Roy struggled against the mob he found himself under. "Dammit! I can't breathe!" He gasped as he fought through the furry rioters that chewed and gnawed on his newly purchased costume.
"Get OFF!" he barked, slowly losing his appreciation for dogs. All of them looked the same: with black and white fur, ebony eyes... those wagging tails and lolling tongues hidden behind sharp fangs.
Unfortunately... none of them was Black Hayate. "SENSE WHEN WERE THERE SO MANY DOGS IN THIS TOWN?!" he shouted to the sky, as he tried to stand up. But the Colonel just ended up being overtaken by the cluster anyway... Resistance was futile.
"ARGH! Get OFF! That's not a chew toy! OWW!" Roy felt his entire frame hit the ground as paws and teeth dug into the meat costume.
He regretted buying the 'Totally life-like' version...
Note to self: Stick with Generic.
His eyes widened as he came to a disturbing realization... He was going to die. He was going to die at the paws of his favorite animal, wearing a steak costume... and without seeing Hawkeye in a miniskirt.
Al, sprinting pell-mell down the street, heard Winry scream something at him in the distance but didn't slow down to find out what—Nii-san was missing, and that was all that mattered.
He ran and ran, until his legs ached with it and his breath came in great, panting mouthfuls, and still there was no sign of Edward. But... But he had to be somewhere! And—
Al's head whipped around at a distant sound of screaming. It sounded like... someone was screaming about being... buried in dogs?
...
...Nii-san!
Al turned on his heel and rushed headlong towards the sound.
Winry ran after Alphonse, still calling his name and trying to get his attention. He was like a bloodhound on the hunt, and it seemed as though there was no stopping him.
"GET OFF!" Roy said, trying to reach his gloves in his pocket... but when he heard growling and the ripping of cloth, he gave up.
There was nothing he could do.
Unless...
Those voices in the near distance were going to save him! Oh, happy joy! Perhaps he wasn't so screwed after all! He might actually live to see Hawkeye in that mini-skirt!
"Nii-san!" Al cried joyfully as he noticed the figure struggling under a literal dog pile. He ran up with a huge smile and pushed the dogs aside to get a glimpse of his brother. He was so glad that Ed was—
The smile froze on his lips as Alphonse looked down on Roy Mustang's face.
...But that meant...Nii-san was still... And Roy...
Roy was going to die.
"Oh, Alphonse! It's good to see you!" Roy said, reaching out a weak hand, "Would you mind helping me up?" He gave a pleading smile as he asked.
Al's eyebrow twitched as he looked at the upraised hand. The bastard...he was acting so innocent, as if he hadn't even...
Al reached out and grasped Mustang's hand tightly, "Sure. I'll help you up alright."
Roy gave a smile, grasping Alphonse's hand tightly. Finally... Roy thought with relief, I'm gonna get out of this damn costume!
But with a quick jerk-and-twist maneuver—learned from sensei long ago—Al had pulled the colonel up and thrown him back down again, to grip him tightly around the throat, with his spine pressed to the floor.
Alphonse looked dispassionately down on the man's slowly purpleing face and asked, pleasant as anything, "Where is my brother, Colonel?"
"I...have no...idea..." Roy gasped, trying to get out of the Elric's tight grasp.
Al's eyes narrowed and he bent his face close to the other's to hiss, "I know you took my brother, you slimy, little cretin. Now, give him back before I'm forced to do something that Hawkeye won't forgive me for."
For good measure, he shook the man like a misbehaving pup and growled impatiently.
"Wait... what about Fullmetal?" Roy asked, "What trouble has he gotten into now?"
"Like you don't know, you bloody traitor!" Al screamed, trembling with rage. "Stealing Nii-san out of a hospital bed is low for anyone, but drugging him and throwing away his automail..."
Al's hands tightened involuntarily as a shiver racked up his spine. "...Give him back," the boy demanded, though it sounded more like a plea.
Roy managed to pull out of Alphonse's grasp, and looked at the boy. "I don't know where your brother is..." he said with some confusion, "But if you allow me to help you, we can find him."
There was more than one thing that was suspicious around here.
"But you...you have to know here Nii-san is! You have to! Because if you aren't the one who took him then..." Al's hunched into himself and tried not to sob openly. "Then he could be..."
Al rubbed his eyes harshly and turned his face back to Roy. "We have to find Nii-san now."
Roy nodded. For once, he whole-heartedly agreed. Something was wrong; but then another thought flashed through the Colonel's mind.
Perhaps he could use this to his advantage...
Al sniffled again and stepped back from the Colonel. "I...I'm going to the office. I'm going to get everyone to help look for Nii-san."
He turned to leave, but paused and faced the man again, "Actually, y-you can get the whole military to help, right? Or at least the police? Nii-san's only sixteen... that's still an Amber alert, isn't it?"
Roy nodded dumbly, "Yeah..." he said, feeling like he'd rather look himself, "I suppose I'll get on that... You can come with me, that way everything will be taken care of, all right?" He hated seeing the younger Elric so panicked and worried. The Colonel felt that if he let the boy out of his sight, he would do something reckless.
Winry finally caught up and stood beside Alphonse panting, leaning against her knees.
Once she caught her breath, she looked up and smiled upon recognizing the Colonel, and tried very hard to ignore his outfit.
"Thank you so much, Colonel! But, uh..." Al made a vague hand gesture, "Maybe you should change first. So they take us seriously..."
Roy looked down at his clothing and nodded. "That would be a good idea..." he muttered. Hawkeye's dog would have to wait...
At that moment, Mei finally caught up, panting heavily and she stopped behind Alphonse to cling weakly to her knees and just breathe.
She glanced up at the others, ready to ream them for leaving her behind (curse her short, little legs!), but her voice died in her throat when she noticed what the Colonel was wearing.
People in this country...were very odd.
"Let's just get to my car so I can head back to my apartment," The Colonel muttered, "Oh, and grab as many of those dogs as you can..."
Al blinked. He glanced down to the dogs still circling Roy's feet and then back at the Colonel again. "Okay..." he said uncertainly.
Roy didn't say another word but rather made his way to his car. "I swear..." he said as he opened the door, "if one of those dogs isn't Hayate, I'm going to kill myself..."
Mei, over her breathlessness, studied the many identical black and white dogs with wide eyes. "Alphonse-sama...is one of these pups the dog we are looking for?"
"Hmm..." Al hummed, studying each dog carefully. "No... I don't think so. See, Black Hayate has this little black star on his face... But let's just grab them and go. I'm not sure why the Colonel has all of these dogs, but the faster we do what he says, the faster we'll be able to go find Nii-san."
Roy, sitting in the driver's seat, waited for the teens to catch up. He wanted out... of the steak costume, that is.
Al herded the dogs toward the car quickly, scooping up a runt that couldn't keep up with the rest of the pack and carrying it under his arm.
He pulled up short a moment later and hugged the puppy to his chest—It was a runt...Nii-san...
"Come on! Let's get going already!" the boy called back to the girls behind him.
Winry nodded, jumping into the car's passenger seat she waited impatiently for Mei to catch up.
Mei scooted into the backseat besides Alphonse and the dogs and slammed the door behind her. "Let us go quickly," she said with a glance at Al.
Roy instantly started up his car and headed to his apartment. He mentally planned it all out... He'd keep the dogs in his apartment and then he'd change into his clothing. One, two, three, and out the door.
Yeah... nothing could go wrong.
"Sir," Mei asked, nudging a curious pup away from her knee with one foot, "How long will it take to get to your place of residence? I have heard that in kidnappings, time is very important."
"I can't be sure, but it'll be quick." Roy said, stepping on the gas and rushing back to his apartment.
Mei nodded in satisfaction, moving to rest a comforting hand on Alphonse's quietly shaking shoulder.
Once Roy pulled up to the driveway, he put the car in park and rushed into his apartment without another word.
Winry just turned to the others blankly, "So, I guess we get the dogs out?" she inquired.
Mei nodded in affirmation and carefully opened the car door. She stepped out, then reached back to lead a few of the dogs to the front door of the house. Winry helped Mei herd the dogs into the apartment as she tried to keep them settled.
Al watched her go through the soft fur of the runt he still carried snug against his chest. He slowly pushed himself to the door and got out, herding the rest of the dogs after Mei.
The puppy in his arms whined softly as it sensed his upset.
Roy, meanwhile, changed into his regular clothing, giving a sigh of relief as he threw the costume across the room. He made a mental note to have his own barbecue later.
Al stood in the doorway of Mustang's house, bouncing on his heels and waiting impatiently for the man to finish. Who knew what was happening to Nii-san while they wasted time...
As he came back to the foyer of the apartment, Roy looked around briefly, taking everything in hastily. Dogs... kids... Good. He had everything. "Okay, lets get going." he said, rushing them out the door and back to his car.
Al gave a heavy sigh of relief and hurried after Mustang's retreating back.
Don't worry, Nii-san, he thought desperately, We'll find you soon...
Roy waited until all of the kids were in the car before he pressed down the gas and headed towards the office. Dammit Fullmetal... what did you get yourself into this time?
"Ahhg," Ed groaned softly. Damn, did he feel awful. His head was pounding, and he was chilled all over. Plus, his whole damned body ached. Especially his automail ports.
Ed shifted slightly in his half-conscious state. Winry was going to kill him if he had done something to her precious automail again. But for some reason, he couldn't remember what he had done to them this time...
His face screwed up in confusion; there was something wrong with what he was feeling. Yeah... Usually the ports only felt like this when he'd already gone to see Winry. When she'd taken the prosthetics out...
Ed jerked awake, eyes wide.
"Ah... So you're finally awake," The woman from the hospital said, glancing at the young alchemist, "'Bout time..."
Ed's head snapped around to face the vaguely familiar voice. He sucked in a sharp breath when he recognized the nurse from the hospital...and the waitress from the restaurant.
"You!" Ed growled, lunging for the woman, but he came up short. He hissed in frustration, noticing that his lone hand had been firmly tied to the armrest of the chair he was propped up in.
The woman sauntered over to Ed's side, holding a black and white puppy in her arms. The small creature squirmed and gave a whine showing its unease. "Yes... I'm surprised you recognized me, Edward Elric..." She broke into a crazed smile, running her long fingernails through the dog's fur.
Ed used his toes (as his remaining leg was too short for his whole foot to touch the ground) to push the chair further from the woman. He glared up at her through his bangs and snarled, "Who the hell ar—"
But he cut off when his eyes ran over the form of the dog she held. "Black Hayate?" He questioned in a small, disbelieving voice.
Black Hayate gave a soft bark and squirmed in the woman's arms trying to get to Ed, but the woman held firmly to the pup.
"Oh no you don't!" she said, "I haven't made a chimera out of you yet!"
"A-a what?" Ed demanded, starting harshly, and then staring at the woman in horror. "Let him go! And while you're at it, let me go!" Ed struggled to get up for a moment, but found the task impossible. Finally he gave up and yelled, "What the hell is going on?"
"I need you to help me make a successful, talking Chimera," The woman explained impatiently, as though Edward should have already known. "I have read that it is possible, and with your help, this little pup will be talking to us in no time at all." She smiled, "Besides, I've heard that State Alchemists are the closest to Miracle Workers that you can get."
Ed stopped cold, shaken to his core by the woman's casual words.
Big Brother...
He gulped and stared up into the woman's face. "Y-you don't mean that. Tal-talking chimeras... You don't mean that." He hunched into himself and whispered, "There's no reason for such a creature to exist."
"Oh, but I do." The woman said, "After all, it won't be just an average talking chimera... No." She shook her head, "Tucker was a fool. He did created that poor beast of his for selfish reasons... I'm doing it for a much greater, wiser reason." Her blue eyes stared off dreamily, gazing past Ed into an unseen abyss where her dream seemed to stand.
Ed stopped his desperate glance towards the door, and any hope of freedom, in order to stare incredulously at the woman. He scoffed, "And what reason could possibly justify creating a creature like that?"
"I want a son of my very own." She said simply, her eyes gleaming with determination.
"W-what?" Ed gaped, unable to comprehend what the woman had just said. "Y-you want to...make a person? I real person?"
Her eyes widened, revealing a panic stricken countenance, as she replayed her delusional memories in her mind. "Yes... I was always unable to have children... and after Travis left me, I didn't know what to do. He always wanted children, a son to call his own... to follow in his footsteps... to carry on his legacy. Oh, how he blamed me that night. Hit me, even! I couldn't bear losing him. 'Coleen…' he said to me, 'I can't take this lie anymore!! It's all your fault!' he said… But the fact that I was unable to have a child... that was the worst pain of all. But now... if I have my own little boy... he'll love me. I'll have my own baby!" she ranted to the shadows on the far wall.
"My own little baby boy..." She took Black Hayate and cuddled him against her chest, coddling him like a baby. "Don't worry, darling... Mommy will protect you. Mommy will always be there for you."
Ed shook his head, eyes wide and incredulous, "Then why don't you just adopt a child, you nutcase?!"
"If I adopted a child... it would never be a part of me." The woman answered, "But using my own ovum as a base and these dogs, I believe that I could have the perfect son."
Ed could only stare at the woman in horror. The worst part of all of this was...he could see where what she said made sense.
Not what she was trying to do or why—that was sheer lunacy—but the theoretical bases for what she was suggesting... Using human germ cells in combination with the life already imbued in a genetically similar animal, especially multiple subjects...
Yes. Yes, Ed could see the circles half-formed in his mind already. It could work.
And that was the most horrifying thing of all.
TBC