The group of would be spies skulked out of the dark alleyway. As they approached the street, flooded with light from electric lamps, Gaige held up her right hand in a fist. This was a hand signal that Axton had taught her for "Stop". Axton halted, and the brothers caught on quickly.
"Why are we waiting? There's no-one around." Asked Ed.
"I just remembered something. We have no idea what we'll find in there, right? I think I should send Deathtrap to makes sure we're not walking into a trap." Explained Gaige.
"Manual control mode Beta? Good thinking. I had forgotten about it myself." Said Axton.
She led the group back into the alley, propped up a wooden crate and sat on it cross-legged. Gaige summoned her familiar and the white-blue glow filled the darkened alley.
"Deathtrap, Manual control Beta." Gaige closed her eyes, and dove into the machine.
"Everything working?" Asked Axton.
"YES." Replied Gaige-trap in a loud, gruff synthesized voice.
"Perhaps you shouldn't speak though him right now. I'm guessing you haven't done much work on his vocal processing."
Gaige-trap paused for a second, as if about to speak, but settled for a nod.
"Go on ahead. We'll cover you until you get back. If something goes wrong I'll tap you on your knee twice."
The robot nodded again, and flew up out of the alley.
Al stared at the Mechromancer, concerned. Her gloved fingers were interlocked, giving her the appearance of meditating.
"Are you sure this is safe? She explained it to us but it sounded… dangerous."
"Honestly? No. I've never seen her do it other than her demonstration. But I trust her engineering abilities."
That didn't seem to pacify Al's concerns.
"How long will this take? I want to see what's in there!" Ed grumbled.
"As long as it takes." Said Axton in a non-answer.
"Great."
Gaige-trap flew around the abandoned laboratory, ghosting from building to building to avoid detection. At the entrance was a Military Police guard, dressed in his black overcoat and hat. He looked extremely bored, yawning wide enough that he almost swallowed a fly that buzzed around the streetlight nearby.
Gaige remembered that she had installed an ECHO unit in DT. It was the first time she had occasion to use it, so it was left out of the explanation she gave to the others.
"Axton, can you read me?" Gaige thought into the device.
Axton could hear her though the ECHO alright, and he jumped back at the unexpected communication. The brothers were startled as well.
"Gaige to Axton, do you copy?"
"Yeah, yeah, I Copy. We weren't expecting you to contact us. And besides, you're right here. Why are you using the ECHO? Just talk to us. It's really creepy to see you not talking while talking."
Gaige's voice was distorted, crackling with static and sounding synthesized.
"My real vocal chords are linked with DT's voice module right now, remember?"
"Oh. Right. Still, if you had an ECHO unit in him you could have told us."
"Sorry, I forgot about it. In any case, you want my report or not?"
"Right. Go ahead."
"I've got one MP standing guard outside, with high walls surrounding the lab."
"Understood."
"A Guard in front of an unused building? Not currently in use my ass…" Commented Ed.
"Continuing surveillance. Preparing to enter the building from the south side."
"Roger. Report in when you have anything else."
"Copy. Gaige out."
Gaige-trap, or GT as she was thinking of calling herself in this state, flew down to the south wall of the lab and ghosted though it. Inside the structure was pitch black, with only the glow from DT's eye for light. The walls and floors of the hallway GT entered were coated with dust. The machine possessed by the Ghost of a girl started to scour the facility for anything suspicious. Most of what she found was disused scientific equipment. Beakers, burners, and books of all types littered the rooms, with the occasional piece of cheap wooden furniture thrown about randomly.
One room that stuck her odd was filled with suits of armor in a similar style to Al's. She investigated them, but none of them moved when she approached. Feeling confident she was alone, GT flew off to check out the next chamber.
The room flooded GT's optical sensor with light, washing it out. Gaige adjusted the setting and the room came into focus. It was a large space, about 100 feet long by 50 feet wide and at least 30 feet tall. It was lit by several electric lamps hanging from the ceiling. Pillars held up the roof, spaced evenly on the sides of the room.
The main feature that dominated the space however, was a larger transmutation circle. At least 30 feet wide, with a small stone dolmen in the center. The five pointed star in the center of the circle had puddles of blood at its points.
"Gaige to Edward."
Ed fumbled with the ECHO that she had given him and struggled to reply. A few seconds later he had it figured out.
"I'm here. What is it?"
"There's some kind of huge transmutation circle in here you need to see. I have no idea what to make of it but it looks important."
"All right! Now we're getting somewhere."
"Any signs of additional security?" asked Axton.
"None that I saw, and the place does look abandoned."
"Understood. Are you coming out of the dive then?"
"Yeah. Give me a second."
Gaige disconnected the transmitter, and felt her consciousness return to her body. Even though she technically never left, it still felt that way. She sent the deconstruction command to DT, and slowly opened her eyes.
"Welcome back. How you feeling?" said Axton.
"Fine, thanks."
Gaige uncrossed her legs and stood up, but felt her knees buckle and she fell forward.
Axton caught her.
"You don't look so fine."
"Just a bit of vertigo. It's a bit of a transition not having legs and then having to use them again."
"Are you positive this is safe?" A scowl of concern would have crossed Axton's face, if it were not masked at the moment.
"I told you I'm fine! I know what I'm doing when it comes to engineering!"
"Fine, I believe you. Just don't overdo it, ok?"
Edward wasn't sure to make of the whole exchange. Controlling robots with your mind was still a pretty weird concept to him.
"If you're feeling alright, can we get moving please? They won't be oblivious to us missing forever." Ed grumbled, irritated at the constant delays.
"Kid makes a good point. After you." Replied Axton.
The group exited the ally for the second time, with considerably less enthusiasm. They slowly crossed the darkened street to the high wall that surrounded the laboratory. It was approximately 25 feet high, with barbed wire loops on top.
"Any ideas on getting in undetected?" Asked Al in a low voice.
"I can't use alchemy; they'd see the light from the transmutation." Contemplated Ed.
"Using DT or my claws is out for the same reason." Added Gaige.
"All I have for something like this is high explosives. Good for wall breaching, not so much for stealth."
"Now that's the understatement of the year." Snarked Ed.
"It's not that high. Do you think you could boost me or Ed up there Al?"
"We could try it. Ready brother?"
"Yeah."
Al held his hands in a cup shape, and Ed stepped on them with one foot. Al launched his brother skyward with considerable force. Edward grabbed the top of the wall and pulled himself up.
"Nice throw Al." Complimented Gaige.
"Stow the chatter. This is an infiltration mission, remember?" reminded Axton.
"Right. Sorry."
Ed had lowered a strand of barbed wire to use as rope while they were talking. The group scaled the wall, Axton going last. He pulled the strand to the other side of the wall in case he had to make a quick exit.
The four spies walked around to the main entrance, but found it completely sealed. It was boarded over in an insane pattern, with nails pounded in randomly.
"Well. They certainly aren't taking any chances." Commented Ed.
"That's a bit overkill, even for a condemned building." Axton Agreed.
Gaige scanned the wall, looking for a weakness. She quickly found an air vent a few feet to the right.
"Hey, that looks big enough for us to squeeze though." She said, pointing it out to them.
"Well, except for Al." said Axton.
"It's not like I asked to get this big!" cried Al despondently.
"Sorry, that was a bit insensitive."
"It's ok."
"Axton, mind giving me a hand up here?" Asked Gaige.
"Sure thing.
Axton hoisted the shorter girl by her waist, and she removed the grate and passed it down to Ed. He softly placed it on the ground. Gaige crawled into the vent with Axton's help.
"How's the diameter?" he asked.
"A bit tight. Me and Ed should be able to fit, but I think you'd have to break your shoulders off."
"Ok. I'll take over watch duty then. I'll set up surveillance one of the nearby buildings. If we get company I'll ECHO you."
"Ok. You can send Ed up now."
"Right."
Axton moved to pick up Ed the same way he had Gaige.
"DON'T THINK IM SOME KID YOU CAN JUST TOSS AROUND!" Fumed Edward.
Axton put a finger to his mouth to remind him to be quiet.
"…Fine. Just give me a boost." Said Ed much quieter, but still angry.
Axton made a hand cup and Ed stepped up to the vent and climbed inside.
"Good luck you two, and be careful." Said Axton.
"Thanks, we will!" Gaige's voice echoed in the small space as she and Ed crawled deeper into the facility.
Axton replaced the vent so it would not look out of place.
"Alright Al, guard the entrance. If you see someone give me an ECHO."
"Eh? Are you sure we should split up?"
"We need eyes in the sky. And since you can't really be hurt, you make a perfect guard."
"I didn't want to be like this!"
"Sorry. But it does have its advantages."
Al said nothing more, clearly upset. Axton climbed the wire back over the wall and dropped out of Al's sight, leaving him alone.
"Man, how big is this ventilation system? According to the ECHO we've been in here 10 minutes." Grumbled Gaige.
"We would be there already if you didn't keep picking dead ends!"
"Hey! It's not like I can control where the pipe gets too narrow or where there's fans!"
"Yeah, I guess you're right. If we weren't so small, we would never be able to get in this way."
Gaige slowly stared back at Ed in disbelief.
"OH NO! I JUST CALLED MYSELF A TINY LITTLE PIPSQUEAK!"
Gaige tried hard to suppress a laugh.
"Great, another fork. Left or right?" asked Gaige.
"I say right this time. Left hasn't gotten us anywhere."
"Right it is."
The diminutive pair crawled though the passageway to the right, when Gaige stopped.
"Axton to Gaige. I'm in position on the roof of the building across the street. Setting up observation post."
"Understood. We still haven't found a way out of the vents but we're trying."
"Copy. Will check in with you in One-Five minutes. Out."
"Why did you stop, Gaige?"
"Axton called."
"Why didn't I hear anything?"
"You can't hear it unless the ECHO is directed at you. Unless you leave the record function on, as most people on Pandora do, evidently. "
"Weird."
"You get used to it."
Gaige started to crawl forward again, when she heard the distinctive sound of metal creaking.
"Hold up. I think this section is unstable. Let's move backwards…"
The groaning of overtaxed joints continued, and gradually got louder.
"Slowly. Very slowly. We don't want to fall doOOOOOOOWWWWNN!"
The old structure could no longer bear the weight, and the brace holding the vent gave way. Gaige and Edward tore though the thin plating and freefell, screaming.
Gaige landed with an "Oof!" on her back, having spun midair. Edward's landing was much softer, landing face first into some padding. Where it came from he had no idea, but he was sure he would feel a lot worse without it.
"I can see you're comfortable, would you mind GETTING OFF ME?!" ranted Gaige.
"Huh?" Ed looked up from his face down position. What he saw was a very red-faced Mechromancer.
"Despite what you might think, my chest is not an airbag!"
Ed picked himself up on his arms to see that he had fallen face first on top of Gaige.
"Ahh! I'm so sorry!" He quickly scrambled off to the side and sat down.
"Why I outta murderize you…" Gaige's eyes had an evil glint only normally seen on an anarchy high, and her prosthetic fist was shaking with rage.
Ed cowered against the wall, ready for a knockout blow. It didn't come. Gaige regained control of her emotions and offered him the flesh hand instead, picking him up off the floor. He accepted the outstretched appendage and pulled himself to his feet. If he had managed to piss off another girl mechanical genius, he had no doubt there would now be a wrench lodged where his brain used to be.
"Come on. We gotta figure out where we are in relation to that chamber I saw."
"Right."
They walked forward though the hallway they found themselves in, though the nearest door.
To their surprise, it led directly to the chamber.
"Well, that was lucky."
"Indeed. Almost too easy." Said Ed.
"Whatever, we're here. What do you make of it?"
"Whoa. If I had to guess, it looks like what they would use to transmute a Philosopher's Stone."
"Yes, that's correct. I don't know who you two are, but you sure figured out a lot from looking at a transmutation circle."
Out of the shadows, a metallic sounding voice rang out, with the heavy footsteps of armor following it.
"I'm good like that. Who the heck are you?"
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Number 48.I'm the one charged with guarding this place from curious brats. "
"Number 48" was a set of oriental style plate armor with a white cloak around the legs, a long tassel on the helmet, and a scar on the faceplate. The helmet had two small horns on it with a cloth face wrap. He was armed with a saber, with three small spikes on the guard.
"Eh? I didn't see anything like him when I was scouting this place." Said Gaige, confused.
"You've been here before? My skills must be slipping. I really must dispose of you two then. Try not to take it personally."
"Alright, we won't." Edward clapped his hands and transmuted his arm, extending a blade from it.
"And you try not to take it personally when we "Brats" kick your ass!" Gaige digistructed her Vladof Blaster and aimed it at the armor.
"An Alchemist and a gunfighter pulling weapons out of thin air? This might actually be interesting!"
48 Charged headlong at Ed with surprising speed for someone of his size, and delivered a broad slash across Ed's chest. His shield shattered instantly, and he staggered backwards.
"Ed! Watch it!" Gaige opened fire on the person in the suit of armor.
The blaster bolts impacted the metal, and caused sparks to arc across its surface.
But number 48 showed almost no damage on her HUD. The word "RESIST" appeared in big bolded blue letters where the rounds hit.
"Freaking Jackholes! Why is everyone I'm fighting resistant to shock?"
"Hah! Now there's a gun I've never seen before. Feels tingly."
48 charged at her. Gaige digistructed her claws as he charged with his sword.
"But it doesn't seem to affect me!" He sliced at her, Gaige blocking with her claws.
"You know, it's REALLY starting to piss me off when stuff is electric immune."
"Electricity, huh? Fascinating."
Ed sat on the floor, watching the exchange in shock.
"What am I doing? I have to move..!"
It then occurred to Ed that if it had not been for the shield, he would have been dead. But it was also clear that Gaige's weapon hadn't worked, and he had to act. She was sparring with 48, blocking the saber with her rifle, and attempting to thrust with the claws. However, 48 retreated every time she lunged at him. The Mechromancer was quickly pushed onto the defensive.
Ed stood and closed in quickly and quietly behind the armor as he could. When he had closed the distance, he gave a roundhouse kick to 48's midsection with his automail leg. A tremendous gonging sound echoed though the chamber. 48 spun around to look at the runt.
"My my. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say you're hollow inside that armor!"
"Aren't you observant. How did you arrive at that conclusion?"
"I have a sparring partner who's just like you!"
"There are people like me on the outside? Intriguing."
"Yeah, it nauseates
me to think someone had the same twisted idea to bond a soul to a suit of armor!"
"Perhaps I should reintroduce myself. Back when I was human I was a mass murder known as Slicer. 48 was just my prisoner number on death row."
"So, they're using the condemned prisoners next door to make Philosophers Stones here?" Asked Gaige.
"That I cannot tell you. It's not my area. They simply saw my talents, gave me this body, and tasked me to guard this place." Replied 48.
"Interesting. You should have a blood seal then, right?" Asked Ed.
"Yes. I have a blood seal." 48 removed his cloth face wrap, and pulled up the visor on his helmet. A crimson circle was visible in the back.
"That is it. If you destroy it, the fight's yours."
"Rather cocky of you to show us your weak spot!" said Gaige.
"I like to give myself a challenge now and then."
"As long as you're feeling generous, how about letting us go?" asked Ed.
"I'm afraid I can't do that. I would be remiss to let a good fight escape me. Now, face me!"
"It sure is lonely out here. I hope they don't take too much longer…" Moped Al.
He was sitting beside the vent, staring at the sky. He couldn't stand being alone.
"Hey Al. Stay focused." ECHOed Axton.
"OH! Right. Sorry."
"I know it's boring, but they're depending on us to keep them safe. Be alert."
"Ok. I'll do that. How do things look up there?"
"Not much different. The guard is still half asleep and almost no traffic on the roads."
"Well that's good."
"I'll keep you posted. If any- Al! 12 o'clock high!"
"Wha-"
Al looked up and saw the glint of moonlight reflecting off metal. The reflection was falling towards him quickly. Al leapt forward and rolled to dodge.
"Not bad. Most would have been cleaved in two from that attack."
Al turned to face his assailant. Another suit of armor, this one with a skull shape for a helmet.
"Who are you?!"
"I'm Number 66. At least, that's my working name. You move pretty well for someone your size. But that will just make you more fun to cut down!" 66 was armed with a cleaver and a butcher's knife, and pointed them at Al.
"Al! I'm coming down there, hang on for three minutes. Don't pan- Ah, son of a bitc- *BANG BANG BANG*" The line went static.
"Axton? Axton!"
"Just going to stand there? Good. Now, scream for me!"
66 charged at Al, with no real form. Al took a combat stance and delivered a palm strike that sent 66 flying backwards end over end.
"Damn you! That hurt! I'll cut you for that!"
66 got up and charged Al again in the same reckless manner. Al easily sidestepped the wildly swung cleaver and delivered a right cross to the helmet.
The helmet flew off with surprisingly little resistance. It tumbled to the grass. 66 stopped his attack to go pick up his head off the ground. When he turned back to face Al, Al saw that there was no one inside the armor.
"You're empty! But how?"
"There's a bit of a story behind that. Would you like to hear it? You probably already know it though. It all starts with a man by the name of Barry…"
Axton's ECHO being cut off was due to him being attacked by a third suit of armor. The suit of armor had jumped off the roof of the lab, and nearly flattened Axton with a mace.
"Eehehehehee! You might be some fun! Been too long since I didn't just squish someone right away!"
Facing Axton was a suit of armor, with the greaves, leggings, and helmet covered in spikes. A tattered off-white loincloth covered the crotch. The helmet had two upward curving bull's horns coming off the sides, one broken off. Swirls of red paint and graffiti were sprawled randomly across the chest plate. Some of the writing looked like it had been written by the wearer in crayon; it was upside down from Axton's perspective. The ensemble looked like something a porcupine blacksmith on acid would make.
"…Who.. Or what the heck are you?" said Axton, not sure what to make of this.
"I am called 5 and 3/7ths!"
"…Right. " Axton had the distinct feeling of being on Pandora again.
"You look confused! Allow me to introduce myself properly. I was locked up in here for…"
Axton tuned out, clutching his head. A wave of pain overcame his head, and he struggled to focus his eyes. When he did, all sorts of new information was being displayed on his ECHO. Schematics of 5 and 3/7's armor. Manufacturer and build date. Maximum stress loads, and where the weak spots of the joints were. The fact that his mace had a hairline crack three inches up from the shaft. The Multiple weld lines where the spikes had been attached. His ECHO also was not detecting a heat source inside the armor.
"…The hell?" Had Gaige been messing with his ECHO again? It wouldn't have been the first time she did something like this as a joke. Axton shut off the device.
The information was still there. Great, so he was going nuts.
"So after I coated the puppies in butter I loaded them into the catapult…" 5 and 3/7ths was still rambling on.
…Or not. Could this be the information he had gotten from Truth? It was just a theory, but it was the only thing he could think of. Axton rebooted his ECHO and drew his Hornet.
"…And that's the story of how I saved Poundland and got all the pudding! Oh, and killed a bunch of people. That's probably why I was here."
Axton still had a splitting headache, and this guy wasn't helping.
"Hey, 5 37 or whatever your name was. Do me a favor will yah?"
"Yes? What's that?"
Axton drew the Hornet and fired a burst center of mass, ignoring the new information.
"Just shut up already!"
The fight against Slicer was not going well. Despite Gaige aiming as best she could, Prisoner Number 48 was too fast to hit accurately. Ed had bought her time and space to back off and draw a different weapon. She had blown a few small holes in his armor with the Lyuda sniper rifle, but done no real damage. And her increasing Anarchy high only made it harder to aim. Edward on the other hand, was completely on the defensive. His forehead was streaked with blood from when he had his shield broken. A small circle of blood on his abdomen showed the presence of a stab wound. His automail blade was scratched and dinged from multiple contacts with the enemy's saber. The constant flurry of attacks prevented the shield from recharging.
He huffed and wheezed from his punctured lung and the exertion of the fight. He ducked a fast swing aimed at his midsection, gawking as the sword cut though the concrete pillar behind him effortlessly. Ed caught himself on his arms, and used the position to launch a two footed kick into Slicer's torso. The suit of armor stumbled back a few feet while Ed regained his footing.
"You know, I could use some help over here!" Ed shouted at Gaige.
"Hey, I'm trying! He's not exactly easy to hit, and this rifle is made for fire rate, not accuracy!"
"Then use that! Let him have it!"
"Fine! Hey Loser! Catch this!"
Gaige loaded a fresh drum magazine into the rifle, and held down the trigger. The dual barreled Gatling sniper rifle spewed electrified lead. She aimed at Slicer's chestplate, letting the recoil bring her aim up to his head.
The twenty rounds were quickly expended, forming many new holes in the armor of their foe. The last two hit their mark and sent 46's helmet flying off his shoulders, clattering to the ground behind him. The suit of armor collapsed to the ground, unmoving.
"Heh, sorry about your face! Not that it looked good to begin with!" Chided Gaige.
"Did you get him?" Asked Ed.
"I think so. Aren't too many things that can take a full drum of large caliber rifle rounds and live."
"I was an inmate on death row you see. Most people think I was executed, but the truth is I was given this body and made this places guard dog. So what about you? Were you on death row too?" Asked Barry.
"What? No way! I'm not a criminal!" Replied Al angrily.
"Then what happened? Huh? HUH?"
"There was... an accident. My brother gave me this body to save my life."
"Your brother? Oh right! You're "Brother"." Laughed Barry.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"How do know you're a real boy?"
"I am! I remember before the accident! I was a real boy with friends and family!"
"Oh? Really? How do know you're not just some Automaton like in those Radio Dramas?"
Al shook for a moment and froze. An Automaton? They were metal men forced to do the bidding of humans. It was some cheesy show called the Adventures of Ruck Starscream in the Twenty-Third Dimensions. Al loved it as a kid; Ed thought it childish and stupid. But now that he thought about it, the Automatons did sound a lot like robots. The way Gaige described them sounded similar. Before a few weeks ago, the concept was purely fiction, but now...
"T-that can't be! Winry and Granny knew me from before!"
"That's easy; they're in on it too! Face it kid, you're just a slave to a master, programmed with false memories to make you love your betters. It's all too cliché, really! A puppet that thinks he's a real boy!"
"S-shut UP!" Al charged Barry with a karate chop, but swung wide, Barry easily dodging it.
"You've gotten sloppy! Now hold still while I turn you into scrap metal!"
Barry charged Al with cleaver in one hand, knife in the other, screaming wildly. Al shakily blocked his reaction time noticeably slower.
"Come on, you'll have to better than that to stay alive, Automaton!"
"I told you I'm not an Automaton!"
Barry prepared to make another strike, when an explosion on a nearby rooftop distracted him.
"Oh? Did you bring friends? Do I get to cut them up too?"
Up on the roof top, Axton stepped over the rubble that the meteor shower grenade had created. He strode over to the corroding body of 5 3/7th's armor the legs had been blown clean off from the blast. The moron was still babbling about random things and killing people, even as he dissolved.
"Geez, you're even worse than the Psychos, and that's saying something!"
Axton fired another burst at the armor's helmet, trying to quiet him. To his dismay, he continued to blather about even with no faceplate.
"... I may be turning fuzzy but I'll still kill you! And your friends! And you're Family! And your little Velociraptor too! Its ok Mr. Snugglepants, I'm fine, really! It only tingles a bit!"
"Hey. You. How come you can talk with no mouth?"
"Oh, that? I haven't needed one of those in a long time. See, I have a soul of crimson, and a mind full of BACON! My bloody circle lets me talk and talk and talk and none can stop me! Isn't it GREAT? Now everyone can hear my wonderful ideas! When I was alive, they used to muffle me, or punch me, or kick me in the walnuts. Oh the walnut crunching, not good times. Very hard on the reproducing and the self image, you know."
The armor waived its arms around frantically as he talked, like an Italian on speed and caffeine.
"Blood circle? You mean a blood seal?"
"Some called it that, yes. I prefer blood circle, sounds more poetic in my book. OH! I forgot to tell you about my poetry! There once was a man from..."
Axton's military training dictated that he interrogate this prisoner. But his rash, impulsive side was getting the better of him. He holstered his pistol, crouched over the body of the armor, and found the blood seal on the back of the inside of the torso.
Axton stood back up, drew his new Torgue Shotgun, aimed at the blood seal, and fired.
In the prison next door to the lab, a lone figure sat in an isolated cellblock. A guard was posted in front of an iron bar gate, leading down a dark hallway to the cell. Seated in the cell, a shadowy figure got a devilish grin as a small shockwave passed though the prison, barely perceptible to the guard.
The man let out a small laugh.
"Hey! Quiet in there! There's nothing funny!" Yelled the guard.
"Sorry officer, it's just that I felt something I didn't expect to and it made me a little happy."
"What, a teeny little earthquake? What's so good about that?"
"Oh Contraire, Mi Capitan. That was not an earthquake, but a small series of explosions. Definitely not something usual around here. The mining blasts are much bigger and farther away. Very... interesting."
"Oi, that's enough out of you!"
"Just making an observation, Officer."
"Go to sleep, will yah?"
"But how can I go to sleep now that I'm in a good mood?"
The officer muttered under his breath. "The sooner they euthanize that mutt the better…"
Slicer's helmet spiraled backwards off his shoulders, clattering along the floor end over end until coming to a rest against the wall. Gaige reloaded her rifle and cautiously approached the fractured armor with Ed.
"Hey. You still alive over there?" Said Gaige, giving the helmet a small kick.
"Yes. It would appear you're a lousy shot and missed my blood seal."
"Hey! I hit your head didn't I? So, are you going to tell us what we want to know?"
"Yes, fine."
Gaige and Ed squatted down to face him.
"So, tell me about the philosopher's stone." Said Ed.
"Well you see…"
Slicer was interrupted by the beeping of Gaige's ECHO. She quickly answered it, holding up a hand to order Slicer to hang on.
"It's Axton. There was an incident with a guard. We're compromised. I think you got about 5 more minutes before company arrives."
"Understood. What about you, you ok?"
"Fine. I have to move though, so I won't be able to cover you. I'll meet you by the wall."
"Gotcha. We have a prisoner to interrogate and we'll be right out."
"Well, make it fast."
Unbeknownst to the pair, while they were distracted talking, Slicer's body had stood up and retrieved his sword. It slowly crept up behind them, delivering a vicious slash at their backs.
Both of their shields shattered from the powerful blow. Ed felt the searing pain of the blade draw blood from his back. Thanks to the shield it wasn't a very deep cut, but it still hurt like hell.
Gaige's shield, being stronger, absorbed the blow completely. Slicer raised his sword for an overhead chop at Gaige. She dropped to one knee and raised her automail arm to deflect the blow. Sparks flew from the blade as the headless armor struggled to overcome her. A loud "pop!" came from her arm, and it fell limp. A deep gash was left where the blade had impacted. Before Slicer could take advantage of this opening, Gaige's Black Hole had been completely drained; triggering its special effect. An implosion sucked Slicer's body against the wall, and an electrical shockwave exploded in a dome from Gaige, passing harmlessly over Ed.
Ed struggled to his feet, bleeding badly from his back wound. Gaige motioned with her rifle to the opposite side of the room, telling him to back off.
Slicer recovered his composure and retrieved his head.
"My, aren't you full of surprises. Though I already told you electricity does nothing to me."
"What about you? How come you can move without a head?" Asked Gaige. Her automail arm was hanging limp.
"I forgot to tell you something about the mass murder, Slicer."
"His crimes were really done by a pair of brothers, you see!" This voice came from the armor's torso.
"An independent head and body? Who would think of such an abomination?" Asked Gaige.
Ed frowned at that remark.
"You kids aren't exactly all natural yourselves, if you hadn't noticed." Said the Torso.
The head spoke again. "I don't know who you two were talking to, but I'm going to make sure you don't get to see them again. And considering the state of the girl's arm, I doubt she can use that rifle anymore."
Gaige scowled, but knew he was right. Without a second hand many of her weapons were too heavy for her. She deconstructed the sniper rifle and withdrew the Thunderball Fists pistol.
"I must admit, you might have been able to render me immobile with that rifle eventually. But I doubt you'll be able to reload that little peashooter quickly now. This means…"
The Slicer Brothers raised their sword to their face and started charging Ed.
"That we only need to take care of the alchemy brat now!"
Ed was quickly on the defensive, trying his best to block with his blade. His shield was rapidly depleted. He backed off, Slicer showing no signs of stopping the flurry of blows.
Gaige opened fire with all three shots of her pistol. The rounds over penetrated and exploded into shock balls on the far wall. With her thumb she popped out the cylinder and tucked the pistol under her automail arm, withdrawing a fresh one from her Storage Deck. With some difficulty she was able to reload it. The entire process took over 15 seconds, more than five times what it normally took.
"Shit. At this speed and without deathtrap I'm useless in this fight…" She fired her next three rounds to little effect.
Ed was quite frankly, getting his ass kicked. The constant flurry of blows gave his shields no time to recharge. Slicer was not giving him time to transmute. Fresh cuts appeared every other swing on his chest and arm. Ed felt himself getting dizzy and lightheaded from blood loss.
"At this rate I'm really gonna die! I have to do something!"
Gaige could see her charge was in trouble. But what could she do? Most of her weapons were now useless. Some of the smaller ones she could lift, but even if they hit, they didn't seem to even faze these guys. She also didn't have any other pistols, and they would take too long to reload anyway. She had tried sending the signal to summon deathtrap, but it seemed the wire had been cut in the attack.
"If only I had some explosives…"
Then Gaige remembered something, smacking her pistol to her forehead for not remembering it earlier.
"Duh, you idiot, you DO have explosives."
Gaige opened her echo interface and disabled the Storm Front grenade mod, and stored her pistol.
She withdrew a grenade from the storage deck and tossed it near slicer's feet. It exploded and knocked him off balance, but very little damage. A few shrapnel holes and dings on his legs, at most.
"Grenades? You never stop, do you?" Commented the torso.
Gaige withdrew another and tossed it. These normal grenades were little more than cherry bombs in comparison to a modified grenade, but they were good as a distraction. That was all she needed right now.
Slicer backed away from Ed, trying to avoid the volley of grenades Gaige was throwing. Ed saw his opportunity. He circled behind Slicer, clapped, and placed his hands on his back.
Gaige saw the armor's midsection explode towards her. The legs fell to the floor, the helmet tumbled away again, and the remainder of the torso flipped inverse to the legs.
"Did… Did you get him?" Asked Gaige.
"I think so. He's not getting back up. Though using a trick I learned from Scar doesn't make me happy."
"You BASTARD!" What did you do to me?!" Asked the torso indignantly, as he thrashed about.
"Ew, stop that, that's creepy!" Complained Ed.
"Come on, you kids have won. Go ahead and destroy us." Said the head.
"Not until you tell Ed what he wants to know." Said Gaige.
"Besides, I'm not a murderer. " Added Ed.
"With bodies like these, are we even really people?" asked Slicer.
"I consider you humans whether you have your original body or not. If I didn't that would mean I wouldn't consider my own brother a person either."
The head of the armor laughed.
The torso asked: "Brother? Are you feeling ok?"
"My brother and I have been maiming, thieving, jipping, and killing people since we were boys. And now that we're shrapnel on the floor, you have the gall to call us human? Such a notion is completely absurd!"
"He kinda has a point, you know." Added Gaige.
"People are people, no matter how much their form changes." Rebutted Ed.
"You're the first to see us as such. For that, I'll tell you everything you kids want to know. I'll tell you the creator of the philosophers' stone, and who ordered us to be sentries here.
Before he could speak his next word, a pair of black tentacles burst out of the darkened hallway. They rapidly closed in and impaled the helmet's blood seal back to front.
"Urgh!"
"Slicer!" exclaimed Ed.
"What the fuck was that?!" asked Gaige.
The tentacles retracted, pulling the helmet to the doorway.
"My, that was close. Didn't anyone tell you not to tattle on your peers?"
A curvaceous woman walked into the light, along with an androgynous person wearing a cut off tank top, and bike shorts with a short skirt, both black. He... uh her… It's? I'm not really sure. They? They works. They had an athletic build, and long, black, spiky hair held in place with a headband.
"Oh? The Full Metal Pipsqueak is here? And He's picked up a Goth girlfriend!" said the ambiguously gendered person.
The busty one looked at the girl. "Hey, you were the one who interfered at the crash site. What are you doing here?"
"Ugh, Lust again? I don't have to tell you anything! Besides, who the hell is that chick?! Asked Gaige, pointing her gun at the other person. ".. And he's not my boyfriend!"
"I guess I should introduce myself. Name's Envy. And I'm a guy, by the way."
"Then dress like one!"
"Enough chatter. Let's get down to business, shall we? First order: Silencing the fools."
Lust spread the fingers that Slicer's head was impaled on, cutting the helmet in half. The pieces clattered to the floor, making the last sound they'd ever make.
"No! Brother! You Motherfu-"The Torso's complaining was interrupted by a sword to the blood seal.
"Quit your whining! You were trying to kill some our most important sacrifices! What if you had killed them, HUH?! You coulda destroyed the entire PLAN!" Envy repeatedly stabbed the blood seal with the saber as he talked.
The shift from conversation to killing had happened so rapidly that Gaige had no time to react. Envy was rather fast, and she had been distracted by Lust's actions.
"What the hell are you people talking about?! Sacrifices? Plans? Who's in control of this thing?" Asked Gaige.
She fired a shot at Envy's feet. She got unlucky and it ricocheted rather than detonating. Envy managed to avoid having his head taken off by mere millimeters, as the bullet cut off one of the locks of his hair.
"Whoa now! There's no need to start shooting, Gaige. No need to be violent." Said Envy.
"…how the fuck do you know my name?"
"That doesn't matter. On to the second order of business. We need you to leave. Immediately." Ordered Lust.
"Like hell I'll cut and run! I'll take you all on!"Boasted Gaige.
"From where I'm standing, you're both pretty beat up. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that the giant gash in your automail means it's not working." Lust gave a small smile.
"Hah. Funny."
Envy slung the sword on his shoulder and walked over to Ed, who was barely standing.
"And Pipsqueak here is bleeding like a stuck pig!"
"Don't call… Me a… Pipsqueak!" Ed panted from the lung damage.
"Not to mention, your revolver only holds three shots. You've already fired once. With a busted arm, I think you should reconsider." Stated Lust.
"Besides, bullets don't really bother us none!"Boasted Envy.
"You really need to stop revealing things they don't already know." Scolded Lust.
"Humph. Whatever. So Ginger, What are ya goin-"
Envy's head exploded from an Anarchy charged electrified bullet exploding in his skull.
"Do. Not. Call. Me. GINGER."
That was one of the many myriad of names the bullies at school used to tease her, but of all of them ginger was the one she despised the most.
Ed's eyes quivered at the sudden display of gore.
"Gaige? WHAT THE HELL! WE COULD HAVE RESOLVED THIS WITHOUT KILLING!"
The Mechromancer switched her aim to Lust. "One down. Now tell us what we want to know, unless you feel like joining your comrade." The last word was laced with venom in its tone.
Lust simply smiled again.
"What kind of reaction is that?! Are you gonna talk or not!?"
"Gaige. Look." Ed pointed over at Envy's shoulders.
The stump of the spine started to grow back, followed by the base of the skull. Tissue and musculature soon followed.
"…What the fuck?" Gaige and Ed said in unison. Apparently her vocabulary was starting to rub off on Ed.
The head continued to grow, the skull formed, and muscle covered the bone. Eyes formed in the socket, and skin started to cover the flesh. Soon Envy's head was back in place, and he stretched his neck with his hands, getting the kinks out.
"You know, it's rude to interrupt someone who's talking! Not to mention, that freaking hurt!"
"Ok, I have a Healing Factor, but that's just absurd! Never seen anyone grow back a head, and Pandora's full of nigh-invincible monsters! I've seen goliaths lose a head, but that's a different kind of creepy." Complained Gaige.
"You-You're not human, are you?" Was all that Ed could manage to stammer.
Envy looked ready to boast again, but Lust shut him down.
"That's not something you need to know. More importantly, we've decided this place is a liability. We set demolition charges at key points throughout the facility."
"You're bluffing." Challenged Gaige.
Lust reached into her cleavage and drew a detonator. She pushed one of the four small buttons on it, and distant explosions sounded.
"That was a quarter of this lab's support beams being cut. If you don't wish to be crushed, I suggest you retreat."
"God damn it! Again with the explosives?" seethed Gaige.
"If it works, keep doing it." Replied Lust.
Gaige's ECHO beeped.
"I just saw a set of explosions coming from the lab! What happened? Are you ok?" Asked Axton.
"Kinda. No time to explain! We'll be out shortly!"
"Come on Ed, let's go."
No reply.
"Ed? ED!" The alchemist had collapsed on the floor.
Gaige deconstructed her pistol, and used her one good arm to support Ed's body over her shoulder.
"Remember this: We allowed you two to live. We can survive anything you throw at us. Be good and don't stick your noses in other people's business." Envy and Lust departed the way they came. Another set of explosions rocked the building. Gaige, with Ed slung on her back, started to make her way out of the crumbling building.
Outside, Al was still sparring with Barry. Al was kicking the tar out of Barry, but mentally he was unnerved.
Barry picked himself out of the dirt ounce more, and continued the psychological assault.
"So, puppet, are you ready to accept that you're Just an automaton?"
"I told you I'm human! I was real boy with friends and family who loved me!"
"So we're in the denial stage still? Aren't you supposed to start with rage?"
Awoken by the explosions, the gate guard finally decided to investigate, and found the suits of armor fighting.
"Hey! You two! Stop right there!"
Barry nonchalantly threw his knife into the man's skull.
"You killed him!" Exclaimed Al.
"Hahaha! You see that! I kill, therefore I am! For me, the thrill of murder tells me I'm alive!"
Barry walked over to the body, shoved the knife in deeper, then withdrew it.
"So what about you? What proof do you have that you were ever alive?"
"I don't need to prove anything to you!"
Al's movements were slower as Barry resumed the assault. Al barley managed to block a flurry of blows, until a stray knife stab knocked his helmet off. The mass murder followed by swinging down hard with his cleaver, al blocking with his arm. Barry put all his weight into it, and forced Al to his knees.
"You're mine now, Puppet!" He thrust hard with the knife at the exposed blood seal.
A loud CRACK rang out from the darkness, the sound emanating from one of the nearby rooftops.
Barry dropped the knife, and inspected a freshly made bullet hole in his hand.
"Well that's irritating. Now that's there forever. It's not like anyone cares enough to fix me."
"Axton?!" Asked Al.
But there was no one there.
"Well then. That was odd. Now, where was I…? Oh yes, Killing the puppet!"
Barry picked the knife back up and prepared to stab Al.
Just then, the outer perimeter wall had a hole blown though it. Three figures dashed though the new entrance. Out of the smoke appeared Axton, Lieutenant Ross, and Sergeant Brosh, guns drawn. Axton had used his shotgun to breach the wall.
"Drop your weapons and hands in the air! Now!" Ordered Ross.
"Um. Well then. This suddenly isn't looking so good."
Barry did as he was ordered.
"Well then, bye!" Barry suddenly dashed off.
"Hey! Wait! Get back here!" Yelled Brosh.
They were about to chase him when another set of explosions rocked the building. A cloud of dust obscured Barry's position. Axton turned his attention to Al. The Ex-commando retrieved the armor's helmet and handed it to him.
"You ok, buddy?"
""I-I'm fine."
This did not escape the Amestrian's notice.
"Wha-"was all that Brosh could stammer.
"Al's armor is empty?!" Exclaimed Ross.
The boy replaced his head on his shoulders.
"Add this to the list of things we need you to keep secret. I promise I'll explain later."
Another small explosion rocked the wall of the lab.
"Oh thank God. There's the outside, I was running out of grenades!"
"Gaige? That you?" asked Ax.
"Yeah, I need help! Ed's hurt!" She called as the smoke cleared.
"Brother!" Al rushed to his stricken sibling.
"Careful. He's got a punctured lung at least, possible spine damage. Try and move him little as possible." Warned Gaige.
"What the hell is going on!?" Asked Ross.
"No time now. The last set of charges will bring this place down any minute!"
Al carefully took his brother from Gaige and cradled him in his arms. The group made their escape as the last sticks of TNT were detonated. A huge roar woke the neighborhood as the Fifth Laboratory crumbled in dust and fire into nothingness.
Meanwhile in the prison, the inmates were nearly rioting, scared by the noise.
The man in the dark solitary confinement cell seemed almost giddy now, in a restrained sense.
"What a lovely chorus. I know it well. That's the sound of a structure being blown apart by pressure waves. With how loud it is I'd say it's coming from across the street, from the old lab. It's such a comforting cacophony, the way it rattles your entire being!"
The guard had had about enough.
"I told you to shut the hell up, Kimberly!"
"Oh, Pardon me. I was just recalling the Ishvallan War of Extermination, and it put me in such a good mood. So many explosions in one night could put a man over the edge, you know!"
Authors Notes, Supplemental.
Stardate... now.
So. Hey there. It's been awhile.
*beat*
OMGwhoamikiddingitsbeenfreakingmonths!
Sooo yeah. Sorry about that. I figured I should get a chapter out before the new year, huh?
So why the delay? Well, first major reason is quite frankly, I got sick of BL. It was my only AAA game from its release to early march, and I still played *a lot* of it even then. The second reason was I had a temp job from march- september. So I had the income for new games, and less time for writing. After that? chalk that up to procrastination. I always said to myself "i need to finish that chapter. Hmm, I'll do it after this game", or "I'll do it tomorrow!" (Not to brag, but my procrastination level is 99. L337 skillz yo.)
Another major reason was realizing I'd written myself into a corner. I started early in the FMA story and had planned to follow it along, with changes much later down the line. This was mostly due to my inexperience as a writer, I was playing it safe. Now I see how much that constrains my creativity. I will follow the major plot points still, but expect things to change. Whenever appropriate, if i have to take dialouge from an episode I'll try and rewrite it when appropriate. I also plan to come back to Pandora soon, and introduce a certain crazy person. Hopefully I can get a new chapter out a wee bit faster this time.
Finally, to all of you who messaged me asking for more, Thank You. Your comments really pushed me to get this done.
YOUR APPROVAL FILLS ME WITH ULTIMATE POWER!
No wait, it just stokes my ego. Still, thank you all the same.
Have a happy new year everyone!