I really do hope you are all liking this story!
But I will not be able to post this weekend on Sunday, hence the early update/s. Busy weekend. Cattle showing... and just *shutters* life. Hope people who live in, Australia, NSW, Hornsby/Hills district go to the Castle Hill show, I'll be there, with Cows and I hope you all go to the Easter Show too. I shall be there as well, with cows! It's amazing! I love COWS! They are just too cute!
Anyway...
I like to get off track...
'Flashback dreams' are just clear, understandable memories that Ed remebers when he sleeps BTW. I will use them to 'fill in the blanks', if u get what I mean.
Hope your enjoying!
Chapter 13- Filling in the Blanks
(Ed's POV)
Three Week's after
"Roy, look not all of the workers were doing this on their free will!" Ed was screaming in Roy's face, for a third time today alone.
"We know Ed, here's a list of all the employee's who were sentenced."
Ed snatched the sheet from Roy, scanning it. "VICTORIA WAS SENTENCED! She didn't do the worst!"
"If you look Ed, she only has a year..."
"And Cameron! He was in the same boat as me!"
"Wait what?"
"Yes, Cameron and Mark, they both have chips too!"
"I'll get someone to look into that for you... but how do you know?"
"We do have conversations... And I saw before I got chipped... I could see the scar from the implant."
"Well you have good eyes Fullmetal, you just saved those two a few years of jail time."
"They were good people there... but the rest can rot." Ed huffed some air and began to walk out
"Watch yourself Fullmetal... take it easy, you look a bit over worked. Relax won't you, your body needs to recover fully."
"Yer, yer..."
"Oh and on Sunday, would you and Alphonse like to join the team for dinner at my place?"
"Sure why not... We have nothing better to do, now my Doctor said I can't leave Central."
"Good I'll see you both around 6pm, Sunday. And Fullmetal, you rest, you look a lot like a small pile of shit."
"Oh piss off, asswipe. You don't need to be my father, bastard." With that Ed slammed the door closed, leaving the room in a loud echoed mess from another cyclone Ed.
*Flashback Dream*
(Ed's POV)
Ed was lying on the floor facing the dimly lit ceiling, his chains loose, but he had no energy to move. Ed had just been transmuted with the hawk, his back ached as wings attempted to grow, but failed, leaving no trace but pain and two not badly sized scars. His mind was clouded. The door slowly opened, the lights staying dim. Victoria bobbed next to Ed, she was alone.
"How are you feeling, Ed?" She spoke softly and motherly, she reminded him of his late mother, it slightly sickened him at times.
Ed only groaned painfully.
"Well, now your transmutation is over. It's only a straight line from here." She smiled down at Ed. "All that is left is training. But that is all pretty painless, as long you are obedient."
Ed cringed at the word 'Obedient', 'I'm not an animal...'
"Well it's good to see you active so quickly. Our first successful chimera took weeks to become as active as you, 12 is such a sweet girl... Only three others have survived passed her... 18 and 29... And now you. You should be proud. Your our first try at a flying creature, tough you didn't grow wings... cause 12 is a cat chimera, 18 a dog and 29 a lizard. We might need a bigger bird..."
Ed yelped quietly as a stabbing pain entered his lower back.
"Are you OK, Ed? Do you want some painkillers... I can see what I can get. I'll be right back. Stay still."
Victoria left Ed in silence, he was dozing off before she returned, almost asleep as she returns holding a needle full of fluids. "Sorry Ed, it's a needle."
Ed groaned and rolled over trying to avoid the needle in his sleepy state.
"But you won't fell any pain for a good day. And you should sleep for a bit too. It's better if you do (A/N If you know this song you rule! P!ATD Rules! BTW that was not on purpose! I love myself for subconsciously doing that!). Come on Ed... It won't hurt as much as the rest of your body. I promise." Ignoring Ed's groan in disproval, she injected Ed and he quickly collided with numb sleep.
*Flashback Dream Over*
(Ed's POV)
Four Weeks After
Ed was slowly waking from his dream, no really remembering it. His body felt heavy and stiff, he felt like he had just thrown up his entire stomach and his brain was fuzzy and foggy. He slowly opened his eyes to see a ceiling, he knows he didn't fall asleep in this bed, he wouldn't be on his back. His vision was fully blurry, but his eyes only half open. Ed slowly tried to prop himself up on his automail arm, but was soon met by a cold hand on his chest, pushing him lightly down, but still too much force for Ed to handle. His head hit the pillow and he quickly fell asleep once more.
*Flashback Dream*
Ed wailed in pain as the chains erupted in blue sparks.
"Stop trying to fight back, Eddie my boy!" Joe was yelling at Ed who was shaking on the floor. "Now get up and try again!"
Ed slowly made his way to his feet, looking at several fitness measuring equipment.
"The one to your left...! We have been over this! I really hope the animal hasn't made you stupid. You were such a bright one..."
The machine to his left, gave his muscles shocks to test their durability, which hurt like hell. He laid on it once more, a man strapping pads to his arms and legs.
"Deep breathe... One, two, three..." A jolt shocked Ed's body, breathing made impossible for a few seconds. "One more time Eddie my boy, deep breathe... One, two, three..."
Ed sucked in deep breaths as the test ended, leaving his mind flustered and fuzzy. Ed always found it hard to consecrate during his time here, they were always experimenting, filling him with drugs, exhibiting pain on him 24/7. A man was standing next to Ed as he sat on a box of some type he placed him on. He was tall, too tall for Ed's liking, he had long brown hair, not the length of Ed's, only to his shoulders, his face slightly longer than an average face, his eyes a a good few shaded darker yellow to Ed's.
"That's enough for 35 today. He can't take anymore, sorry Charles... His body, isn't taking the transmutation as well as we all hoped. But he just needs a bit more time to adjust." Joe was talking to no one in the room, Ed wasn't sure who he was talking to. But his attention was taken from Joe to the man standing next to him who was sniffing the air.
"W-what are you doing?" Ed asked with a slightly beaten voice
"You smell that?"
"I can't smell well... I'm a hawk chimera, I can see well, and hear well. Not good in the sent department..."
"It's... Something... new... Oh... It's 12... She is always wearing new perfume! She really needs to stop changing it..."
"Who?"
"12... the cat... the only other girl besides Victoria running around this joint."
"I have only ever seen you, Joe and Victoria... this is my second time out of my 'room'."
"Shame, I'm sure you would like her, sweet kid, about half my age, around 25-30, bit older... You seem relaxed away from Joe... Why? What he do?" The man spoke quicker than natural, like he was a child on sugar
"Alchemy torture..." Ed averted his eyes to the floor.
"That's ruff... And your just a kid too, adults crack easily at that. And now looking at the state of your wrist... you stuck up a good fight... Names 18, Cameron, whats yours?"
"Ed... I think I'm 30 something..."
"5-35. Charles is the only one who calls us by our numbers, don't worry... We all call each other by real names... Our own names. Mark is also a nice guy, but he has trouble speaking, so go easy on him, his animal took over slightly on the early stages. But he is good now."
Cameron smiled down at Ed who half smiled back.
*Flashback Dream Over*
(Ed's POV)
Four weeks after
Ed slowly woke up once more, the dream quickly slipping away. He knows from last time not to sit up, so he looked around, though his vision still blurry, but not like before. He could see a figure leaning on his bed, most likely asleep and another in a chair reading a book. Ed shifted in the bed and laid on his side, something cold and wet slid off his forehead onto the floor, unnoticed by Ed. He just closed his eyes and tried to get more sleep. But all he was greeted with was someone, not the same person from before, pushing him to his back. He opened his eyes to see a figure next to him.
Ed began to mumble, "Mum... leave me alone..." He rolled back over and closed his eyes. Murmurs of voices floating straight through his ears, without a word being heard by the boy. The person rolling him back once more, how Ed concludes it to be his mother... "Muumm, let me sleep damit..."
They stopped for a moment, but them the same one from before with the cold hands came back. He placed his hand on Ed's forehead and pushed his head to the pillow. Ed was silent and lent into the hand and closed his eyes, it was cool on what he now concluded was a fever-ish face. But it was soon taken away, and replaced by a cloth, this caused Ed to open his eyes in plead for the hand back, but didn't bother asking. "Mum... where are you going?" Ed expected an answer, but of cause only could hear mumbles. "Am I sick mum?..." mumbles could be heard but Ed couldn't quite hear them. He gave up and slowly closed his eyes and slipped into his dreams.
*Flashback Dream*
(Ed's POV)
"You have been given chance after chance, Eddie my boy... I've had enough... We are dong this the hard way!" Joe came into the light, holding two syringes full of colourful liquids. He knelt next to Ed's quivering body. "Open up, Eddie my boy..."
He forced Ed's mouth open and pushed the syringe down into his throat, releasing the liquids into his system. He placed the second in the same manner into his body. He stood up and looked at his watch. The taste of disinfectant in his throat, it burnt and stinging his insides and he could feel its path within his body. Ed couldn't keep is yelps of pain within his mind for long, screaming echoing in the room.
"Now, if you don't want this again... You will cooperate. Now wont you, Eddie my boy." The man began to laugh at the kid who had tears roll down his face. Shaking and jerking on the cold floor.
*Flashback Dream Over*
(Al's POV)
Four Weeks After
Ed rolled in the bed kindly given by Roy, who was woken by the movement. The washcloth fell off his face onto the floor.
"Damit Ed, you need that..." Roy lazily pushed Ed back to his back and possessed to put the damp cloth back on. But to be met by a hallucinating kid.
"Mum... leave me alone..." rolling back to his side and closing his eyes.
"Ed... you need to lie on your back..." Al popping out from his chair.
The chimera rolling back to his side."Muumm, let me sleep damit..."
"He's so stubborn even when he's fever-ish..."
"Here, Roy go wet the cloth again. I'll get him to stay on his back." Al placed his hand of his brothers forehead, and pushed him back lightly and slowly.
"You have a way with that brother of yours... He's so hard to handle."
"You get used to it after 14 years..."
Roy ducked in and out of the guest bathroom and passed Al the cloth. Al quickly switched his hand for the cloth. Much to Ed's dislike, he opened his eyes looking for 'mum'. "Mum... where are you going?"
"It's Al and Roy, nii-san." Al trying to communicate his situation to the sick boy. Only to get the wrong message across, or let alone a message at all. Ed seemed unfazed by his comment.
"Am I sick, mum?..."
"Yes nii-san, your sick. Are you OK, can you even hear me, let alone are you listening to us?"
Ed slowly closed his eyes and slowly went back to a restless sleep.
"He's hopeless... Thank you again Roy for letting Ed bunk it out for a while."
"No problem Alphonse. It was my fault..."
"Now don't say that. Doctor Yin said he'll be fine." Al 'smiled' at Roy, then gazed down at his resting brother.
*Flashback Dream*
(Ed's POV)
"Joe, he still isn't cooperating! I can't waste our time and money on this any longer! Just go with our last resort, the chipping! Other methods have never worked and you know it! Just because he is a child doesn't mean he isn't strong willed! Just give him the chip!" Charles was bellowing at Joe from outside the room. Joe not speaking loud enough for Ed to hear.
A fluster of sounds suddenly erupted from outside his door. "Charles! Joe! Sam-12 she was hit! The car came out of no where!" Cameron flustered and panicked
"Quick! She doesn't have long! Grab the KID, we need to try this!" Charles bellowed happily
"WHAT! NO! YOU CAN'T! THAT INHUMAN" Cameron gutted at the comment.
"Control yourself 18! This isn't your choice!" The door flung open, Joe at he toes of Charles, Cameron holding Sam's mangled body, she was in her chimera form unable to change in her pain. Ed's eyes widened with horror. "Grab him! She won't live much longer!" Ed was lifted by Mark who was hesitant about this process occurring.
Ed was dropped on the floor next to Sam's dying body, she looked at his with horror filled eyes, eyes that were almost hollow, eyes wanting to die, for her life to end. Ed just stared at her wide eyed, unspoken fear within him. Then blinding pain burned at the two, with the transmutation light blurring around them. Once the light dyed down, only one body was found in the circle.
'Let me die already...'
*Flashback Dream Over*
(Ed's POV)
Four Weeks and a day After
"...Fu...Fu...tal...war..." It was a faint whispers that floated in them straight out of his ears.
"Ed? Ed, wake up!" This voice dragged Ed to attention, he just rolled to his side and ignored it. "Ed! Get up nii-san, you need to eat!"
"Al... Leave me alone... I'm tired... I think- I have work tomorrow... Let me sleep in today." Slurring and mixing words together
"Ed! You are definitely not working tomorrow! Not in your state! Now get up!" Ed slid his eyes open, he was in a foreign room. Clean cream walls, with wooden furniture littering the walls, a large bookshelf, and a side table and desk.
'Ed! Your-Our body needs rest! Sleep DAMIT!' Sam was yelling internally at him.
"Leave me alone the both of you!"
"Ed... You need to eat, you are sick!"
"Sam says sleep, Al says food! I say sleep, it's easier..."
'That's right! This is my body too now, you treat it good!'
"It's mine too Sam... Back off!"
"Nii-san, sit up... Roy is bringing up food for you now."
"Why am I sick again?"
"You don't remember last night?"
"No... Do you, sam?"
'Nope... I remember throwing up... a lot.'
"Well, we throw up?"
"God... Doctor Yin said you would be out of it... But this... Dam, that fever is really messing with your brain... I know you don't remember the ordeal you just went through but... You need to take it easy. OK."
"Sure, sure." Ed sat up slowly and lent on Al who had sat next on the bed. He closed his eyes and fell asleep limp on his brothers shoulder.