for a while so I had to train my left hand to write. But I guess I got used to it so I didn't bother reverting when my right hand became...well, okay," he said, an odd smile on his face.

The librarian smiled back.

"My niece fractured her right arm while playing so she too had to get used to writing with her left hand and the habit stuck. She still writes with her left hand now," she said, handing him the book.

"I know, it's a real drag changing the hands back," he concurred as he left the library.

THE GUEST QUARTERS

PHOENIX PALACE, MILOS

Ed stepped into the confines of the room, reveling in the solitude. He liked Julia, but he didn't want to hurt her; he was glad she had her meetings with the government officials all morning. And he might have been blind as a bat in the past but he was no longer naive to girls now.

But he needed to focus, not get all winded up like a teenager on a hormone overdose.

He placed the book on his bed before he went to the tiny kitchenette attached to his room. He was glad to it stocked full of food. After toasting a couple of bread slices over the burner and slathering it with jam and heating a plate of chicken fingers, he deemed his plate to be full of food and so he walked back to the bed.

Munching through his food, he set to work on the book. It was more like the diary he kept when he used to travel all over Amestris with Al.

Though deciphering it was tricky, he soon got the hang of it and before long, he had almost decoded half the book.

He placed the book on the bedside table, stretching his arms. He was surprised to find his backbone slightly stiff, the bones in his vertebrae groaning as his straightened his torso. He then looked out of the window.

The sun was lower in the horizon, the sky glowing a faint orange.

He checked his watch.

It was almost five in the evening.

He had been busy with the book for over seven hours!

He gingerly rubbed the back of his neck, massaging the kinks away. He smiled slightly when he thought what Al would have said had he been here now.

Sheesh brother! You seriously don't know what it means to take things slowly, do you?

A sense of nostalgia gripped his heart—he missed his brother.

CHANG ROYAL MANSION

SHIN-KA, XING

Al was busy reviewing May's notes on the Dragon Pulse when an attendant knocked the door of his room.

He lifted his head up.

"Yes?" he inquired.

"We have an overseas call from a Mister Edward Elric from Milos for you, sir," he said in the typical unimpassioned voice the royal attendants had.

Al jumped up onto his feet, delighted.

"If you would follow me, sir," he bowed before leading the way.

Al almost skipped after the man, trying to rein in his nerves to prevent snatching the receiver from him once they reached the phone room.

"Al! How are you?"

Al gripped the phone tightly to his ear, realising just how much he missed his brother.

"I am fine, you tell me. Have you busted your automail yet?" he asked, laughter bubbling in his chest.

"Hey! I am not that much of a moron to bust my automail within a couple of weeks! Man, you are worse than Winry these days."

Al could almost picture the frown on his brother's face.

"Speaking of Winry, did you propose to her yet? I do not recall you replying to my postcard," he said.

"Well...um...er...I...you know..."

"You did, or did not?"

"I...um...did...it was all Equivalent Exchange..."

As Ed proceeded to tell him exactly what happened, Al couldn't help but facepalm at the scenario.

"Brother...seriously? That was what you told her? I am just glad she didn't have a wrench with her," he said, slightly exasperated. Ed could be an alchemy genius but that was it. His social skills were close to zero.

"And how's Julia? I hope she's well," he added in a bid to keep up the conversation.

"Julia's...fine," Ed replied. Al noticed the way he hesitated and was about to ask when Ed interrupted with a question completely off-topic.

"Hey Al, do know of any branch of alchemy that is medically specialized apart from alkahestry?"

Al was thrown off a bit but he quickly regained himself. He searched through the plethora of accumulated facts in his brain, though not surprised when he couldn't come up with the answer.

"No, brother. Why though?"

"It's nothing...I was just shooting in the dark here; I was researching something. Don't you think it's odd that no one came up with medical alchemy over the four hundred years since Xerxes apart from Hohenheim?"

Al scratched his head with his free hand while puzzled at the direction the conversation was taking. Now that he thought about it, it was strange.

"What exactly are you researching, brother?" Al asked, his nerves all in tingles.

"Don't worry much...I will keep you updated. Just confess to May while you can, okay?"

Before Al could realise what his brother told him, the line was cut.

MILITARY LIBRARY

WESTERN COMMAND, AMESTRIS

Rei was sitting in her favourite corner on the second floor, creating a veritable wall around herself with the books she had pulled out of the shelves. It had been almost three days since she discussed about the Homunculus with the Colonel, but he hadn't called since then.

She could guess the reason, though.

She remembered the conversation she had with one Dr. Tim Marcoh who too was involved with that mess in Central.

It was one of the better days in the West—Rei sometimes felt the area was in deep competition to match the hellish heat of Ishval. As she went through her paperwork, a light knock on the door made her swing her head up.

"General, there is a doctor who wants to talk to you. He has a permission slip from Central," said her secretary.

Rei frowned—who is this person?

"Al right, let him in."

At first, she was horrified to see such a disfigured face. The man, clad in a light-coloured shirt and khaki pants, sat in front of her.

"Oh, I am so sorry," she apologised quickly.

"No no, I can understand, General. Such a reaction is natural," he said, waving away her apology. He gave her the permission slip.

It was signed by Fuhrer Grumman himself, with a sentence scribbled underneath it.

"Please assist him in whatever way you deem fit."

She placed the slip in the drawer before placing her hands on the table.

"So Dr. Marcoh, how can I be of help?" she asked.

The man looked a trifle uncomfortable, as if not knowing how to phrase his words.

"You can speak freely, doctor. If need be, whatever you say will remain between you and me," she said, trying to relax him.

Apparently, it seemed to have worked.

"I used to be a State Alchemist, General. One who served in the Ishval Rebellion," he began.

Rei's amber eyes hardened at the mention of the rebellion.

It was her first assignment as a State Alchemist. And her worst nightmare.

"You might not remember me, but I was one of the doctors assigned to your unit initially. You were the youngest State Alchemist to be deployed by the state..." he said.

"I was sixteen," she whispered.

"And you do know how the rebellion was connected to the mess that happened in Central," he said.

Rei shook her head.

"We know what the newspaper published. There is loads more under the surface, am I right Dr. Marcoh?"

The doctor nodded as he began to narrate the entire incident. The narration took a better part of the day and by the time it ended, both the speaker and the listener were exhausted.

"Undead people...giant circles...Fuhrer Bradley himself...and Selim too...this is fantastic to the utmost extreme!" she said finally.

The doctor sighed in agreement.

"But you surely didn't come all the way to the West just to tell me story, did you?" she asked.

Dr. Marcoh bent forward, leaning heavily on the table.

"There is an Ishvalan monk who had been journeying with me after the Promised Day—we have been pulling out the Ishvalans from hiding and getting them re-settled in their homeland. But lately, the alchemical energy that runs through the ground has been unstable. Earlier, it was because of the Homunculi. But after the Promised Day, it had been corrected. And it is not a continuous occurrence...rather, the energy levels spike up and down in bursts. And the biggest anomaly is being found in Central. Fuhrer Grumman doesn't want to repeat what has happened...so researching this has been given top priority. We have found a lead that leads to Creta..."

Rei understood now what the Fuhrer wanted...that slimy old man!

"You are aware of the fact that Creta doesn't issue travel permits to Amestrians, right?" she said, her face impassive.

Dr. Marcoh looked a bit uncomfortable.

"I know, that is why I need your help. Creta hates Amestris...but it doesn't hate Milos..." he trailed off.

Rei sighed. The man might be old, but he looked determined.

"All right. Go to the immigration section and tell them to arrange for you and your companion to get to Creta. Tell them I sent you," she relented.

The doctor looked relieved at her words.

"Thank you General," he said gratefully.

Mustang must suspect someone from the inside is involved. After all, history has this uncanny ability to repeat itself.


A/N: Dun dun dun!

Just when the mystery is starting to unravel, Dr. Marcoh pops in. What could he be researching in Creta? And who is that guy with the Ouraboros tattoo? And the unstable alchemic energy in Central...where does this tie in with Ed?

Hmm...

And thank you all for accepting Rei Alstenheim...I was first a bit wary of introducing her, and intended to keep her as a side character. But she kind of grew on me and before I know, she had been thrown headlong into the mess. Can't blame her if she freaks out.

And, yeah...an announcement...

I am writing a oneshot prequel featuring Rei and Roy when they meet for the first time during the Ishval rebellion. It would also reveal why both of them share a love/hate relation as well as how Rei uses her alchemy...we haven't seen her use her alchemy yet, have we?

The title of the oneshot will be TO BE KING: END OF INNOCENCE and it will posted along with the next chapter of this fic.

Time for me to thank my reviewers...

Silver Castle: I heart you, fellow fan of FMA! Thanks for following my story and loving Rei! Do check out my oneshot when it is released.

AllINoIsImNotAwesome: Hehe...what is that shooting star? Was it just a shooting star? Point to ponder...

Till next time, folks!

Stay tuned!