21
In Central, more specifically the office of Fuhrer King Bradley, his secretary, Miss Julia Douglas, was speaking to someone over the phone. "I can't keep losing track of all of you." She said, "I have a few things I need to accomplish myself." The door opened and she stood and covered the phone as they walked in, she calmed down once she saw that it was the Fuhrer and sat down again, "Their teacher lives in a town called Dublith, why don't you try there?"
On the other end of the line, Lust, Gluttony, and Envy all sat in a dark room as Envy spoke to the secretary. "I'll leave Greed to Lust and Gluttony, then." Envy said, "What should I do with the Elric boys if I find them in Dublith?"
"Nothing." The secretary replied, "They still haven't given up on the stone, arrange for them to have another opportunity to create it."
Envy smirked, "You may be the youngest among us, but you give orders like you're all grown up."
"Of course, I would like those boys to create a philosopher's stone." She said, "But we can't have them sticking their noses into that Ishbal business. I assume you understand."
"Yes, yes, I understand." Envy replied, "But what about those other kids with them? That foreign boy and his cute little girlfriend?"
"If they get in your way, feel more than welcome to take them out." The secretary said, "We have no need for two teenagers who can't perform alchemy."
Edward, Alphonse, Shane, Melody, Izumi, and Sig were all in the same room. Ed and Al sat at a table across from Izumi, Sig leaned against the wall, and Melody sat on the floor, next to Shane who was also leaning on the wall. Edward had just finished explaining his encounter with the homunculi, telling about why they had been chasing after him. "So why don't these homunculi create their own philosopher's stone?" Izumi asked.
"They just said that they couldn't create it themselves." Edward said, "That they can't perform alchemy."
"That would mean this child's different from all of them." Izumi said.
"That's true, but I've never seen an alchemist transmute their own body." Ed said, "Involuntary systems get in the way, and no human should be able to do it. You know that."
"And think about it, teacher." Al said, "He transmutes without a circle, just like you and brother," Ed looked over at his younger brother, "so that must mean--"
"Al, leave it." Ed hissed. Melody quirked a brow at this, did they know how they were able to perform alchemy without a circle? What did they do?
"You lost your memory when it happened, right Al?" Izumi asked.
"What do you mean?" Al asked, genuinely confused. Izumi turned to Ed.
"You remember it, though." She said, "Don't you Edward?"
"Yes…" Edward said, his voice low, "The gateway." Izumi nodded solemnly and Sig stood up, he grabbed Shane's arm and picked Melody up by her shirt collar.
"Hey!" She protested as he took them out of the room. He put them on the floor and shut the door behind him, "What the heck was that for!"
"This is a matter that doesn't concern you, or Shane, or myself." He said, "It's best to leave it that way." Melody glared at him as he walked away.
"Sheesh, just 'cuz we don't know any alchemy…" She grumbled. She turned to Shane, "Tell me when he comes back." She went over to the door and put her ear to it.
"Mel! What are ya doing!" Shane hissed.
"Just shut up and keep watch!" Melody hissed back, "I'm not going to get left out on this…" She closed her eyes and could hear Edward speaking.
"I remember…" He said, "How could I not? The truth, that's what was in there."
"The truth?" Izumi repeated.
"I couldn't understand what was going on." Edward said, "It was as if a vast amount of information was being implanted directly into my brain. And suddenly I… I knew things… about alchemy that I never learned! Everything… And I knew that I was just one step away from achieving a complete human transmutation…" Edward paused, remembering his time inside the gate, and remembering the monstrosity he found that was supposed to be his mother, and remembering how Alphonse had been deconstructed, and there was nothing left of him when he woke up, "I understood when I was inside that gateway… If I acted now, there was still time…" An unnerving silence filled the room.
"By the time I came to," Alphonse said, his voice cracking, "I was already in this shell, and the thing that was supposed to be mom… was dead."
"I saw the truth while inside that gateway." Edward said, "That's why I'm able to transmute without a circle, and how I bonded Al's soul to the suit of armor. I learned it all in there."
"You really think it's the truth that's beyond that gateway?" Izumi asked him.
"Of course, what else could it be?" Edward asked. Melody opened her eyes as Shane shook her shoulder.
"Sig's coming back!" He hissed. Melody nodded and stood up from the door, she took his hand and led him away.
"Come on, we can't let him get suspicious." She said, Shane said nothing as she dragged him upstairs. When they reached the top of the staircase, she stopped walking, but didn't release his hand.
"Melody…?" Shane asked hesitantly, "Are you alright?" Melody turned around and faced him. "You're acting a bit weird."
"I don't like being left out." She said, shrugging. She said nothing as she looked away from him, seeming to be deep in thought, "Shane?"
"Hm?"
"Do you… Do you remember anything about coming here? To Amestris?" She asked, Shane closed his eyes for a moment in thought.
"I remember… Circles, lots of circles." He said, opening his eyes, "Now that I think about it, they were probably transmutation circles. They covered the room I was in and I couldn't find a door."
"You don't remember anything else?" Melody asked, Shane shook his head.
"No, I don't think anything else happened before I wound up in the middle of some street." He said, "Why?"
"Ed and Izumi," Melody said, "They were talking about some thing called 'the gateway.' It has something to do with alchemy, of that much I'm certain." She looked up at him, "Think about this for a second, what are gates used for?"
"To get in and out of places." Shane answered, his eyes widened when he realized what she was saying, "Wait, you don't think we somehow went through that gate and…?" Melody nodded her head.
"Right now, it's all I can think of." She said, "Edward told Izumi that the gate led him to the truth, if that's right, then our way home should be hidden somewhere in that truth." Shane looked at her with widened eyes.
"Do you think he remembers that?" Shane asked, "Didn't he do that human transmutation crap, like, five years ago or something? He couldn't possibly remember."
"He probably doesn't." Melody said, "For now, it's just a theory, but it just might be possible. If an alchemist did a transmutation in just the right way…"
"If an alchemist did do it," Shane said, "How would they know what they were doing? I mean, only alchemists who don't use a circle have seen the thing, and as far as we know, that's Izumi and Edward."
"But there might've been others!" Melody said, "Maybe they did something stupid and ended up dying in the process, yet we came here just the same!" She looked to the floor. "I know it's because of alchemy we're here, we just need to figure out why…"
In Central, Hawkeye, Fury, Falman, and Havoc were unloading boxes into the new Central office where Colonel Mustang had been placed. The door suddenly burst open where a man with a hairstyle similar to that of Armstrong's and a similar moustache saluted them. He sent the entire room into a panic as he said, "Gentleman! How wonderful of you to join us!" Havoc, Fury, and Falman ran around in a complete panic. Then Havoc stopped and walked up to the strange looking Armstrong, "I, Alex Louis Armstrong, welcome you with the utmost respect and admiration! Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"
"You know, you got a real sick sense of humor, Breda." Havoc said as he lightly slapped Breda's face.
"You scared us to death." Fury said, smiling and beggining to calm down from his friend's practical joke.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!" Breda laughed, taking off the cap-wig and fake moustache, "Still, you never know when he's gonna strike. You might as well be prepared. Next time, it'll be him!"
"The major isn't in town at the moment." Hawkeye said as she opened another box, apparently, the only one unfazed by Breda's prank.
"Is that right?" Breda asked, "Where is he?"
"He's off conducting an investigation with the officer assigned to the court martial office." Hawkeye said as she placed a lamp on Mustang's would-be desk, "The man who's taken over for Brigadier General Hughes."
"Yeah, I've been wondering, who is that guy?" Havoc asked.
"I believe his name," Hawkeye said, "is Archer."
"Lieutenant Colonel Frank Archer." Falman said, recognizing the name.
"So, you've heard of him?" Fury asked, turning to Falman.
"He's a man dedicated to his military duties." Falman said solemnly as he opened another box with books inside.
"Wait, I don't get it." Fury said, "That's a good thing, isn't it?" Falman put the books from the box onto a desk.
"By 'military duties,'" He said, "I mean to say that the man enjoys war."
Armstrong looked nervously over at Frank Archer as they rode the train. He was a pale man, with a very angular face, with dark hair and blue eyes. Archer was calmly going over some documents in front of him. "Lieutenant Colonel," Armstrong said, "I know I've already told you this, but-" Archer raised a hand for him to stop.
"Yes, you don't know where the Elric brothers, or Miss Kilgore, or Mr. Trublood have run off to." Archer said, "What are you, a broken record, Armstrong?"
"But, there's no evidence that they even went south." Armstrong said.
"I believe there's enough evidence for us to investigate further." Archer replied calmly.
"Why? Do you have someone watching them?" Armstrong asked sternly, "Those children are not traitors, you know."
"Perhaps…" Archer said, looking at a different document, "But I don't have any intention of just letting them roam around freely the way Mustang has done up until now." He looked up at the major with eyes that were just as blue, and just as piercing as ice. "For the sake of the upcoming battle, you understand?" The train whistle blew as the train continued on down its tracks.
Melody and Shane came upstairs and saw Mason sitting outside the door to Ed and Al's room, "Sorry about this." He said to the brothers, "But Izumi told me not to let you guys out or she'd skin me alive."
"You ask her where she was going?" Edward's voice sounded on the other side of the door.
"No, she asked me to have the boat ready so maybe she went to the island again." Mason said, he looked up at Melody and Shane as they come up to him. "What's up, guys? Need something?"
"We need to talk to Ed for a second, Mason." Melody said, "I know they're not allowed out of their rooms, but if you could just let us in…"
"What do you need to talk about?" Mason asked, Melody was about to say an excuse, but Shane spoke before she could.
"It's a private matter." He said sternly. "They're the only ones that need to hear it." Mason nodded and stood up.
"Guys, Shane and Mel are comin' in." He said as he opened the door. Edward looked up at the two as they walked inside, Mason shutting the door behind them.
"Hey, what is it?" Edward asked, noticing the serious expression on Melody's face.
"Ed, listen." She said, "Earlier today, you were talking with Izumi about something called the gateway, and--"
"Al, what are you doing?" Shane said, noticing Alphonse drawing a transmutation circle on the floor around a small radio. Al looked up at him and made a shushing sound as he activated the transmutation, and turned the radio into a telephone.
"Winry, sorry, but since we can't come out of our room…" Al said.
"Hi, Al." Winry's voice came from the other end. "Hey, what did you guys do to this boy anyway? He's completely terrified."
"Clever…" Shane muttered, Melody elbowed him, "Ow, what!"
"Did you forget why we're here!" Melody hissed. Edward quirked an eyebrow at her words before turning his attention back to his brother.
"Winry, this may sound strange, but there's something I need to ask." Al said, "It's about the boy's body, will you check something for me?"
"Al, what are you talking about?" Edward asked.
"You mean the scars?" Winry asked, not hearing Ed, "Yeah, I was surprised, too. What do you suppose happened to him? They go all the way around the base of his right arm and left leg." Edward's eyes widened and Alphonse looked up at him.
"Al, wait a minute…" Edward said in a low voice, "You don't think…?"
"Think about it, brother." Alphonse said, "You said you saw his face on the other side of the gate." Ed clapped his hands and transmuted through the floor. The falling bits of wood made Winry and the boy move away as Ed jumped down from his room.
"What's wrong!" Sig asked, he didn't get his question answered because Ed transmuted the floor to block the door to the boy's room. Mason came in as Al was jumping down after his brother.
"Guys, if Izumi finds out about this, she'll kill you." Mason said.
"This won't take long." Al said as he jumped down. Melody followed after him.
"Come on, you guys!" Winry said, shielding the boy from Edward, "Izumi told you not to go near this boy, I can't let you do this!" Edward walked up to her.
"Like he said," Edward put his hand on her shoulder, "This won't take long." He pushed her out of the way and slammed his hands on the wall behind the boy, trapping him in the process. The boy's eyes were wide with fear, and Edward only looked down at the ground. "It's not true. Tell me it isn't true…" Edward muttered in a low voice, "It was… It was an equivalent exchange!"
"What was, Ed?" Melody asked, concerned for her alchemist friend and for the boy he was obviously scaring the daylights out of.
"Mom's body, in exchange for my leg…" Edward continued, "Al's soul. My brother's soul…! In exchange for my arm…!" He raised his head and looked at the boy with angered and confused eyes, "I thought it was an equivalent exchange!" Ed grabbed the boy's shirt and ripped it so he could see his shoulder. When he looked at it, he saw where the base of the different skin tone began, and that there was a large gash on his right arm. He grabbed the boy's wrist and held up his arm, "Tell me, do you know what this gash is from?" The boy slowly shook his head no, Edward looked at the gash, "It's the scar from the fox bite…" His eyes widened, "This is my arm!"
The boy jerked himself away from Ed and used his unique alchemy to smash the glass of the window, so he could jump out. Ed went after him just as Sig came through the hole he had made. "Ed, no!" He called, but Edward didn't listen.
"Edward!" Melody jumped out the window, following the blonde alchemist as he chased the boy from the island. Sig came up behind her, and was about to follow them, before Al spoke.
"What if it's true?" He said, Sig looked over at the suit of armor, "What if the boy's arm and leg really are his?" Sig said nothing as he stared at him.
Edward chased after the boy as he ran through the streets, through alley after alley, around corner after corner. His legs didn't seem to stop running, and Melody followed him as quickly as she could. All three of them were unaware of the cloaked person watching them from atop a building.
Izumi walked to a small stone area with four stone towers a few feet off the ground where a small path had been indented, as if something had been dragged through the ground. Or, in this case, something pulled itself along the ground so it could move. Izumi kneeled down to it and touched the path that had been made, her eyes glistening when she realized what had happened. Her thoughts were cut short as she suddenly started coughing up blood.
Oh My God! I finally found a website with the episodes I'm looking for! FINALLY! It took me for-freaking-ever! I am so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so soooooo sorry for the lateness! I am really so utterly and completely sorry! Still, I do not own the FMA (I really wish I did because that would make it a whole lot easier to finish this stupid thing!), and I appreciate reviews and flames!
-Chibimaker ^_^