Title: Sugar Coated Lies
Rating: T
Summary: Going undercover in a town is hard; being undercover in a school is even harder. How does a teen that grew up to fast deal with a family environment and school without blowing his cover?
Author Note: It's been what? 2 years since I updated this story? I am going to apologize right now and give you a little explanation. I have gone back to school for Equine Business Management and as a 24 year old student I've been working my ass off to get my grades. That and for a while I lost interest in FMA, that is until I went to Anime Boston and bought the Brotherhood series and have been watching it between studying and going to class. I felt bad for leaving it for so long and would like to start working on redoing "All You've Forgotten" but first, I want to finish this.
Thank you to the people who haven't given up on this story, and to those who might just be joining it.
Chapter 20
It is dark inside the transmuted building, dark and musty the lack of windows making the small area containing the two men become humid and warm. Edward sneezes violently, cursing his luck once more as he flexes against the bonds holding his hands apart. The Widower paces and grumbles to himself, long fingers pulling at unkempt hair as he tries to reason with himself, giving Edward an closer look at his instability. With a frustrated curse Edward flexes his automail arm once more before giving up, jerking slightly when the Widower laughs.
"Keep trying young one, you will never get out of those." He cheerfully states, a large smile forming on his face, revealing the blackened teeth and massive gapped mouth before clomping over, his boots splintering the rotting and moister ridden boards.
"Is this not accomidating enough for you Full Metal?" he sneers as Edward chokes on the putrid breath overpowering the younger man.
"Oh no, when travelling I always look for the darkest, dingiest places run by a maniac in serious need of a breath mint." Edward snarls back, his annoyance evident in his tone but quickly receives a meaty fist to the side of the head. The unexpected force of the blow caused Edward to bite his tongue and sends his world spinning, leaving the young Alchemist dazed and incoherent for a few moments. The Widower cackles as the Alchemist flinches away from the sound.
"I know why you are here." He states when the teen cracks open a single golden eye and watches the man wearily, aware of the situation he's in and how quickly it could change.
"I saw you, that day when you fell. I know you were there in the woods, I could feel you." He states, sucking on his own spit as he moves to sit cross legged across from the captive alchemist. Edward doesn't allow the shock to show on his face, knowing full well that's what the man is waiting for. Both alchemists sit in silence for several minutes, the sound of dripping water the only sound beyond their breathing. Edward studies the man closely, finding him intriguing but slightly frightening. Several years back Edward read a research book on the human psyche and the effects of little human contact, how geniuses tend to lock themselves away from society, deeming the people of the world too below their intelligence to even hold a conversation with.
That's what Edward sees in this man, with his unruly hair and sharp eyes lined with a fever he can only explain as insanity.
"Who are you?" Edward suddenly asks using the tone he only reserves for lower ranking officers, or people who greatly annoy him. For a moment the Widower looks shocked, his red rimmed eyes widening slightly before narrowing, his expression hardening ever so slightly.
"I was once called Hank McCarron. I once was a State Alchemist loyal to Bradley during the first war." He states proudly, to Ed it is evident in how he speaks and holds himself and Ed finds himself feeling bad for this man, a man who once served his country only to be driven mad and into the woods of a neighboring country.
"I am now called The Widower, a link to a lore I have adopted since leaving the military. I am happy here and bother no one." He mentions slowly, a hysteric laugh bubbling to the surface as the madness takes over once more, leaving the wide eyed lunatic in place of the prideful former soldier. Edward licks his lips and waits patiently, thinking over his words carefully.
"Do you know what happened to the people in the town?" he asks gently, tone still commanding but not as nearly strict. The Widower gives a low howl, his hands coming up to knot in his tangled hair, his words mumbled and hissed.
"I have nothing to do with it. I don't know-those poor people- I know nothing of what happened to them." He states firmly, the sanity creeping back into his eyes, letting Edward know he's back to being almost stable.
"Do you know anything? We're here to help them." Edward asks, making sure to make no sudden movements in case the sanity should switch, irrationality would get him killed should the man decide to take out his frustrations.
"People disappear during the darkest time of the month… I hear them sometimes, screaming but—no, I don't go see. There is little for me to do anymore…" he trails off sadly, showing Edward his badly burnt hands, the tattooed arrays mangled with sections missing.
"I am able to do simple alchemy, the river stones? Yes, things like that." He states with pleasure, his expression growing somber.
"What would you do, when you discovered you're the reason so many were killed Full Metal, will you still take pride in your knowledge of Alchemy when you see the innocent buried under your work?" he asks softly, his dark eyes fixing on the younger alchemist.
"Why'd you take my lock box?" Edward asks quickly, golden eyes trained on the other man. For a moment the sanity is clear and evident, Edward can't help but think that in his prime this Hank McCarron was a talented man but his past deeds drove him to insanity.
"I, I took it because I knew you would find me to reclaim it." He states proudly and Edward holds back a snicker and nods.
"Yeah, yeah. Well you got me here." Edward states without humor "so what do you want me to know?" he asks, fixing the man with a pointed look. The Widower snickers back, a wild gleam replacing the sliver opf sanity he'd displayed only moments before.
"That I am not the one you are looking for when it comes to what's happening in the town. All I want is to be left alone, to live out the remainder of my days repenting for the damages I caused." He states sadly, and Edward ventures a roll to his knees, wincing as still tender ribs protest the movements.
"You can help us. You said you hear them sometimes right? Even if you can't save them, you can watch, let me know what you see so I –and the others- can put an end to the madness. If this keeps up, if people keep disappearing from their homes civil war will come to this area, you will be discovered and unable to finish what you started. You want to repent right? Why not help me that will mean more in the end." Edward reasons, knowing the desire to repent and make up for all the senseless killing is a powerful one, a road he almost went down when he woke up in the hospital bed beside his human brother. The Widower regards the younger Alchemist for a moment, the wheels slowly turning in his mind.
"No, I can't." he states firmly and produces a key from somewhere inside his rags, unlocking Edwards restraints before scooting away, wrapping his hands in his hair and rocking slightly.
"Take your box and leave, I haven't done anything to the people of this town, I just want to be left alone." He mutters softly and Edward slowly moves away, aware of how quickly the man's moods can change. The lock box, untouched sits in the corner of the room but before Edward picks it up he claps his hands and forms a basic door, the blue light casting the interior of the shanty with an eerie glow, making the Widower flinch away.
"If you change your mind, you know where to find me." He says softly before gathering up the lockbox and leaping out of the formed door, unsurprised when the wall closes itself up. Edward breathes in deeply, enjoying the open and fresh air, trying to clear the musty air from his lungs.
"FULL METAL!" Roy shouts, coming around from behind a large boulder, fingers held at the ready. Hawkeye and Havoc cover them with their rifles sighted on the house but Edward waves them down with his human hand.
"No need, he won't be bothering anyone." He states softly, looking down at the forest floor suddenly saddened by the memory of the man's madness and what caused it. He always found himself feeling bad for the ones that lost their sanity.
"Did you kill him?" Mustang asks, roaring the words with both hands gripping the younger man's shoulders.
"No, I didn't kill him." Edward snarls back, angry with his superior for even suggesting it. Roy blinks for a moment, taken aback by the sharp anger but relents, allowing the younger man to harbor his emotions for a moment before asking another question.
"Who is he?" he asks softly, having known most of the Alchemist from the Rebellion, watched most of them either die in the field or of alchemical reactions in their studies after the battles.
"Hank McCarron is the name he gave me." Edward answers, saying the name softly before shooting the transmuted house a weary look, the hackles on the back of his neck rising. "He's not the one we're looking for." He concludes, slinging the lock box over his shoulder and marching off, his steps quick but light. Mustang notes the slight trembling of the younger man's human arm and the paleness of his skin but doesn't comment, just gives his people a gesture before stooping to pick up his own pack.
"Wait, we're just going to leave him here? I'm sure he's got warrants or is at least wanted by the government." Havoc starts but stops when Ed turns his hardened golden gaze on him.
"He's destroyed the arrays on his hands and is half out of his mind with lunacy. He told me that he's out here for penance for the lives he took during the rebellion; he's put himself out here to make sure that he can no longer harm anyone. He just wants to be left alone." Edward justifies to the others, Hawkeye wordlessly flicking the safety on her rifle before moving to gather her own pack.
"He's sickly as well. I'm sure he won't be here much longer." She states softly, having seen the signs of a wasting illness around the small clearing. She'd been privy to the camps in which the sickness ran rampant, a brain fever that reduced those who survived it to a rambling, babbling mess and shortened their life spans considerably. Most soldiers during the rebellion were vaccinated against it before being sent out into the desert, but not all of them.
"So, we leave him. Besides, exposing ourselves to bring back a deserter that might or might not be wanted isn't conclusive to the mission. Leave him, if he causes trouble for us or if we find out he's connected to the missing people, then we have reason. For now he's the embodiment of a local legend." Mustang declares and starts out with Havoc and Hawkeye trailing dutifully behind as Edward stares at the transmuted building once more and shivers. He's met insanity, in Shou Tucker and Zolf Kimbly, in Father and the homunculus Envy, but McCarron's insanity is different. His was brought on by a sin committed on a battlefield.
He wonders if his sin will someday drive him to insanity as well.
"Edward!" Mustang shouts, causing the younger man to jerk and spin, finding the older man staring at him. Edward narrows his eyes and huffs a sigh before pushing past the superior officer, mind working through his thoughts, sorting and shifting through the troubling insecurities. Mustang watches the young man go by, his concern for the teen making his stomach roll. He's seen Edward brood before and after a few hours the kid has sorted through whatever was bothering him without any help, so he makes the decision to keep an eye on him and if need be, provides a distraction to get him back on track. This mission is too important and has too much riding on it for the younger man to be overly distracted.
Roy shivers and looks back at the shack, his gut telling him he's making the right decision but his tactical mind doesn't agree.
Author Note: I am going to end here for now. I will try to write over the weekend but no promises. I'm getting ready for Finals (2 of which I'm worried about) but if not next week once I get home I'll try to write the next chapter. I shall not abandon you again!