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Someone set a bad example

Made surrender seem all right-The Pass, Rush

Meehan Family Home, 6:36pm

Morgan Park, Chicago

October 5th, 2011

Good to be home again, been a very productive day. Time to enjoy oneself. And again, I open the door to my house and sitting in front of my T.V. were Nick, Ed, Al and Roy. But instead of network T.V. they were watching a movie. . . The Replacement Killers to be exact. The three not of this universe were wearing new articles of clothing: Roy had on a semi suit, dark blue coat and slacks with a white dress shirt with the top two buttons undone and new shoes. Al was looking very sleek in a solid color t-shirt (red) with an accompanying vest and black jeans. Ed looked like a rock n roll bum: jeans and a, of course, the iconic Led Zeppelin band shirt, you know, the one with Icarus on it. Looks like he has a date with my Zeppelin albums in the future. Back to the matter at hand, my DVD's

"Nick, of all the movies you decided to show them, you picked my Hong Kong action cinema collection?"

"Hell yes, don't you know I envy your selection."

"Just what they need to see, Chow Yun Fat blowing men away with style. How many have you watched?"

"Let's see. . . first was The Killer, then all three A Better Tomorrow films, Full Contact and right now we're watching his first American movie The Replacement Killers."

At least he picked the good ones. Well their all good, but he picked the best ones. Their looking at you. What, oh they are. All four of them were looking at me holding back laughs, noticing the new items I was wearing.

"Shawn, you didn't."

"I did Nick, I was waiting for Riza to finish and I spotted the coat, and when I was at the checkout I found the glasses. How could I say no?"

My Italian friend rolled his eyes. "Are you sure you're forty four and not thirteen? Still, nice coat, what's the brand?"

"Sean John, the lining is silk."

"Really?"

"Would I lie?"

"Nice." Nick gave a thumps up while Ed erupted into laughter at my expense.

"Look Al, Shawn thinks he's Ken Lee in A Better Tomorrow!"

"Shut up midget,"

Should not have said that. I swear it looked like his head grew twice its size his whole body shot two feet in the air. He was pissed.

"WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU CALLING A MIDGET YOU TALL MOTHER FUCKER!"

CLANG!

One of my bigger, cast iron cooking pots flew out of the kitchen and landed a direct hit on the angry midgets head. The force almost knocked him out cold, but from the unmanly groaning he was doing, I think he was fine. Then an angry Winry, wearing an apron I don't recall buying or wearing."

"Damn it Edward, stop yelling like that! It's bad enough you guys already embarrassed us today at the mall."

I looked at Nick, "You took them to the mall? Why the hell would you do that? All that modern technology they haven't seen and all the freaks that populate the place. What happened?"

He gave me a dumb look and shrugged his shoulders; I removed my coat and took a seat in a leather chair. Then he admitted what had transpired: Roy almost got arrest because he couldn't keep his hands to himself when beautiful women walked by and Nick had to smooth it over. Al got lost and thought it was a good idea to just create human sized holes in walls to find his way around. And Ed, well he went off no more than fifteen times because was called short, or he thought he was called short.

"So you're telling me that Winry managed to assimilate and act like she belonged in this universe while all of you acted like the mentality sick?"

Getting up from the chair, I strode of to Winry and planted a kiss on her check, making her blush. "Good job, do you always toss heavy objects at him to make him quite?"

"No, usually I hit him with a wrench."

"Might need to start doing that with Nick when he leers at women."

"I heard that!" hollered Nick.

"Good. What are you cooking in my kitchen?"

"Oh I forgot! Your mother called and is coming over for dinner. The boys weren't paying attention so I answered your phone."

I face palmed at that comment, and it put a sad face on Winry. "Did I mess up?"

"It's okay Winry." I reassured her. "I just don't want mom thinking I remarried without telling her, and I wanted some time to prepare the explanation for all the people in my house."

All the slobs in the living room were upright and standing behind me, I saw their reflection in Winry's eyes. "So you mom's coming for dinner?"

"Yes Nick, mom is coming."

"Alright, I love your mom."

Footsteps from the stairs made us turn our heads to the sound. Riza was back, dressed in some the cloths she bought. If I was a lightweight, I would have fainted from what she was wearing. A form fitting green t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Barefoot too, just to top it off. "Who's coming to dinner Lieutenant?"

"My. . . my mom is Riza. I like your cloths by the way."

She gave a small smile and walked to the couch and sat down, right when the doorbell rang. "Okay people, act natural, I will explain everything to my mom at the table. And Roy. . ."I looked him dead in his eyes. "For her age my mother looks very good, and that's with the son slant on it. If I catch you eyeing her, hitting on her or in any way trying to make moves on her, General or not I will tie you by your ankles and wrist, hoist you upside down and beat you to death with a baseball bat. Piñata style, got it?"

A bead of sweat dripped down the side of his head and he put on a nervous smile. "Loud and clear Lieutenant."

"Good, I like it when grown men agree in fear."

Rushing to the door, I opened it quickly. "Hi mom."

Janet Meehan, maiden name Janet Connelly, is a sixty four year old Irish born fireball. Of course, being a member of the only protestant family in the very catholic city of Londonderry, Northern Ireland, you kind of half to be tough. She moved to Chicago in 1965, met and married my dad, Robert Meehan in 1966 and gave birth to me in the next year. When dad died she moved back to Londonderry to teach Irish History and Culture at a local university, and travels on the lecture circuit. She visits when she's in town.

"How my boy? You need to call more often, some days I think you're the one who's dead and not your father."

My guest all busted out in laughs as my mom walked into the house. She went right over to Nick and gave him a hug "Good to see my other boy too. How are you Nick?"

"I'm good Janet. You son still won't let me drive the car though, can you talk to him about it?"

"Can't help you there. Robert was the same way; he never let his partner drive."

When she noticed the extra people in the house, she walked back overt to me. "I'm not interrupting anything am I?"

"No, and I'll explain and introduce them over dinner. But, I will introduce to the woman who answered the phone. Mom, this is Winry. Winry this is Janet, the woman who unleashed me into this world."

She elbowed me in the stomach before shaking Winry's hand. "Well aren't you adorable, did my son marry you without telling me?"

"Mom!" Winry went red. "She's with the small one over there with the golden hair."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SMALL YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

This time I hit him in the head, I threw my back up weapon at his head. All mom did was laugh. "Oh my, he has a complex about his height?"

"You have no idea Ma."

Two Hours Later

Ed better marry Winry soon, because this girl can cook. And they all loved my mom. For two hours we did introductions, explained how they got here and where they came from and all the crap that this case is generating. In between was the occasional story about my childhood and other random subjects. When dinner was done Al, Ed and Roy said their goodbyes and went up to their rooms to chill and Nick went home. Winry was cleaning up, leaving me, Ma and Riza at the table talking.

"Well Shawn that was fun. Quite a cast of characters you have here. Does that handsome man with the mustache have a girlfriend?"

"Ma, come on, stop that."

"What, am I embarrassing you? You never change."

I don't think she saw me looking, but I watched Ma's eyes go back and forth from me to Riza, trying to be sneaky about it Then the wheels in her head started to turn. "As anyone told you two that you should date."

"Mom!" Riza dropped her cup and went very, very red. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"What! It's been two years Shawn; it's time to move on. She a beautiful girl, and what I was told at dinner she can almost out shoot you and put up with your bullshit."

"See how my mom talks to me Riza? It's shameful." A small smile crossed Riza's face. Right there I had to admit that mom is right, she is beautiful. Something in those brown eyes, something pass the rage and torment. We both just stared at into our respective eyes for a bit, then the feeling of a note in my pocket (I was tapping my leg) filled me with panic. The note to Roy!

"Mom, I forgot to give Roy something so I have to be excused. Are you staying over tonight?"

"Na, I'm staying at a Hilton on Chicago University's dime."

"Ok, I'll be back."

Outside Roy's Room

Didn't have to knock on the door, it was open and he was resting on the bed. "Roy, Come over here for a sec."

He got up and walked to the door way where I was standing. "What do you need?"

"Well, okay, this is going to sound weird, but last night while I was doing some alchemy research, I passed out and somehow activated a transmutation that dropped me into a void."

"Yeah that is weird, so why are telling me this?"

"Well, Maes Hughes was there with me. We talked."

His eyes got big and he grabbed me by the collar of my shirt. "You think that was funny?"

"Hey, I'm a funny guy, but death is not funny. I thought it was a dream, and then I found this in my hand." I held up the note. "He told me to pass it on."

He took it, unfolded it and read it. I guess it wasn't very long, because he finished it quick and chuckled. "It's his handwriting; guess you were telling the truth. But why him?"

"I don't know. All he knows is that the Truth sent him to talk to me. And The Truth is spying on me by the way?"

"Lucky you."

"I don't know about that. What does the note say?"

Roy looked at me and smirked "He chastised me for still not being the Führer"

Dining Room

When Shawn left it was just me and his mother at the table. I'm still flustered at her comment about me and Shawn. I mean he is very handsome man, but something about him still scares me and I don't know what it is. And in some sick way, the thing that scares me about him also makes him even more attractive to me.

"Thinking about my boy?"

"What, no I, well yes. This may sound crazy, but I've only known him for two days, until then I had no idea he even existed, but I've already, kind of, well. . . "

"Fallen in love with him?" a smile crossed his moms face. She was right; I just couldn't really say it.

"It's quite alright; you have that same look in your eyes when you look at him that Jamie did when she met him."

"Speaking of his wife, how did they meet? Shawn's uncle Liam told me how she died, but not how they met."

"They met while he was on duty. Did Liam tell you the story about Shawn's first shooting?"

"Yes, he said that he took a shotgun blast to the shoulder to protect a woman from her husband."

She took a drink from her cup before continuing. "That was Jamie."

My mouth fell open at that. "You mean that Shawn saved the woman who would become his wife?"

"Yes indeed. She visited him at the hospital two days later to thank him, and seven months later they were married. Her ex didn't make it: Shawn's Sergeant shot him dead on the spot."

She got quite for a bit before speaking again. "Shawn took her death hard. Has he. . . tried to hasten his death?"

My mind flew back to the shooting range: "No, he hasn't." I lied. How could I tell his mother I almost put a bullet in his head? I heard Shawn coming back.

Shawn's POV

Just as I got back from Roy's room my mom was sitting up, getting ready to leave. "Well I best be rambling on Shawn, I have to be up at a decent hour."

"Rambling on? This is not the crossroads mom, ol' Snatch is not waiting for you."

"Can it Shawn or I'll knock you out."

"Oh ok, bye mom." I gave her a hug and waved good bye as she left. Well that was fun, time to go back to my research. "Well Riza, it's been fun, but the night is getting old and I have some more work to do in my office. If you need anything-."

"I'll come up Lieutenant."

Shawn's Office, 1:45am

Close to three damn hours and I've made some headway in my research. Dr. Allen's files and notes help me understand the basic principal of teleportation, but the damn fool's work was beyond flawed. He got the teleportation symbols in the correct places, but he didn't bother to factor in living organisms. They teleport just fine, but passing through The Gate does a number on them: i.e. the sailors fused to the hull of the ship and the missing ones. It would help if I had his grandson's notes, but The Shop keeps all the files and notes on fired researchers.

"I may have clearance to anything I want in the Navy, but not The Shop. They'd just laugh me out the door." Yeah they would. Maybe you can steal Greenwoods notes? "No, no won't work. They keep their old files in and unknown location. All of them, forty years' worth." Damn, well I got nothing else.

So helpful, that voice inside my head. I've had better luck with my combat alchemy: lighting. I got the idea when Roy explained how his Flame Alchemy works. Using some of the same concepts, I came up with an idea: what if I could manipulate the conduit materials in the blood (copper, iron etc.) and make it solid enough to conduct the electricity, but not restrict the blood flow to vital organs. Then when a sufficient amount of electrical energy had been built up, you can launch it. So far I have the conduit part of the equation down, it will work. But as for the electrical energy, I haven't got a clue. The body generates electricity, but to divert it would be deadly: kind of hard to control your body when its electrical messages are not getting to the right location.

"Time to pack it in."

I pushed my chair back from my desk and heaved a sigh. Let's try this again, maybe tonight will be the night.

I reached into my pocket and removed the Black Talon hollow point and set it on my desk. Then out came my .45. Out with the clip and the round in the chamber, and in with the Black Talon. Then under my chin it went. All sound stopped: tonight would be the night. I cocked the hammer and the battle began between my finder and my brain. Do it, join her on the other side . . . somewhere a door opened. . . one quick pull and bliss will be yours . . . is that my name being yelled out, I can't tell, but the pressure on the trigger is increasing. . . almost there Shawn, one, last , ounce of pressure-.

Something very hard crashed into my head with a lot of force. It knocked my gun out of my hand and put me on the floor. The last coherent image was someone's shoes.

The Void

Again I open my eyes and am greeted by white nothingness. I sit up and again stood Maes Hughes. "Oh what the fuck! I didn't even fall on a transmutation circle!"

"Once is enough my friend, now you plop on in when the Truth feels like it."

"Great. Why does my brain feel like it's twice the size of my skull?"

"That was Riza, the noises you heard trying to off yourself were her coming to see you. She pistol whipped you."

Damn, knocked me out with one hit. "So what does the Truth want now?"

"He's very impressed with how quick you figured out about the Philadelphia Experiment, he says now you're even closer than ever."

"What, no clues this time?"

"Nope, claims there is no need for them anymore, events will unfold quickly. Did you give my note to Roy?"

"Yes, he found it funny."

A shit eating grin crossed his face. "Good, well I gotta go, bye."

Again, as with the last time, the lights went out.

.