It seemed an eternity before Ed finally reached the break, panting a bit. His whole torso shook with the strain, ribs begging for mercy.
Easy.
Easy.
Breathe.
He drew on a meditative breathing technique his Teacher taught him in his early days of training. Needing to banish the pain to a nosebleed seat instead of the ringside one it kept insisting on occupying. It'd been several days since he last touched the bandages wrapped snugly around his waist and him sweating wasn't helping with the ripe odor emanating under his shirt. Not to mention the daunting rappel he was faced with.
Crap. Gold eyes surveyed the ruptured earth. This ain't gonna be fun for my ribs. But I can't waste time. Twenty feet below his boots, he saw a few stragglers inch their way across the train's smooth metal roof.
Which was suspended.
In midair.
By sturdy beams that were clearly alchemic in nature.
Good. A small focused smile graced his lips. Good, good. He raised his eyes to the opposite cliff. Tiny figures in white coats swarmed over to large clusters of people, who were clearly the passengers from the wrecked train. Doctors tending to their patients.
Then a plume of dust caught his attention.
Moving away from the bustling erstaz triage center.
Headed down the road leading to the nearest city whose lights were beginning to turn on thanks to the lengthening sun's rays.
Ed frowned as he unshouldered his makeshift grappling hook. Um. That town...what was its name again? Dammit. Move Elric. He wound the rope several times around a section of intact rail line then jammed the hooks into rock crevices. Tugged a few times to make sure it wouldn't pop loose. She ain't waitin' around.
Leaning over the edge he squinted at the 20 foot drop. My bag ain't gonna survive that fall. So he quickly knotted a loop big enough for him and his bag to fit without plunging to their deaths. Stepped around the side, then pushed off with both feet.
He plummeted in freefall paying out the line as he went. Hair and clothes streaming as the cliff whizzed by.
Wait for it. Wait for it-
Fifteen feet.
Not yet.
Ten.
Almost there-
Five.
His eyes furrowed tightly.
NOW!
He abruptly released the rope. A sharp knife flashed. Twisting his body Ed slashed through the coarse fiber.
Snap!
His automail leg gave an ominous creak as he landed most of his weight on it. Winced as slivers of pain shot through his frame jarring his ribs and leg port.
Owwwww. That sucked, that sucked that sucked...port hurts like hell...
But he soon shoved it back. Pushed resolutely to his feet. All that mattered now...was scaling those ledges.
...
Up top a young girl no more than 5 years old with large green eyes and wavy brown hair had wandered away from her parents. She was drawn to the biiig crack in the ground when she heard a really biiiig thumping noise far below.
She blinked. Whooooa. What's that?
Curiousity found her beelining it to the edge. Igonring her parent's frantic cries to stay back.
"Lacey! Lacey honey!" her mother yelled chocolate brown eyes distended in panic for her daughter's safety. "Please! Get back here! It's not safe over there!"
"Sweetheart you listen to us this instant!" The girl's father bellowed, a bandage covering his entire forearm. He was on his feet in an instant rushing to grab his little girl over the protests of the nurse treating him. "Get away from that ledge immediately-!" He reached the cliff's edge in record time, green eyes the same color as his daughter's burning with the need to protect and scooped Lacey into his massive arms. "What have we told you about-"
"No Daddy! Look!" The little girl cried pointing. "There's a man down there! He needs help!"
...
Ed gritted his teeth as he hobskipped his way along the familiar polished smoothness of connected tin roof. Almost there, just a little further. But his brief stint as a bird wasn't setting well with his abused body. His ribs were absolutely killing him and he felt a burn in his legs that wasn't letting up.
When he did reach the first step his legs threatened to give out.
Dammit, I can't quit. I'm too close.
"Son? Son?! Can you hear me?"
A large voice hailed him from the top of the stairs. He squinted but the fading sun made it difficult to make out shapes.
"Hey! You alright boy?"
"Mister?"
Ed started at the sound of a little girl's voice. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted back.
"Yeah! I might need some help climbing these things! My legs are shot!" I hope the automail ain't too busted up, or Win's gonna clobber me with that damn wrench of hers.
He groaned. Not a comforting thought.
Then a series of heavy footsteps vibrated through the rock. That guy's comin'. Good. Soon as I get usptairs I'm snagging some wheels.
"Easy son." He sensed a meaty palm hoist his arm over a broad shoulder. "Let's take it nice and slow."
"No, I don't have time to-"
"Boy, my daughter just watched you fall twenty feet. Your legs should be broken. Hell, you shouldn't have survived that drop at all."
Ed sucked in a horrified breath. Clutched his bag tighter to his aching chest. Oh God. He just traumatized a child. This man's daughter.
"And besides, what possessed you to jump like that anyway?"
"I-I'm sorry," he mumbled softly head drooping. "I didn't mean to scare your little girl, sir."
The burly man's furrowed brow relaxed. Touched at this stranger's kind words, but recovered his macho face quickly as they cleared the final stone ledge.
"Daddy!" Lacey barreled away from her mother's clutches toward her father, green eyes large and quivering. "Mister? You okay?"
Ed cracked a reassuring grin. "I'm good sweetie. Just a little banged up, but I'll be fine." She tilted her head not convinced.
"But you were walking funny-"
"Lacey."
The small girl bit her lip at her mom's chastising tone. "Sorry."
He spared her a smile, but she wasn't finished.
"That cool lady saved us. Didn't she Mama? All those pretty lights!"
The slender woman nodded. "She sure did honey."
Shaking off his rescuer's arm Ed quickly knelt in front of the girl.
"It's Lacey right?" At her nod he felt his impatience spike but pushed it down. "You said you saw a lady save the train. What did she look like?"
Lacey stuck a finger in her mouth, the pose reminding Ed of Elicia Hughes. "Ummm..." She looked up at her father. He gave her a silent encouraging nod.
"She looked strong. Umm...she had shiny things in her ears and wore black shorts. Oh, and her shirt was a pretty purple." Lacey tugged on her lavender jumper. "I love purple!" Ed shut his eyes. Gold earrings. Solid body. Black shorts and purple shirt or tank. "What kind of shoes was she wearing?"
"Ummm, they looked tall and black."
"Boots?"
"Yeah!"
"You're doing great Lacey," Ed's heart thrummed faster. He shot a quick glance at the road. The dust cloud was nowhere in sight. Gotta wrap this up. I need to catch her tonight. "One more question. About those lights..."
By this time a doctor wearing round glasses and a goatee had pushed his way over to the small group. "Sir? Please allow me to examine you."
Ed grunted. He was done wasting time but his bandages needed changing. So he raised his shirt but didn't take it off. "Make it quick. Rewrap my ribs."
"Understood." WIth practiced movements the man set about removing the dirty wraps. Ed turned his attention back to the waiting girl. She's a trooper this one.
"Now Lacey listen closely. I need you to think really hard. Can ya describe those lights to me? It's important."
"Ummm, welllll, they were reeeealy pretty. Like blue and purple. And...white."
Blue. Purple. White. He added those to his memory along with red and bright orange. This is nuts.
He was interrupted by Lacey clasping his pant leg. "Is that okay?"
"Yeah, yeah! You're doin' great sweetie."
"Oh! Wanna know somethin' really super cool?!" Her eyes started sparkling.
"What?"
"She made those steps."
Oh my god. "Um, you mean she created them with alchemy? That's where all those pretty lights come from."
"Hm! She did this-" The five year old splayed her tiny fingers and much to his delight, hit the bare ground as if she was peforming a hands free transmutation. "-and the rock changed! It was sooo cool!"
Wait.
Hands-free.
Images of her destroying the street in Youswell flickered through at high speeds. She'd done it with her foot. And now again with the train. Just like...Hohenheim used to do. But it couldn't be.
No.
No.
That's impossible-
"All right sir, that should do it-"
Oh. Forgot he was here.
"-but I highly recommend you not exert yourself until-"
"Sorry Doc," Ed rose to his feet and lowered his shirt. "I gotta get moving."
Picking up his battered bag he strode toward the array of cars parked 30 feet from the broken cliff ledge. He tossed it into the backseat of a charcoal grey sport model and jumped behind the wheel.
He smirked. Luck was on his side. How nice of them to leave the key in. He turned it over and the car roared to life.
"Hey! Stop! That's my car you little-"
Ed ignored the faceless stranger shouting after him. He punched the gas and burned rubber. Took off like a maniac down the winding road leading to Mandrett.
He was so close.
Get ready girl. You're mine now!