Roy sat rigidly, moving only when the train rattled over a rough patch as it sped along the tracks beneath him. Staring down at his interlaced hands, he could still see Riza out of the corner of his eye, also sitting immovably, and staring vacantly out the window she was leaning against.
He had never experienced this long a gap betwixt conversations between the two them. And if there was that rare rift in their chatting, the silence that would stretch on was never awkward. But now, as the reticence between them lengthened, Roy found himself becoming more and more uncomfortable.
It wasn't because he was uncomfortable with her; he could never be.
Rather, he was upset and frustrated with himself.
It seemed that no matter what, everything he said and did came out wrong. Because there was no way, at least that he could see, to comfort someone when something like this happened. Honestly, what could you say?
He had already reassured her multiple times that they were going to fix this, one way or another, no matter what. By maybe his fifth or sixth assurance, she seemed to have grown tired of his rhetoric, exuding an air of irritation while hiding behind a pained visage. And it was at that point he realized he was no longer trying to comfort her, because she had heard him the first time; instead, he was trying to console himself.
He was terrified… God, he was terrified.
And maybe that's the reason he reacted the way he did.
When they had gotten to the hospital and found her room empty, they feared the worst. After witnessing what he did back at that warehouse, he expected nothing less than cold-blooded murder from General Thomas and his men. But even as he frantically walked the halls, looking for a flash of blonde hair with Breda and Edward in tow, something in the back of his mind screamed for him to go to Headquarters.
Now, he was thankful he listened to that small voice inside his head.
Because once they made it to Central HQ, Roy instinctively made a beeline toward his office; the one place he could always count on finding her when she wasn't home.
And sure enough, as he approached the door that led into his office, he saw it open, a blonde woman sporting an officer's cap hastily making her way out and in the opposite direction from him. He honestly didn't know why he reacted the way he did; fear, perhaps?
She hadn't noticed him. When he was close enough, he reached out and tightly seized Riza's arm, eliciting a sharp yelp from her.
Reacting to the sudden "attack," she had whirled around, her lips drawn back and teeth…fangs… bared, her eyes narrowed threateningly.
Out of surprise, or maybe a deep-seated, primitive fear response, Roy felt his eyes harden and narrow.
A heartbeat later, however, her face softened, eyes widening in recognition, and then alarm-
The train suddenly hit a rough patch, jostling Roy and pulling him from his thoughts. He sighed heavily and ran his fingers down his face, silently hoping he could wipe the exhaustion away.
They had left for the station as soon as they had found Riza, so there was no time to rest. But then again, after what had transpired in the past 36 hours, Roy doubted he would ever be able to sleep.
Out of the corner of his eye, Roy saw Riza's cap slipping from her head, she herself completely oblivious to the fact. In an instant, his hands were on it, thrusting back onto her head in an effort to make it stay. This action snapped her out of her daze, causing her to turn and shoot him an appreciative look.
"Thank you, sir," she murmured softly as she reached up and readjusted it to her own liking. After doing so, however, she leaned back once more against the window, seemingly content with no further interaction.
A tight knot began to form in Roy's chest at the thought of the nervous air that would soon wedge itself between them again. No… He couldn't have that. He didn't want her to shut him out…
"Ah…" He began, surprising himself with the uncertainty in his voice. "How are you feeling?"
Still turned toward the window, Riza cast him a sideways glance, saffron eyes peering wearily toward him. "I'm fine, sir."
He knew she was lying. He could see it in her eyes; in the way she was sitting, her entire body stiffened in order to minimize contact with the walls of the train as it rattled down the tracks. And knowing her, he knew that he would not any information out of her unless she offered it of her own free will.
After a few moments of extended silence, he heard a small groan coming from her direction.
Her eyes darted downward to look at her stomach, narrowing when the same sound made its presence known again. Drawing her right arm across her abdomen, she held it tightly against herself, shifting uncomfortably.
Chuckling lightly, Roy reached into his jacket pocket and fished out a small bag of nuts he had left over from a few days prior. "Here, try these," he said as he offered them to her.
"Sir, I'm fine, really," she responded as she shook her head.
Frowning slightly, Roy refused to back down. "It's been a while since you've eaten. Please, at least hold onto them." The very last thing they needed was for her to stop eating…
Most likely realizing that he would not give up, she took the baggie and set it on her lap. "Thank you, sir," Riza replied, flashing him a fabricated smile.
The sudden sound of the train compartment door behind them opening caused the two officers to jump and turn around to face it. Standing in the doorway was Edward, his hardened eyes focused on Roy.
"Hey, could you help me out? I'm having trouble with the phone line," the young man stated bluntly.
"Did you ask one of the employees that actually works on the train," Roy asked with annoyance.
"What do you think? Of course I tried. Except I can't find anyone," was the brash reply.
Confused as to why the young man couldn't figure out a simple line, Roy reminded in his seat, eyeing the blond suspiciously.
Edward rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Are you going to help me or not," he asked, his tone of voice resonating with animosity.
Roy's thoughts immediately went to the look of disapproval and distrust Edward had projected when he told the young blond about the alchemist he was secretly surveying. Despite the fact the two had worked on similar cases together, Roy still kept a few leads from his "sources" a secret from the young man, in case any of their unorthodox studies proved useful in the future. After all, some of the greatest advancements in alchemy came from the confines of an alchemist's home…
"Fine," Roy snapped back. Turning back to Riza he promised to her that he'd be right back.
She nodded in response before turning back to and leaning against the window.
Following Edward out of the compartment, he closed the door behind him. After moving through a few additional sections of the train, the young man abruptly stopped in an empty one.
Nearly running into the youth, Roy scowled.
Whirling around, Edward faced the General, his eyes slightly narrowed. "Want to tell me what the hell you're doing," he shot accusingly at Roy.
Thrown off by the young man's change in demeanor, Roy was immediately defensive, "What are you talking about?"
"I've been watching you for the past ten minutes and-"
"You've been watching me? Did you even bother to call Alphonse," Roy interrupted harshly.
"Of course I did, you idiot. According to Ling, he and May are already on the road east to Nippon," the blond fired back. "Now answer me."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Roy growled in reply.
"Geez," Edward rolled his eyes at the Flame Alchemist. "I'm talking about your uneasiness. Even I can sense it; it's practically tangible," he held out his hands, pretending he was holding something in them.
"Your point being," Roy crossed his arms and glared at the former alchemist.
"If I can tell, then imagine what Hawkeye senses. Did you even take that into consideration? It's no wonder she's shutting you out."
Roy felt his eyes soften, "What-"
"Dogs are great at sensing emotions, and wolves are not different; they're practically the same. So while you're over here fretting and worrying, she's picking up on that and dealing with her own feelings," he explained, a pang of anger in his words. "You need to calm the hell down."
For once, he admitted to himself, Edward was right. He was so right...
"I-"
Edward cut him off again, "And then to take her to be poked and prodded by another 'doctor'; and one in the middle of nowhere to boot. You're really piling on the stressors, aren't you?"
Shocked by the young man's brutality and concern, Roy found himself speechless. He was right. He was right. He was right. "I," he began slowly, anticipating being cut off again, "I didn't think of that."
"No, you didn't," Edward responded. "But that's why I'm here."
Roy slowly sank into the nearest seat he could find and held his head in his hands, sighing heavily.
Edward crouched down in front of the defeated man and watched him intently. After a few moments of silence, he murmured, "Look… I know you're upset, angry, frustrated… But you're gonna have to be the stronger one this time."
Roy lifted his head and was about to respond, when the train's announcement system chimed on. "Two minutes until arrival in Arcadia."
Edward stood up and offered Roy his hand. "C'mon… The sooner we get this trip over with, the sooner we can fix things."
Roy looked up and slowly reached out, grasping the young man's hand. Allowing himself to be helped up, he nodded toward Edward, signaling his determined readiness.
With that, the two made their way back through the train in order to collect Riza and begin what would hopefully be the last leg of this horrendous nightmare.
After what seemed like an eternity, the trio finally reached their destination at the outskirts of the desolate town of Arcadia: a vastly overgrown patch of forest that may, or may not, contain the home of the alleged "Union Alchemist" somewhere in the massive array of tangled trees and weeds.
Pushing his way through the snarled mess, Roy managed to find a worn, chipped white door amongst the branches. He pounded his fist against it and stood back, ears straining to hear any noise from within. After a few moments, there was nothing.
His brows furrowed in confusion. His "sources" indicated that the man was last spotted in this area around two weeks ago. He had been positive that the man was unaware of any surveillance; but then again, he had assumed that before, and look at what had happened as a result…
He was about to turn away when Riza shook her head and muttered, "There's someone in there…"
Roy was about to respond when the door slowly creaked open. Through the crack, they could see a narrowed, green eye watching them suspiciously. Suddenly, a low, crackly voice erupted from behind the door, warning them. "Leave…now," it hissed as the eye trained up to glare at Roy.
Without hesitation, Roy pushed the door open, forcing back the wary occupant. "Are you the Union Alchemist," he asked nonchalantly as he shoved his hands in his pockets, completely disregarding the previous warning directed toward him. As he heard Riza and Edward enter behind him, he turned his glare toward the doddering old man that stood before them.
"Answer," he commanded more forcibly.
Brilliant green eyes still narrowed at the trio, the man reluctantly replied, "That's what they call me…" Moving his gaze between Riza and Roy and taking note of their uniforms, he spat, "What do you military dogs want?"
Raising one hand defensively, Roy calmly replied, "We're not here for military matters; however, if you want to get the military involved, that can certainly be arranged." Seeing the slight shine of fear in the man's eyes, he continued, "We're here for more… personal matters. And if you choose to help us, I will personally guarantee that you will not face jail time for your illegal experimentation."
"Who said anything about illegal-" The man was promptly cut off by a shrill screech that originated from one of the rooms behind him. With a panicked jump, he disappeared behind around the corner, the shriek stopping moments after he vanished. When he reappeared, he nervously rubbed his hands together and murmured, "Now… Who were you again? And how can you guarantee my immunity?"
Ignoring the disgusted air emitted by the blond-haired young man behind him, Roy replied, "I'm General Mustang. I can assure you that-"
He was cut off as the wiry, white-haired man cackled gleefully. "Ah… The Flame Alchemist! To what do I, a lowly alchemist, owe the pleasure?"
Unfazed by the man's mocking gesture, the General continued, "I heard that you have successfully separated a chimera into its former reactants." He raised a brow quizzically, "Is this true?"
Green eyes widened, the old, wrinkled man grinned eagerly. "Yes… Yes I have. But why do you care? After all, it was you and he," he motioned toward Edward, "that banned the practice two years ago."
"Like I said," Roy responded as he invited Riza forward, gently pulling the cap off of her head when she stood next to him, "Personal matters."
The silvery ears that had been lying flat against her head slowly rose and twitched irritably in response to the change in air currents around them.
The old man's already large eyes widened further in surprise, then disbelief, and finally narrowed in disgust. "You performed the taboo," he snarled as he cast his glare toward Roy. "I will not be associated with the likes of-"
The man was unable to finish his sentence, having been grabbed by the front of his shirt and jerked forward, his face inches from a furious Roy Mustang's. Cold, desperate onyx eyes glared threateningly into frightened green ones. "You will do this, or so help me-"
Edward got between the two men and shoved the General away, causing him to lose his footing and stumble backwards. The young blond man then turned to the older one and offered his hand to him, throwing one last warning glance over his shoulder toward the superior officer.
Taking Edward's hand, the older man helped himself up to his feet and dusted himself off, casting a glare in the General's direction. "You know, I don't take kindly to bullies…" Ignoring the venomous stare he received from a pair of ebony eyes, he continued, "But I'll do it. Not for you, though," his eyes lingered over to Riza, whom had knelt down next to Roy, "No… For her."
"Thank you," Edward began, "We greatly-"
"Come on," the withered old man beckoned as he turned away from the trio, waving his hand in the air. "Don't want you to get lost now."
As Roy pushed himself upwards, Riza linked her arm around his and slowly helped him to his feet.
His eyes caught hers, catching the silent warning she shot him.
The three of them followed the old man into his kitchen, slightly taken aback by what they saw. Unlike the unruly, book-filled mess that would be his living room, the man's kitchen was relatively spotless, adorned with a stainless steel table, chairs, and counters; with the remaining space available being filled with wooden white cabinets. Glancing up above him, Edward saw that the glass ceiling was nearly twenty feet above them, allowing for an abundance of natural light to trickle in between the roots and vines that zigzagged across it. Bringing himself back from his thoughts, Edward saw that they had all stopped.
The man motioned for Edward and Roy to sit in a pair of chairs that were sitting diagonally from the table he had invited Riza to sit atop of. Edward watched as Riza slid herself onto it, sending an unsure glance in Mustang's direction. His eyes darting over to the General's, he managed to catch his response: a small, yet faltering smile of reassurance.
As Edward sank into the chair that was designated to him, the man began to speak. "So, tell me Miss…" He looked to her, eyebrows raised, hoping that she'd fill in the blanks.
"Riza," she responded back to his implied question.
"Riza… Okay, pretty name. You can call me James." Ignoring their wary expressions, he continued, "How long ago did this occur?" Leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees and his chin on his hands, he watched her curiously.
"Well, sir," she began.
"James," he quickly corrected her. "'Sir' was my father."
Narrowing her eyes in slight annoyance, she corrected herself, "Approximately thirty-six hours ago, James."
He nodded slowly, "And… Any signs of rejection?"
She furrowed her brows in confusion. "I don't think I understand-"
"Blood originating from the mouth, eyes, and ears," he cut in, "Multiple organ failure due to incomplete integration… Something along those lines."
Edward knitted his brows together. The man's tone seemed almost… indifferent. Out of the corner of his eye, he was Riza's ears pinned back against her head in a silent sign of dismay. To his left he could see Mustang in a similar state of shock at the man's nonchalant attitude. At that moment, he decided that he'd take the reins.
"None," Edward replied hardly as he eyed the man. "Some bleeding in the mouth, but found it to be originating from a wound on the tongue."
"Bitten through," he man asked knowingly.
"Yes."
"And other features…" he began, wanting the young blond to elaborate further.
"Prominent canines, approximately 1" in length," Edward shot back, "Ears, proportional; tail, proportional."
The old man raised his brows with piqued interest. "Mind if I-"
"No," Mustang interrupted him bluntly.
"Look, will all due respect," Edward continued slowly, "We didn't come here to play twenty questions. What we came for was to see if what you said is true. Can you successively separate the original reactants from the product of a transmutation of this caliber?"
"James" sighed and nodded his head. "I can show you… But you can't blame a man for his curiosity. Because after all," he said as a mischievous smile spread across his lips, "it's almost unheard of to use a human-base in a Chimera Transmutation…"
"Almost," Edward echoed back, narrowing his golden eyes in suspicion.
"Yes, almost," The old man leaned back in his chair, his arm hanging off the back of it in a careless manner. "Have you ever heard of the Sewing Life Alchemist, Shou Tucker?"
Upon hearing the man's name, Edward leapt up from his chair, knocking it to the ground. "Don't you dare mention that monster," he snarled. "Do you know what he did?!"
Undaunted by the young man's sudden outburst, the Union Alchemist shrugged his shoulders. "No, I agree with you there, Fullmetal. I know what he did. He performed the ultimate taboo, and at the cost of his daughter's life nonetheless." Leaning slightly to see past Edward, fixing his eyes on a wary Riza, he continued, "From what I've heard, I just never expected it to turn out any better than that."
"Well," Edward replied as he stepped back into the man's field of vision, "There's a lot you don't know, then." Before the man could interject, Edward gave him an ultimatum, "If you show us now what you can do, then we'll tell you what we know." Extending his right hand toward the man, Edward watched him intently, "Deal?"
Before grasping the young man's hand, the old man offered a quick addition to the deal, "I'll promise, but only if the young lady stays behind while I show you."
Turning to eye the two officers behind him, Edward gained their silent approval. Focusing back on the old man, he nodded and grasped his hand and shook it. "Deal."
Edward and Roy quickly followed the old man out the back entrance and into the overgrown yard, navigating through a maze of trees and roots that had grown in every direction. After a decent amount of persuasion, Edward reluctantly handed over a rough sketch of the transmutation he had transcribed. The bitter chuckle the older man responded with did nothing to comfort them.
They stopped briefly when James backtracked and disappeared inside a shed, reemerging moments later holding a deranged, wild black cat away from his body by the scruff of its neck. Except, however, it was no ordinary black cat.
Its graying face was flatter than average, its nose bearing a slight semblance to a pig's. A pair of large, leathery wings hung limply at its side, suggesting that a bat was somehow involved in the mix.
Edward tried his best to hide his disgust, but he knew it was clearly painted across his face. It was a "science" he never understood. Alchemy itself was unnatural. But this… this… was wrong.
He was jolted from his thoughts when Mustang spoke, the same chilly tone in his voice as before. "Why is it acting that way," he asked, referring to the still-raging creature.
The doddering old man shrugged as he held the creature further away from himself. "Doesn't like being caged. You have to remember," he glanced over his shoulder at the General, "It's still a wild animal." Pausing briefly, he soon added, "Well, partially. I've got my dear, old barn cat mixed in there, though with the turmoil its mind is in, the damn thing barely remembers me."
Not even attempting to hide his repulsion towards the man, Mustang challenged, "And what else is in there?"
"Bat I found in the attic," James responded apathetically. "It was- ouch!" The old man yelped in pain as the chimera dug its sharp teeth into his hand, forcing him to let go of it."
As soon as its feet touched the ground, the chimera crouched low and let out a low growl, its narrowed, yellow eyes scanning the three men cautiously. However, when its eyes landed on Mustang, its feral growl developed into a reticent purr. Creeping over to a reluctant and uncertain General, the creature stretched up and placed its paws on his knee, sniffing his uniform with curiosity.
"Heh," the old alchemist chuckled passively, "It must smell her." Turning with relative disinterest, he continued onward toward the small, wooden building they had been progressing toward. "They tend to act favorably toward their own kind," he threw over his shoulder in addition.
At that comment, Edward found that he had to reach up and grip the General's shoulder tightly, preventing him from slipping on his gloves and burning the man on the spot.
"Done," the old man muttered as he struggled to his feet, wiping his hands off on his tattered pants. Looking at the reverse transmutation circle he had drawn on the cobblestone flooring with pride, he glanced at Edward, grinning boastfully. "See anything wrong?"
"No..." Edward responded with a tinge of awe. He had never approached the science from that perspective before... And he thought he had explored every angle. The circle was...flawless. Well, from what he could tell, anyways.
"Now, the reason I chose this particular chimera was because I used a circle similar to the one you showed me." Reaching into his coat pocket, James pulled out the crumpled up sketch Edward had given him before. Digging into his other pocket, he produced a second, neatly folded paper. Unfolding it, he held them out for Edward to compare.
He was right. The circles were eerily similar, save for a few changes; the largest difference being the symbol for the Philosopher's Stone.
Nodding toward the symbol, the man noted, "Largest difference is that rune there. I have to ask, boy, what does it mean?"
Edward was taken aback by the man's sudden show of ignorance. Had he honestly never researched or paid heed to the legend of the Stone? Or was he testing him?
The man's eyes showed no signs of trickery, however; rather, they reflected a glint of curiosity.
However, the very last thing Edward wanted to do was alert him about the existence of such a powerful, horrific object. "I'm not sure," he lied in reply.
The old man watched the younger one for a few moments before shrugging it off. "Well, whatever it is, it completely skewed the results of the transmutation, since a considerable amount of matter was lost. That will be something you need to figure out." Turning his attention toward the Flame Alchemist, whom had been standing off to the side, he said, "I'll be getting started now." He walked over to the General, peeling the chimera, which had been perched on his shoulder, affectionately rubbing its face against his, off his uniform.
Moving over to the circle, he placed the creature in the center. Drawing its legs in closely, it curled up into a ball; its widened, petrified yellow eyes watching them.
Before the small chimera could blink, the Union Alchemist slapped his hands on the ground, activating the circle. A bright light and a screech followed a heartbeat later, forcing Edward to shut his eyes to avoid burning his retinas. Moments later, there was silence.
Scuffing the edge of the circle of his toe, the old man slowly wandered onto it and toward the two small shapes that lay motionless in its center.
Glancing at the General, whom was unmoving, his arms crossed uncomfortably across his chest, Edward cautiously followed behind the old alchemist, stopping just before the middle of the circle.
Much to his amazement, there were indeed two small forms on the floor, one larger and the other much smaller. His feelings of wonderment quickly drained away, replacing themselves with pure, unadulterated horror.
Yes, there were two animals there, completely separated. However, the presence of blood around their mouths, ears, and eyes, and no signs of movement confirmed that they were very, very dead.
"I told you I could separate them..."
Edward snapped his head up to stare at the old man, his mouth hanging open, too stunned to speak.
"I told you I could separate them, but that doesn't mean it can be done with complete success," the man said with a shrug from beside Edward.
"Then why the hell did you show us this," Edward snarled accusingly.
"To prove a point," the old man stated with a devious gleam in his eye. "I've been working in this art for thirty years. Simply said," he turned to focus his glare on the General that had positioned himself at the edge of the circle, "The art of perfect separation is impossible."
A/N: Wow! So this is where all of the words from Pressure Point went… This was an extremely long chapter (sorry about that!). ***If you're wondering how they suddenly went from HQ to the station, and what is/was going on in Central, know that it will all be explained next chapter, along with why Roy withheld information from Edward.
