A Boy Named Ed
Ed knew he was different. It wasn't just that he was smarter than the other kids or even that he had automail. No, it had more to do with the way people would occasionally look at him, like they were expecting somebody else. It was the way his mechanic cried the day she met him. It was the way his dad would sometimes slip – and call him Fullmetal.
A.N. So when exactly was Ed turned into a baby? I've sort of addressed this before but not in any great detail and I really think it needs to be hashed out once and for all (for your sakes and mine). This story follows canon up to a very specific point (when baby Ed shows up) at which point things start to deviate. Not everything changes. Really, the only things that change (with one exception) are things which were in one way or another directly affected by the Elric brothers. To put it simply, Ed's transformation took place immediately before Ed and Al would have gone to Briggs. But let's go back a bit and establish exactly what did and did not happen in the ABNE timeline, just so that there is no confusion. (Note – long authors note will be long. Skip if you don't need this)
Ed and Ling DID get swallowed by Gluttony and Ling DID get turned into Greed. Wrath DID reveal himself to Ed, Al, and Mustang (and almost skewered May) and proceeded to threaten to hurt the people they cared about and split up Mustang's team. Al DID take May to Dr. Knox and she DID run off soon after to meet up with Scar and Dr. Marcoh. Ed DID have a long talk with Hawkeye about Ishval and then he made the 520 cens promise to Mustang (which Al was in the car during, btw – I re-watched the episode and I guess I never noticed that before, so… mistake on my part that Al didn't get it when Ed brought it up). Ed and Al DID meet Selim Bradley in the library after Armstrong gave them the tip to go north. It was AFTER they visited the Bradley mansion (having no idea that Selim was also a homunculus that the first change takes place. Mustang caught Ed before they could leave town and insisted on giving him a mission. Ed sent Al back to the library to do a bit more research, saying he wouldn't be long. Ed was late, so Al went looking for him. When Mustang wouldn't say where Ed was, Al found out on his own. Ed and Al met Kimblee. They fought. Al's armor got blown to pieces. Ed got shot. Ed saved Al. Al saved Ed (oh, btw – technically Al didn't really perform human transmutation to get Ed back. He didn't have to open the gate – Ed did that. Al was just sitting there at the gate moping and not wanting to go back when he realized that Ed wasn't actually dead [he was only MOSTLY dead. There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive] and so he made another deal with the Truth to get Ed back. It's a big wibbly wobbly technicality thing but even if people did find out who Ed really is, there is no way they could figure out exactly how he ended up like this on their own. The long and short of it would be "alchemy accident" and all the amateurs would just nod and say, "Oooooh…" But, that is not to say that Al would not be in trouble if the homunculi find out who he is. After all, he was one of their sacrifices too. They think Ed is dead. Al's just been missing for thirteen years. Good thing Mustang convinced him to go by Alphonse Chang instead of Elric. He's got the whole "nobody knows what I look like without the armor" thing going for him as well.) (Long parenthetical is long) (…)
Anyway, this is where things started to diverge. May and Marcoh found Al and took him north on a train. Mustang found baby Ed and took him home and kept him a secret from everybody except Gracia (and Elicia, but she won't tell). I messed up on the whole Riza and the team helping him out right away thing cause I forgot that Bradley had split them all up, so disregard any mentions of that in the earliest chapters. In other news – Sloth DID break into Briggs and Elsa… I mean the Ice Queen… I mean General Armstrong DID turn him into a giant monster snowman named Marshmellow. Kimblee showed up in Briggs after fighting with Scar on the train and he did stir up the Drachmans to attack but they were summarily slaughtered. May, Marcoh, Scar and that other guy escaped with Al and headed to Xing. Riza DID find out about Selim and she passed the message on to Roy – she didn't know about Ed at this point. Roy started distancing himself from everyone to protect Ed. He tried to leave Ed with the Rockbells but Velcro baby has a few words to say about that. Then Greedling attacked Wrath and I used the powers bestowed upon me as a writer to go ahead and have Greedling win. Wrath's dead. Grumman becomes Fuhrer. The rest of the homunculi drop off the face of the planet for awhile to regroup. Kimblee disappears from Briggs and… Roy calls the team back together to help him raise his bouncing bundle of shrimp.
Does that cover everything? I hope so. Let me know if you have any more questions. I will answer them if they don't give away spoilers. (also, if you asked a question and I didn't answer by PM or AN, there's a pretty good chance it will be answered later in the story so just keep reading). Sorry this took awhile to get out. NaNoWriMo is hard to do when you're working forty hours a week and trying to keep up with family activities. As though November didn't have enough celebrations, both of my sisters have birthdays this month as well.
Disclaimer: Ed, Al, and all their friends are the property of Hiromu Arakawa. I do not own them, but am grateful for the opportunity to use them in the unleashing of my own imagination.
Rating: This story is rated K+
Chapter 36, in which Ed gets a tune-up
"So you'll be back in a few weeks, right?" Ed asked, as he helped Al carry their luggage to the cart. The week seemed to have gone by too fast. Even with all the fun they'd had at the theme park the day before – it just didn't feel like they'd had enough time together. Ed didn't think he could handle another month and a half without his brother – especially not with his parents so busy working on… whatever they were working on. The house was going to feel empty now that Al and May and Edo were leaving.
"Of course," Al smiled, reassuringly. "You know we'd stay longer now if school didn't start back tomorrow."
"I know." They couldn't very well keep their family's newest alchemist away from his studies. Edmund was going to need those math and science classes to help him along. To be honest, Ed was glad that school was starting back. Winter break had been too long before Al got there. He needed something to do now that his brother was leaving again.
"Lots of folks traveling East today." Al commented, noting the height of the luggage piled onto the cart. He tossed his bag on top of the pile.
Ed eyed the stack. It wasn't over his head but May had a lot of clothes in her suitcase. It was kind of heavy. Thank goodness for automail. "Yeah, you ought to keep an eye out for the Brosh's. They'll probably be on this train too." He gathered the suitcase up by his chest and then boosted it onto his right arm. For half a second the heave seemed effortless. Then he felt something pop.
"Yes. I think they are. I've already made arrangements to visit them on my next hospital visit in East City." Al went on, referring to his occasional job helping out with advanced surgeries at East City General Hospital. Alkahestry was amazing but it couldn't always do the sorts of procedures which made operations necessary. However, Al could do a lot to help stabilize patients during the surgery, making it less dangerous and increasing the rate of success. The surgeons were always happy to see him in East City.
But Ed wasn't listening to Al. He was distracted by his arm. It didn't hurt. There were no nerve endings in his automail. But just because there was no pain, didn't mean there wasn't something wrong. The pop was disconcerting. Worse though was the fact that he couldn't lift his arm high enough to complete the suitcase toss.
Al noticed his hesitation. "You need some help there, Brother?" Al smirked. "Don't tell me it's too high for you. You're thirteen now. Haven't you grown any?"
Ed groaned and casually transferred the case to his left arm. "Don't you start, Al. I get enough short cracks from Dad. You're supposed to be on my side." He tossed the luggage up on top of the pile and turned away, shoving both hands into his jacket pockets and ignoring the fact that his automail still felt odd.
Al just laughed. "I will always be on your side when someone else is picking on you."
"But you'll be a turn-coat when it's just you and me? That's just plain cruel."
"That's what brothers are for. Isn't it?"
"Yeah, well you'd better hope you can take it as well as you can dish it out, Little Brother."
"I'm pretty sure that my height isn't what is in question right now."
"You're pushing it, Al," Ed growled.
"No." Al suddenly shoved him in the shoulder, causing Ed to stumble a few steps to the side. "Now I'm pushing it," he laughed.
Ed wasted no time dropping into a fighting stance. "You think you've got what it takes to take me on, old man?"
Al mimicked his positioning with a cheeky grin. "Oh, now you're going after my age? What does that make you, Big Brother?"
"It's going to make you miss your train, Alphonse." May's voice cut between them before Ed had the chance to even swing the first punch… although, that might have been a good thing. He felt another small pop in his arm as he dropped his stance. He was going to have to look at it when he got home. It probably just needed to be oiled.
"Uncle Ed!" Ed turned to his nephew who was beaming up at him with all the love and affection a five year old could show. Ed squatted down to give the boy a hug and Edo threw himself into his arms. Two little arms wrapped themselves around his neck in a surprisingly strong squeeze which Ed returned by hold the boy tight and breathing in his scent. "We'll see you again soon, right Uncle Ed?"
"Of course. I'll come visit when I get a day off from school. And you'll have to keep me updated on your alchemy lessons," Ed added with a smile.
Edo nodded. "Yeah. And you've got to keep doing your alkahestry too."
"Right."
Another tight squeeze brought the little boy closer than before. "I love you, Uncle Ed."
Nothing was quite so precious as hearing a little voice say those three little words. "Love you too, Edo."
Ed stood up and then it was May's turn. He was starting to get used to her enthusiastic hugs – and the tiny panda hug which usually accompanied them. May was sweet and Ed really couldn't think of a better person to have as his sister – or a better wife for his brother.
"We'll see you soon, Ed." Then she was gone and ushering her son up onto the train.
Ed watched them go with a smile and then looked up at his brother. "You've got an awesome family, Al."
Al laughed and nodded and then put a hand on Ed's shoulder. "I've always had an awesome family, Brother. It's just bigger now."
"Yeah." Ed chuckled. "A lot bigger. Man – yesterday was awesome!" His change of topic came out of nowhere but he wasn't quite ready for Al to say goodbye. He'd talk about anything just to keep his brother there a little longer.
"It was, wasn't it? I could have ridden that coaster ten more times."
"Poor Edo was really put out that he was too short to ride."
"Yeah. We'll have to go back when he's older."
"Maybe they'll have more coasters in a few years."
They fell into silence with identical sighs. The train would be leaving in a few minutes. Al needed to go ahead and get on board.
"Are you going to be alright, Brother?" Al asked before Ed could come up with something else to say.
"What? Yeah. I'll be fine. Why wouldn't I be?" Ed looked up in surprise to find Al frowning slightly. He didn't respond right away and, when he did, his voice was quiet and somber.
"I just can't shake the feeling that something going on. Roy and Riza…"
"Mom and Dad are fine, Al." Ed cut him off. He was worried enough without listening to his brother's speculations. "You worry too much. Really. They just have a lot on their plate right now. What, with the election on top of all of their other work. They're probably just stuck on some weird mission and they didn't want to say anything because of the party and everything. There was a lot going on."
"Still – I can't believe they missed out on most of your party."
"They'll make up for it," Ed shrugged. "They always do." He wasn't sure what to make of the look that Al gave him next. It was a strange cross between confusion and amazement. "What?"
Al shook his head. "It's just weird. You're so sure of them – so trusting. There was a time when the only one you really trusted was me. You've changed a lot over the past thirteen years. They've changed you."
Ed rubbed the back of his neck, feeling awkward. "I'm not all that different. Am I? I mean, I'm still me. I'm still your brother."
"Always." Al smiled wistfully. "You're just their son now too."
That was true. And it was confusing enough for him. He couldn't blame Al for forgetting sometimes. "Guess I've still got some figuring out to do before I really know who I am."
Al laughed at that. "You're thirteen, Ed. No one knows who they are at thirteen. I certainly didn't – though the tin can didn't help – but I doubt you were very certain of who you were back then either."
"I was too busy running around after that dumb rock to worry about who I was."
"You were too busy trying to be an adult in an adult world and making adult decisions for both of us –you didn't get the chance to discover yourself. I'm glad you can to that now."
"Yeah… me too."
"All Aboard!"
Ed and Al both looked up as the conductor called out and the final whistle blew. "Aw man. Is it really time already?"
"Guess so." Al turned and pulled Ed into a tight embrace. "I'll be back soon, Brother. Don't grow too much without me, okay?"
"Yeah, sure." Ed chuckled. Then he stopped and pushed back. "Hey, wait a second. Was that supposed to be a short joke?"
Al laughed, stepping away and up onto the train as it started to pull out of the station. "Take it however you want to, Brother. I'll see you in a few weeks!" he called.
"Bye, Al!" Ed trotted after the train, waving until he reached the end of the platform. Then the train turned and Al was out of sight. With a sigh, Ed turned and started walking back home.
His dad had dropped them off at the station with the car to accommodate the luggage, but the General hadn't been able to stay. There was something he needed to get from Headquarters and then he said something about visiting the First Branch of the library which left Ed on his own to get back to the house. Luckily, it wasn't very far and Ed was used to walking – and running – all over town.
He was so glad that school was starting, but even better than that was the return to steelcore. The sport had turned out to be an amazing blend of all of the more exciting, heart-pumping moments from his missions as the Fullmetal Alchemist, just without the alchemy or the danger. When he was running through the streets and parks with his teammates, he felt alive in that old familiar way which usually arose from sparring with Al or his Dad or Teacher if he was willing to put up with a little bit of pain. Riding the roller coaster at the theme park had a similar effect. The adrenaline felt good.
He considered breaking into a light run on his way out of the station – a quick work out would feel great in the cold weather. But something caught his eye as he headed down the steps, causing him to turn around.
The newspaper stand was the same one which had stood in the same place for as long as Ed could remember. He was pretty sure that the old man selling the papers was the same too. But that wasn't what drew his attention. It was the headline that caught his eye and he wasn't sure why at first. He stepped forward to get a better look. Then he realized what it was.
SELIM BRADLEY TO RUN FOR FUHRER
Bradley – that's the word that made him look back. But the rest… "Selim Bradley…?" Ed gasped as the memory of a little boy with a severe case of hero worship assaulted his brain. "Bradley's son…" he whispered. "But… how could he be…?"
"He kid. You going to buy that paper?" the old paper seller startled Ed out of his thoughts. He nearly dropped the paper which he hadn't realized he'd picked up off the rack.
"What? Oh, um… yeah." He fished a few coins out of his pocket absently and paid for the paper. Then he started back off down the street, still scrolling his gaze through the front page article and trying to wrap his mind around what it meant for this young Bradley to be going up against his dad in the race for Fuhrer. It didn't make any sense. He was too young. He'd only been a kid thirteen years ago. He couldn't possibly be old enough to run for office. There had to be laws about that or something.
But stranger than that was the idea that anyone would actually vote for a kid so young and inexperienced. Maybe he'd get a few sympathy votes, sure. But it couldn't be enough for him to get anywhere.
So why now? Why not wait a few more years? That Selim Bradley would want to follow in his father's footsteps – well, Ed could believe that. The poor kid had no idea what his father was. He admired his father and Bradley had been a pretty good actor to fool an entire country – one little boy would have been nothing for him.
But if Selim really wanted to be the next Fuhrer Bradley, he'd be better off starting at the bottom and working his way up. Even if he skipped ahead, like Ed's own father had, he'd have a better chance at succeeding that way than by shooting straight for the top on a long shot.
It was just… weird. General Mustang was the youngest man in the running before this announcement. Ed's dad was just barely into his forties but he was no rookie to the military and politics. The other candidates were all well over fifty and had long histories of work for the State. Selim Bradley couldn't hold a candle to them in experience. Even the paper acknowledged that the young man had only just graduated from Central University – with a degree in politics of course, but no piece of paper could give him what real practice could.
Does Dad know about this? Ed thought as his feet continued carrying him home. Of course he does. He must. It's not really that big a deal though – just another opponent to thin out the votes. All Dad had to do is get the majority. An easy thing for the Flame Alchemist.
Ed rolled up the paper and stuck it under his arm. He'd talk to his parents about this when they got home. Then maybe they'd feel up to telling him about whatever had been keeping them so busy lately.
The first day back at school seemed to fly by too quickly. Ed was surprised since there were many school days which tended to drag on as he waited through monotonous classes filled with lessons he had already learn, ever anxious to get back to steelcore, the Malt Shoppe, or his alkahestry practice – whichever the case may be depending on the day.
Today they were having an extra steelcore practice, to get them back in the game and… because Coach and Captain Kale had something up their sleeves. As much as Ed was excited to find out what was in store for them, just being at school was somehow more worth it than it had been for much of the past year. It was hard to believe that he'd wanted to quit a year ago.
Where would he be now if he had followed through with that plan? He'd originally intended to go out looking for Al. But Al was found now and he never really made a plan for after. He'd never meade a plan for after getting Al's body back either. Sheesh, what would he have done if he hadn't been turned into a baby and Al hadn't ended up in Xing? What if they'd just gotten their bodies back as planned with no other weird consequences? Thinking back, he realized that he'd had no goals, no plans for the distant future. It was just… get our bodies back – as though that were the end all, be all for their lives.
And now, what would he do without school, without this guiding system designed to lead him into adulthood through education and social experience? Sure, if he quit school, he could dedicate all of his time to studying alchemy and alkahestry. But turning into a hermit didn't really appeal to him. He like being with people too much –his family and friends, even seeing strangers on the street made his day a little brighter than being cooped up alone all of the time.
He had not been as much of a social person before. Having your whole mind and soul focused on one goal, driven in a single direction, tended to put up blinders to the rest of the world. He had missed out on so much during his mission to get Al's body back. It might as well have been Ed in the suit of armor for as much as he bothered to interact with the world around him. Meanwhile, Al was ever striving to be a part of that world in whatever small ways he could. Funny how hindsight was so clear.
Not that he regretted anything. He would give up all those little pieces of the world again if it meant saving his brother, or any member of his family for that matter. But… he was glad for a second chance. He couldn't take for granted this time that he had now. He had family and friends and he could experience any piece of the world that he wanted to. It was all within his grasp and this time, he wasn't so foolish as to let it slip through his fingers.
School was an experience worth having – just as his parents had said – even if he was way ahead of his peers academically. That simply meant that he could relax and enjoy his time there while everyone else was so busy studying their brains out.
But everyone seemed to be in good spirits this particular Monday. With the holiday behind them, they had much to talk about. Everyone was excited for the upcoming school dance which had Bri trotting about the school, handing out flyers and asking people to help out on the decorating committee. Ed and Kale got roped into that one right away, so their Friday afternoon was already decided for them.
Even the teachers were in great moods, offering smiles and praises which hadn't been so frequent before the break. It was generally more relaxed all around campus and by the time Ed headed out to the back field after school, he felt like he could run five kilometers on sheer good spirit alone.
He felt far better than he had the night before. With Al gone and his parents still caught up in something – which he'd finally been told was "not something he needed to worry about," a phrase which irritated him to no end, though at least they weren't pretending that nothing was going on – he'd felt rather alone in the evening hours before bed. Funny how he could spend days cooped up with a good book or a challenging alchemy problem and few people could manage to drag him away for anything but, on the days he actually wanted company, there was none to be found.
He had asked his dad about Selim Bradley and voiced his thoughts on the matter – really someone so young didn't have a chance of winning, son of the last Fuhrer or no. His parents had listened but didn't have much to say in response. Yes, they knew that Bradley was running. Beyond that acknowledgement they remained mostly quiet throughout dinner and retired back to their room soon after.
Ed caught up with Kale, coming around from another building, about halfway to their meeting place. The other boy was holding a large duffle bag of unknown contents. "So what the plan, Captain Kale?" Ed asked.
"You have got to stop calling me that," Kale groaned.
"Not a chance. You earned the title," Ed replied smirking.
"And it's just my luck that the near alliteration rolls right off the tongue."
"Quit complaining and tell me what we're doing today."
But the Captain just shook his head. "No way. You'll find out along with everyone else."
"Aw, come on! You can't even give me a hint? I thought you were my friend?"
"I am your friend. And as your friend I am going to stand by and enjoy the look of surprise on your face when you see what the coach and I have been working on." Kale was grinning from ear to ear and seemed extremely eager and excited. Considering that he already knew what the surprise was, Ed got the feeling that this was going to be very, very good.
They met up with the rest of the team outside the forest, in the same place they had met at the beginning of the year. Only this time, they weren't just standing around waiting for someone to show up and tell them what to do. Every member of the team was on the ground, stretching and going through a series of warm-ups. No matter what they were doing today, they all knew better than to go into a practice without loosening up first.
"Hey, Captain!" Martin called out when he spotted them. "Clue us in. What's going down today?"
"I'll tell you like I told Ed. You'll know it when you see it." He tossed his duffle on the ground and pulled open the zipper. "Here, put these on." He started passing around a set of strange contraptions with buckles and adjustable straps.
Ed grabbed one and held it up, trying to make sense of the wide bands connected at various points. It took him a moment to figure it out. "Harnesses?" he asked when he finished puzzling together the leg, waist, and arm holes and how it ought to be positioned on the body. "What do we need these for?"
Their steelcore team mostly worked from ground level, though they had done some wall climbs and various obstacle courses which wove through various heights, though nothing above ten feet. If they were using harnesses now… it implied that they were going to heights from which a fall could be very serious or even deadly. But steelcore was primarily focused on avoiding any real danger by building skills and finding alternate ways to accomplish the same goal. It didn't make sense that they would now jump into something so risky as to require extra safety precautions.
"You'll see," Kale replied mysteriously. Then he showed everyone how to put their harnesses on and double checked that they were all sitting properly. "Alright, let's head out. Coach is waiting for us."
"Lead the way, Captain Kale." Les sneered.
Kale waited until the other boy wasn't looking to grimace and roll his eyes. "How does he manage to make it sound like an insult?" He asked Ed quietly.
"It's a gift, you know? He's got a forked tongue. Everything that comes out of his mouth makes him sound like a snake." Ed gave his friend a smile. "You know the rest of us mean it, right? Don't listen to that jerk."
Kale chuckled. "Right – I'll follow that advice when you do the next time Les says you're…"
"Don't say it." Ed cut his friend off with a glare.
Kale just laughed. "I don't get it, Ed. When did you become so sensitive about your height anyway?"
"When you shot up half a meter." Ed replied quickly.
"You're blaming me? No, no – this started back before my growth spurt. Remember, you just about punched Les' lights out that day during phys ed. Come to think of it, you've changed a lot in the past year, Ed."
"Haven't we all?" Ed tried to shrug off the assessment. He still felt bad for hiding the truth from his friends.
"I guess so," Kale consented. "I don't know though. It's different with you. You're still Ed but it's like you're something more at the same time." Ed didn't get a chance to think up a reply to that statement. Kale looked up suddenly and grinned. "Ah! There it is."
Ed lifted his gaze. He didn't see anything at first. Then he looked higher. About twenty meters in the air, a platform jutted out from between two trees. A set of thick ropes connected that platform to another about ten feet away, and from there it went on with a variety of rope combinations and obstacles in an elaborate maze up, down, and around the canopy – all high above their heads.
Ed felt his jaw drop. If Kale had been waiting for a look of surprise and amazement, he was getting it now. The look was likely duplicated on every one of their teammate's faces, but Ed couldn't tear his eyes away from the treetops to check. This was sure to be an interesting practice.
"You like our new ropes course, huh?" Their coach asked, coming up beside Ed.
"It's amazing. We're actually going to go up there?"
"That's right. Technically, it's not just for us. The school agreed to build this on the condition that other teams are able to make use of it as well. We'll also be renting it out to other schools and groups to work on team building exercises and such. But you kids are gonna be the first to try it out – well, second technically. Your Captain has been up and down this course with a fine tooth comb, helping to check for safety and durability. You can thank Mr. Turing here for making this course a reality. It was all his idea, starting way back in October."
While coach started giving instructions and laying down the rules, Ed spun around to face his friend. "And you kept it from me? How did you even manage that?"
"It wasn't easy – but totally worth it now. That look on your face was priceless. Wait till I tell Bri that I actually managed to surprise you with this. She was sure that you'd figure out what I was up to all through break."
"Wait! Bri knew too! How could you tell her and not me?"
Kale shrugged. "Bri's on the student council. She was part of the student committee which helped present the project to the school board. Besides, I had to tell someone."
"And you two call yourselves my friends." Ed complained dramatically. "Tell me, what sort of friends leave their best buddy out of planning something like this?"
"The sort that is going to make sure you're not the last one up that tree." Kale jabbed a thumb back over his shoulder to where the rest of the team was already starting up onto the course in pairs. "Let's go, partner. Just wait till you get to the zip line at the end – it feels like you're flying."
Ed heard the word zip line and sped off toward the tree with Kale laughing at his heals. It took about ten minutes for the whole team to make it to the first platform and listen to the last of the instructions from the coach. Then they started out with Kale at the lead, passing word down the line about how to maneuver through each obstacle.
Balanced on a single rope, drawn tight between two trees, with handhold ropes on either side or his harness clipped to the wire above, Ed looked down and grinned. The apparent danger was thrilling, exciting, and the view was breath taking. Who knew that the small forest tucked behind Central Academy was so beautiful from above? The ravine wove its way between the trees, cutting a dark path between the blankets of fallen winter leaves and patches of old snow. Small animal trails crisscrossed in various directions near and about the manmade footpath. Even the bare trees seemed somehow elegant in the bright afternoon sunshine.
"I've got to admit – this was pure genius, Kale."
Kale laughed. "Right. And they call you the prodigy." He stepped onto the next platform and started to switch the clip on his harness to the next obstacle. "Wait till you try this one, Ed."
The next challenge involved a series of swinging planks lined up to form a bridge. Kale made his way across carefully, pausing to catch his balance and ease the swinging of the ropes between steps. When he was about halfway across, Ed started. The first half went well. Ed had no problem traversing the obstacle – at least until he felt the pop.
He had oiled his arm last night. He'd worked out the kinks and gotten it moving correctly again. There was no way it should be acting up again now. He tried to shake it out but it only got stuck again. He cursed under his breath.
"Hey, Ed – you alright?"
He looked up to see Kale waiting for him on the next platform. "Yeah, I'm good." He offered a grin. "I'll be right there." No way was he going to let a dumb thing like malfunctioning automail keep him from completing this course. He was going to ride that zip line today. With that grit of determination, he adjusted his stance and reached for the next rope with his other arm. He was just going to have to maneuver differently. He'd lived for twelve years without a properly functioning arm. This was just another part of the challenge.
Catching up with his friend, Ed moved quickly through the remainder of the course. He discovered quickly that his arm wasn't going to lift above shoulder level, no matter how hard he tried. Luckily there weren't any monkey bar type obstacles on their route. He maneuvered up the various ladders with a few clever adjustments to his holds. Overall, it wasn't that difficult.
They came to the final platform situated, not on a tree but at the top of a fifty meter, manmade tower. From his place at the top, Ed could see clear over the treetops and all the way to headquarters at the center of the city. The view was gorgeous, with the late afternoon sun dipping down low and glinting off the tops of the buildings. Ed could stay up there until full dark if he were allowed.
"We'll wait here for the rest of the team," Kale explained. "Coach wants me to go over the instructions for the zip line."
"Good." Ed grinned. "Then we can just sit back and enjoy the view." He rested his arms on the railing and gazed out of the city. Kale joined him a moment later, leaning his back against the rail to look the other way instead.
"How was the rest of your break?" Ed's friend asked. "I know I just saw you on your birthday but we didn't really get to talk much."
"Yeah, it was pretty busy with everybody over. The Brosh family was a nice addition."
"Oh, yeah. They were nice," Kale nodded. "How do you know them again?"
Ed smirked ask he explained that the Lieutenant Colonel and Mrs. Brosh knew his parents and that he'd met Olivia and Tony at the New Year's Party.
"That Olivia… she's pretty nice," Kale mentioned casually.
Ed shrugged. "Sure, she is. She's a funny mix of both of her parents – half by-the-book and half absent minded busybody."
Kale blinked and frowned slightly, his eyes narrowed in thought. "I wouldn't really describe Mrs. Brosh as absent minded. She seemed pretty calm and collected to me."
Ed had to step back from the rail to keep himself from falling over in his laughter. "Not Mrs. Brosh. It's the other way around."
"The Lieutenant Colonel?" Ed's friends asked, surprised. "I find that hard to believe. He's a military officer after all."
"You didn't know him as a sergeant."
"Neither did you," Kale pointed out.
Ed bit his tongue to keep himself from correcting his friend. "Yeah, well… I've heard stories. Besides, you spend enough time around military guys and you start to see that their just a bunch of kids dressed up in blue uniforms when they're not focused on a mission."
"Even your dad?" Kale asked skeptically.
Ed howled. "He's the worst. He may be their commanding officer but when it's just him with the team… let's just say that mom has her hands full keeping those hooligans in line." With a broad smile, Ed focused his gaze on the top of Central Headquarters. Somewhere in that building, his mom and dad were hard at work alongside the group of men he liked to consider his uncles. Once upon a time, he had been in there with them - pulling pranks, exchanging banter, and getting into loud and destructive arguments with his commanding officer. Those were the good days.
"What are you two laughing about over here?" Martin came over to stand beside them, causing Ed to look up and take note of the rest of the team, now gathered around them on the platform.
Kale pushed away from the rail and answered. "Ed's just sharing some family stories. Is everyone ready?" He looked around to find the coach. "Shall I start, Coach?"
"Go ahead, Captain," the coach answered with a nod.
Kale proceeded to explain how the zip line worked – where it attached onto their harnesses, how to relax and simply allow the line to catch you as you step off the platform, and how to use the break system to slow yourself down at the end. "There will be a yellow marker to indicate where you should start reaching for the break. You should be ready to pull down by the time you reach the red marker. When you hit that spot, just tug the cord and you'll slow down enough to catch yourself at the bottom. Don't try to stop right away when your feet touch the floor. Keep going and jog it down to a walk. Then unclip and wait for the rest of the team. I'll go first to show you. Watch carefully."
Kale checked and double checked his harness and the connector strap. He stepped up to the edge of the platform and grasped the rope in front of him. Then, with a last look back and a cheeky grin towards Ed, he shouted, "See you at the bottom!" and sprang off the edge. It took less than a second for him to disappear from Ed's direct line of sight between the trees. He could see the stopping point though, some distance away on the far side of the school's back lot, and directed his gaze there to wait for Kale to emerge.
About thirty seconds later, Ed spotted his friend's figure at the bottom of the zip line, running to a stop and then turning to wave back at them on the platform. Ed wondered how it would feel to fly through the trees that way. A part of him couldn't wait to try it out. Another part wasn't quite ready to abandon his view from the sky.
"Who's up next?" their coach asked.
Ed stepped back and let his teammates vie for position. He'd go last, or second to last anyway since he assumed that the coach would want to make sure everyone got down safely before following. The sun continued to sink down over headquarters as Ed watched. The early winter nights could be irritating at times but right now he was grateful for them – when else would he get to see a sight like this? They were lucky that the winds had been calm most of the day. He hated to think how maneuvering the course would have been with strong wind gusts blowing them every which way.
The temperature was fairly mild as well. It had been an odd winter – generally on the warmer side of chilly but splattered sudden cold snaps and snowfall which didn't last long enough to have any real amount of winter fun. He'd been hoping for the chance to build a snow fort with Al. They'd built one once – way back when, during an uncommonly cold winter in Resembool. They saw more snow that winter than any of the other Resembool winters he'd experienced, combined. And he didn't mean to brag or anything… but that snow fort was amazing. No one could get through. Even the kids with snowball slingshots were helpless against the Elric Brother's ice fortress. Naturally, there had been just a little bit of alchemy used to help make it. But then, what fun was snow and ice if you couldn't decompose and recompose it into the coolest forms?
"Mustang. You ready?"
Ed looked over his shoulder and realized suddenly that he was the only one left on the platform aside from the coach. It was hard to believe that he'd been lost in his thoughts for so long that he hadn't even noticed his teammates zooming down the zip line. With one final look out at the skyline, Ed turned and took his place at the edge of the platform while the coach helped him to secure his line and double check his harness.
At the coach's go ahead, Ed took a deep breath, two steps back, and then a running start to send him sailing over the edge of the platform. "Woooo!" He shouted, sailing over the treetops. He fell. He flew. He felt the wind rush over his face and through his hair. The exhilarating sense of weightlessness instantly triggered a hundred memories of falling, of leaping, of catching himself just in time – so many close calls, so many near misses, and the adrenaline serge which pushed him to keep going even when it seemed completely hopeless. But the security of the rope and the harness about his body centered him, reminded him that this wasn't a battle, this wasn't a fight for his life. This was just… fun.
Too soon, he caught sight of the yellow marker indicating that he needed to reach for the brake and prepare to come to a stop. He looked up the line which held him to the cable and spied the brake cord near the top. He reached for it with his automail arm, only to stop short when he felt the pop that was starting to become all too familiar. He cursed and brought the arm back down, switching his grip and attempting to catch the cord with his left hand. But the system wasn't built to be stopped on the left. He couldn't reach it. He leaned, trying to grab the cord again but this only caused him to sway on the line – a sudden motion which, at the speed he was going, nearly set him into a spin.
Catching his rope, he managed to stabilize the extra motion just as he flashed passed the red marker. He needed to pull the brake now. He reached again with the automail only to get stuck once more. He wasn't going to be able to slow down that way.
His adrenaline levels shot up as the danger of reaching the ground too fast became apparent. He wracked his brain for another way to slow down – a quick transmutation maybe. He could change the density of the zip line to increase the friction on the glider. But that would require him to release his hold on the rope which might cause him to spin. Besides, he could already see the heads of his teammates coming up far too quickly. Alchemy without a transmutation circle was out of the question.
"Hit the brake!"
"Slow down!"
"Ed! The brake!"
Kale and the others were calling out to him even as they moved farther away from the space where he would land. That was good. At least no one else would get hurt. As for him… He considered his potions quickly. He was going to get hurt no matter what at this point but there was a chance that he could minimize the damage.
The ground was coming up fast. He could see the landing track where the grass was already squashed and worn from where the others had already run. He was about to tear a gouge through the green. He counted down the split seconds to when he would act and then shoved his automail leg down and into the earth, pushing grass up by the roots as he continued to zoom along down the line. His foot brake worked to slow him down but not enough to pick up any sort of jog which would ease him down to a stop. He had almost reached the end of the line and the pole it was attached to was going to hurt if he didn't find a way to avoid it.
In the final moment, he made a split second decision. He pulled up on the rope, unclipped his harness from the line and let himself fall. He rolled to ease the landing but the ground still felt too hard and the grass and roots tore at his clothes and skin as he bounced and tumbled to a stop with a face full of dirt.
"Ed!" a voice shouted somewhere above him. "Ed! Man, are you alright?" Someone touched his shoulder but didn't make a move to turn him over. They all knew enough first aid to know better than to try.
Ed lifted his head a bit, coughing and sputtering on the grass and dirt which had found its way into his mouth. He spat and then turned his head and lay still for a moment, gasping to catch his breath and taking a mental stock of all of his injuries.
Nothing hurt too badly. No broken bones that he could tell. His left leg was sore above the port from the extra pressure he'd placed on it. He could feel the sting of various abrasions on his arm, leg, and torso – all superficial. He was going to have a dozen bruises by nightfall. But, amazingly, he'd somehow managed to come out of the fall without any serious damage.
"Ed? Hey, bud… you okay?" It was Kale. Ed lifted his head and peered up at his friend's concerned face. Then he noticed the rest of the team hovering nearby, their faces a mix of shock and worry. He felt his face turn red. Everyone one of them had made it down the zip line without any problems. Then he comes along and ruins a perfectly awesome day with such a ridiculous fall. Embarrassment flooded Ed's consciousness.
"Ed?" Kale questioned him again, still waiting for an answer.
Somehow, the worry in his voice just made Ed angry, not at Kale but at himself for making everyone worry over something so stupid. He'd made a complete fool of himself and there he was still lying in the dirt. "I'm fine," he replied shortly. Then he pushed himself up onto his hands and forced himself to sit up. He wasn't ready to try standing yet. He still felt out of breath and he was a bit worried about his leg.
"Dude – what happened?" someone asked. Ed spotted Martin standing a few feet away, looking befuddled.
Ed scowled. He didn't want to answer. He didn't want to even be there anymore. He wished everyone would just leave. He'd leave himself if he didn't think he would fall over right away if he tried to stand. What's more – he could totally understand why they were confused. Up until this flop, Ed had excelled at every task presented during their steelcore training. Kale may have been the Captain for his excellent leadership skills but it was an undisputed reality that Ed was the best at this sport. Even Coach couldn't keep up with him when he went all out.
Ed didn't usually try to show off of course. If he surpassed the others, it was only because he wanted to push and challenge himself. He'd done these things for years in the past. He only wanted to make sure that he could still do them now and then keep training to make himself better.
Still, most of the team saw Ed as their star player – always setting the bar higher for the rest of them. So it came as an understandable surprise to them that he hadn't managed to do something which – by anyone's account – was a very simple task. After all, who couldn't manage to pull a brake cord?
"I'm not sure," was the only answer he gave to his teammates, buying himself time. Their coach was going to want a more detailed explanation that that. Surely he'd seen the whole thing from where he was watching on the platform.
Sure enough, Coach Regi, came zooming down the zip line a moment later, executing a perfect landing. He unclipped his harness and quickly stomped over to where his team was gathered around their injured member.
"Are you alright, Mustang?" he asked first.
Ed nodded. "I'm fine. Just some scrapes and bruises." He sighed, releasing a deep breath, grateful that his heart rate had slowed and his breathing seemed to be going back to normal.
"Why didn't you use the brake?" the coach questioned next.
The truth? That something was wrong with his automail? He didn't want to admit that just yet. Telling the coach would only get him in trouble for hiding the fact that he knew something was wrong and attempting to complete the course anyway. His parents would also be informed and then they would insist that he find a new mechanic. But he wasn't ready to do that. Just the thought of letting someone else work on his arm and leg felt like a betrayal. He could take care of his automail on his own.
So he told a half truth. "I couldn't reach it. I tried but… I just couldn't grab onto it in time."
The coach seemed to accept his explanation and went on to ask a few more questions and to praise him for his quick thinking in releasing the clip before he hit the pole. "A rolling stop is always better than a sudden one. You probably saved yourself a trip to the hospital. We'll have to make some adjustments to the system to accommodate you from now on and we'll do some practice runs on lower lines before we go up to this one again." He turned to address the rest of the team. "You all did really well today. I saw a lot of great teamwork out there. We'll run this course about once a week. I want to see improved times and creative problem solving skills. Our other practices will continue as usual. Great work everyone. Hit the showers."
"Think you can stand up?" Kale asked, squatting down next to Ed.
Ed did another quick self assessment. His leg didn't hurt as bad as it had before and, with the adrenaline fading from his system, he felt less shaky and in more control of his body. "Yeah, I've got it." Kale gave him a hand to his feet and then stepped back to let his friend center himself.
"Wow…" a slow drawl alerted Ed to the presence of his favorite nemesis. "I knew you were short, Mustang, but I didn't realize you had midget arms too. I mean, you couldn't reach the brake? Come on! It wasn't thirty centimeters above your head." Ed scowled but only shut his eyes against the taunting. He wasn't in the mood to deal with Les Hakuro.
"Shut up, Les," Kale spoke up in Ed's defense. "You don't always have to be an obnoxious prick."
The jerk only smirked and walked off towards the gym to shower. Ed decided immediately to take his time getting back. He didn't want to face Les – or anyone else for that matter – in the locker room. He felt humiliated. If he walked slowly, they would hopefully all be gone by the time he got there.
All except Kale of course.
Ed's friend hadn't gone on ahead but was still hovering close by. "You don't have to wait for me." Ed prompted. "I'm going to take it slow."
Kale just shrugged. "It's no problem, Ed. I'll walk back with you. I don't want to deal with Les anymore than you do." That was a fair enough reason, though Ed was sure that Kale was just trying to spare him the embarrassment of having a babysitter to make sure he didn't pass out or something.
They walked in silence for the most part, each lost in his own thoughts. Ed considered his automail, bending the arm slowly as he walked and trying to figure out what was wrong so he could fix it. Not that he knew enough about automail to do much if something was broken. But really it shouldn't be. This automail was only just over a year old and it was Rockbell automail. Winry's designs could take a serious beating and still stay intact and functioning well. He knew. He'd put his arm and leg through hell back when he'd been a State Alchemist. It took Scar literally blowing his arm to pieces for Ed to need it fixed. He didn't do nearly as much with it now. So there was no reason for it to be broken. Surly there was some simple explanation for why it was acting up now.
By the time they reached the showers, the rest of the team was, thankfully, gone. Ed got cleaned up and changed quickly, and then sat on a bench in the locker room, carefully drying his metal arm and leg. His upper thigh was red where it had pushed into his automail port but it would be fine in a few days. His scrapes looked more like rope burns from where his thicker, winter clothes had rubbed too hard against his skin while he was rolling. His bruises were starting to turn black and purple – he counted twelve in all.
"Ed?" Kale sat down next to him on the bench, prompting Ed to look up. Frown lines puckered between Kale's eyes in the way they only did when he was nervous or worried about something.
"What's up?"
Kale bit his lip for a moment, like he wasn't sure if he should say something. Then he dove right in. "When was the last time you got a tune-up on your automail?"
Ed blinked, surprised by the question though he supposed he shouldn't be. Kale was an engineer. He had an eye for mechanics and when something was wrong, he was sure to be the first to notice. Kale hung out with him enough too, that the change was probably more noticeable to him than it was to others. Still, Ed didn't really want to talk about Winry. So he dodged the question. "Why do you ask?"
"You keep messing with your right arm," Kale replied simply. "And you were favoring it today during the course. The brake for the zip line was on the right side too. That's why you couldn't reach it – because your automail is broken."
"It's not broken." Ed denied quickly. "It just… needs to be oiled or something."
"What does your mechanic say?" Kale looked worried – like he hadn't wanted to ask that but it just slipped out. And Ed was pretty sure he didn't need to answer for his friend to realize the truth. He didn't have a mechanic. Winry Rockbell was dead and Ed couldn't bring himself to find a replacement. The very thought of it seemed wrong.
Maybe it was stupid. Maybe it was foolish. But Edward Elric had always been stubborn and that hadn't changed at all. So he hid the little problems with his automail from his parents and thanked their current state of distraction for neither of them noticing the pops and stops which had ailed his arm of late. He knew that they'd put aside everything else if they realized. It was almost a failsafe. If he really needed his parents for something they'd be there, no matter what. Sickness, injury, or, in his case, mechanical breakdown were guaranteed to get him coddled and cared for and potentially shipped off to the nearest doctor or automail mechanic. It was this last part that he'd rather avoid, even if it meant taking advantage of the fact that his parents hadn't been spending much time with him lately.
Leave to his best friend to figure out what his parents had missed.
"I don't have one," he finally admitted as Kale was still waiting for an answer.
"Why not?"
Ed shot his friend a glare for that question. It should be obvious, why not. Al would get it. His parents would get it. Heck, the whole team at headquarters would get it. He sighed and pushed away his anger at the sympathetic look on Kale's face. The other boy did understand to an extent. He knew that Ed had taken the death of his mechanic hard. And it wasn't Kale's fault that he didn't realize just how much more Winry had meant to him.
He didn't need to say anything about it though. Kale just nodded and moved on. "You can't neglect you automail, Ed," he insisted firmly. "If it's having problems now, it's only going to get worse the more you put it off."
"I know that." Ed grumbled. He did know – he just wasn't ready to admit that it was time for that yet. "But there isn't a problem. My automail is fine. I can take care of it."
"I don't believe you."
Ed met his friend's steady gaze with a hard look. Kale looked serious. He'd seen that there was something wrong with Ed's arm and he wasn't going to back off until Ed did something about it. The last thing Ed needed was somebody getting involved in his business about this – friend or not.
"What are you going to do about it?" He tried to make it sound like a challenge but he couldn't completely hide the note of genuine worry. If Kale told somebody – the coach, a teacher, his parents – not only would Ed be forced to find a new mechanic, but he'd also get in a lot of trouble for hiding this.
Kale just shrugged and ignored Ed's posturing. "Well, for starters, I'm not going to let my best friend get himself killed by doing stupid things like zip lining with malfunctioning automail. You're not going back up on that course until you get your arm fixed."
"What, are you pulling rank on me now, Captain?"
"You bet I am," Kale answered with a quick smirk.
Ed glared. He didn't think it was funny. "And if I refuse?"
Kale looked sad for a moment but didn't waver. "I'll have to let Coach Regi know… and you know the rules about trying to participate when you know you shouldn't - you'll be put on probation and the whole team will know about it."
Ed knew that Kale could and would tell the coach if he thought it would keep Ed from getting hurt. He couldn't even blame him for that. And steelcore had strict rules about this sort of thing, mostly for when team members were sick or injured but it applied to this situation as well. Ed could have been seriously hurt or even killed today. Worse, he might have hurt someone else when he fell. The rules were in place to keep them safe.
But… this was Winry's automail. Ed had spent enough time in Rush Valley to realize that automail mechanics were their own brand of crazy when it came to possessing their art. Never mind that the parts were attached to someone else's body. Ed's arm and leg belonged to Winry… at least until someone else got their hands on it. No matter who he went to, there was going to be some attempt to change it, to tweak it, to make it their own. A simple tune up was going to turn into a complete overhaul and somehow their makers mark would find itself etched into his arm and leg. Heaven forbid someone try to fit him for fashion automail, a paint job, or a decal. Winry would find some way to hit him with a wrench even from beyond the grave.
Kale stood up suddenly, apparently tired of waiting for an answer from his friend. Ed almost panicked, thinking he'd go straight to the coach right then. But Kale just sighed heavily, rolled his eyes and leveled Ed with a look of complete exasperation. "You know, you didn't used to be this stubborn. Just come with me. Alright?"
"Wait… what?" Ed blinked in confusion but stood up anyway. The next thing he knew he was being propelled out of the locker room and down the hallway to another part of the school, Kale's hand locked tight around his wrist. "Hey! Wait a second! Kale! Where are you taking me? I don't even have my shoes on yet."
"We'll go back for them." Kale led him down one corridor and then another, turning this way and that past darkened classrooms until they reached a section of the school which Ed rarely visited.
The label next to the door read, Engineering Club in bold letters. This was where Kale came when he wasn't at steelcore or hanging out with Ed and Bri. Ed eyed his friend suspiciously as Kale held open the door and pushed him inside. "What are we doing here?"
"Just sit down." Kale pointed to a chair beside one of the larger work tables in the room then disappeared behind a set of bookshelves. Ed didn't think the place looked like any proper sort of classroom at all. The walls were lined with shelves filled to overflowing with all sorts of old radios, telephones, strange looking engines, and various other mechanical parts which the young alchemist couldn't make heads nor tails of. What looked like the front end of a car took up about a fourth of the room. The rest was just a bunch of work benches and table, mostly strewn with unorganized notes and blueprints. It looked like a cross between Winry's workshop and Ed's room after some serious research.
Thankfully, the table Ed was seated at was clean… for now anyway. It didn't last long. Kale returned a moment later, lugging a large tool chest which he heaved onto the table and proceeded to tear into. A great variety of tools and parts quickly found their way onto the table top. Some of them were fairly common and could be used for just about anything – spanners, wrenches, screwdrivers – but others were far more precise and their use clearly specific. What startled Ed was that he recognized these as well.
"Are these… automail tools?" he asked, surprised. He'd seen this exact combination of tools so many times throughout his life, there was no way they could be for anything else. But… Kale didn't know how to work on automail. He couldn't possibly be thinking about trying to… "Wait! Hold on, Kale. You don't know what you're…" He tried to stand up but Kale pushed him back down.
"Relax, Ed." The young engineer grabbed Ed's right arm and pulled it up onto the table. The he started to roll Ed's shirt sleeve up so that the casing over his shoulder was exposed. Kale looked at the plate from a few different angles and then grabbed a small tool off of the table and lifted it towards Ed's arm.
"No!" Ed jerked away. "Stop it, Kale. If you don't know what you're doing you'll just make it worse." He'd heard that lecture from Winry enough times to have it beaten into his brain – literally. That's what he got for thinking automail couldn't be harder to fix than a radio. Just a little alchemy… right. He never tried that one again.
"Sit still and quit whining." Kale ordered, grabbing his arm again. He moved the tool towards his shoulder casing.
"You can't just take the plate off, Kale," Ed continued protesting. "Believe me. I've tried. There's some kind of trick to it and –"
"Got it." With a clean sounding click, the plate popped right off into Kale's waiting hand. The boy smirked. "You were saying?"
"How did you do that?" Ed asked, dumbfounded. He couldn't recall the number of times he'd tried to pry that dumb plate off of his arm. He'd even had Al take a crack at it in his suit of armor. He'd transmuted it off once and his head had suffered greatly. And yet here Kale was able to take it off in less than thirty seconds.
Placing the plate on the table, Kale tossed his funny little tool in the air a few times, catching it smoothly. "You can do anything if you have the right tools."
"Alright… fine." Ed accepted the fact that an engineering shop was going to have exactly what someone needed to open a dumb casing. "But I still think this is a bad idea. Automail is very sensitive and complex and –"
"Ed." Kale cut him off and gave him a sideways look which clearly suggested that Ed was being ridiculous. "Do you trust me?"
"I… well, yeah."
"Then relax. I'm just going to take a look. It's probably something really simple anyway. I think I have a guess what might be wrong."
How he might be able to guess that, Ed had no idea. But the young alchemist sat back and begrudgingly allowed his friend to peer around inside his arm.
"Wow!" Kale exclaimed suddenly.
"What?" Ed jumped, worried that something was really wrong.
Kale just shook his head and chuckled. "Nothing. It's just that the layout in here is superb. There's not a wire out of place and the spacing is so efficient. It's no wonder they say Rockbell automail is the best."
"Yeah…" Ed sighed and tried not to think about how much it hurt to not have Winry here right now. It was good – and he was glad – that people would always remember her for the craft she loved so much. She'd left a mark on the world and her skills and techniques would always be remembered. What wouldn't be remembered, though, was the way her eyes twinkled when she was hard at work on an arm or a leg, how passionate she became when she spoke about how it all worked even if Ed and Al didn't have a clue what she was talking about, or how much love she put into all her pieces, knowing that the work she did would help people live fuller and better lives.
Kale knew the Rockbell name and but he didn't know Winry Rockbell.
"Aha! There's the problem, just like I thought." Kale looked up, pleased to have made the discovery.
Ed craned his neck to try and peer inside his own shoulder. "What is it?" He couldn't hide the worry from his voice.
Kale just grinned. "Nothing big. See that pad there?"
Pad? Ed frowned and rotated his arm to get a better look. Since when do I have pads in my automail? "Sort of…" Ed replied, pretty sure he was looking at the right thing.
"It's ground down to nearly nothing in the middle. I bet the others are getting pretty worn out too. You're supposed to get them replaced every few months. When was the last time you got a tune-up?"
"Um… last June." Ed's brow creased as he tried to wrap his brain around why there would be pads in his automail. He couldn't recall ever seeing them before – not that he'd paid much attention when Winry was adjusting his automail in the past year. The procedure was nothing new or particularly fascinating and they were usually too busy talking for him to actually notice what she was doing to his limbs. Still, he remembered paying more attention back when he got automail the first time and there were never any pads – or anything he needed to replace every few months, for that matter. He generally didn't bother going back to Resembool unless something actually broke. His first set of automail lasted more than a year without getting a tune-up. "I don't get it… what are the pads for?" He finally asked, absently.
He was surprised when Kale immediately dove into an explanation. "They're to cushion the space between these parts here and prevent damage when they make contact while you're moving."
"Damage?" Ed blinked and frowned. "There shouldn't be any damage from just general usage. It's not like I'm doing anything wild and crazy with it. Steel doesn't just wear out like." He gasped. Except that it's not…
"It's not steel." Kale pointed out before Ed could correct himself. "This is northern automail. It's made from lighter, composite metals. They're more prone to general wear and tear than steel automail is. When the parts make contact, they can grind or chip away at the metal – too much and the whole part has to be replaced. To compensate for this, they started using these pads to take the wear. There's also a safety built in so that your automail will lock up when the pads get to thin, so as to prevent the parts from getting scratched. Generally, the pads get replaced at every tune-up so this shouldn't usually be a problem. But since you haven't had a tune-up in so long, it's actually getting to the point where, pretty soon your automail won't function at all anymore. Luckily, it's a really easy fix."
As though to prove his point, Kale used another funny tool and a pair of pliers to pluck the worn pad from his arm and flourish it in the air. Then he rummaged through his tool box and found a box of what Ed could only imagine were more of the things – these ones brand new. Kale took one and leaned back over Ed's arm to put it in place.
"I'm going to go ahead and replace all of the pads in your arm, and your leg too if you don't mind. I'll also check for any loose parts and just do a general tune up. Everything looks pretty clean and well oiled."
"It should. Winry'd beat me with her spanner if I didn't take care of her automail." And he'd gladly take it if it meant that she was the one taking care of his automail right now.
Ed glanced up at his friend for a moment, and then had to look back when he noticed something surprising. There was a certain look on Kale's face… a certain glint in his eye. It wasn't quite the same but it was almost… almost just like the look Winry used to have when she worked on his automail.
Sure, Kale had been interested in engineering for years now but he'd always been more interested in radios and typewriters. He went nuts over a printing press once on a school trip to Central Times. He loved figuring out how things worked and learning how to build things. Ed supposed that automail could be counted as just another one of those things for Kale but… automail was at a whole other level.
Ed could figure out how to fix a radio or a telephone with alchemy but he didn't dare to try transmuting anything besides the outer plates. The wires, the gears… all of that connected to his body – his nerves. Messing with those could cause irreparable damage. When it came down to it, automail was half engineering genius and half medicine. It was far more advanced than anything else the people of Amestris used on a daily basis. That's why it was always seen as a separate field from general engineering.
Now here Kale was working on his arm like he actually knew what he was doing, and answering all of Ed's questions so quickly and assuredly… When did he…?
"Kale?" Ed called for his friend's attention. Kale hummed his acknowledgement but didn't look up from his work. "When did you learn how to do all of this? How long have you been learning about automail?"
The questions caused Kale to sit back and put his tools down. His face flushed red and he rubbed the back of his neck, sheepishly. "I, um… I started reading up on it just after you came back from the surgery. You've always been there for me and… well I was kind of hoping to be able to do something for you in return. So I started studying. It was really neat and the more I read, the more fascinating it got. You know it's a whole separate field from just general engineering. There's some really complicated stuff. I actually got stuck on some of it for awhile – all summer really. Then school started back and I joined the engineering club. Professor Richter helped me find some better books on the subject and when it was time to choose our projects for the year, I… asked if I could do mine on automail. Professor Richter almost said no since we didn't already have the tools we needed here in the shop. But he made a few calls down to Rush Valley – told some guy named Garfiel about me and the man donated a bunch of used tools and even an old arm that I've been working to rebuild."
Ed caught himself before he could say something about Garfiel, but he was rightfully amazed. He looked at the various items strewn across the table. There was no way to tell for sure but it was quite possible that Winry had used these same tools at some point while she was apprenticing with Garfiel or helping him out. Now they were here in Central and Kale was using those same tools to fix Ed's arm. And Kale… Kale had spent the last year studying and learning about automail… for him. And to think that this was yet another thing that Kale hadn't told him about… or maybe Ed just hadn't been around often enough to listen.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Kale shrugged and leaned forward again to put another pad in place. "I don't know. I mean, I didn't really know much at first. And for awhile there you were really distant and acting strange. Then you went on that long trip and when you came back… well, the train crash and Ms. Rockbell… I just didn't want to bring it up, you know?"
The room grew quiet as Kale continued his work and Ed became lost in his thoughts. He could hardly believe that he'd somehow gained a friend like this. Kale said he wanted to do something for Ed… but he had no idea how much Ed was already in his debt. If they followed the laws of equivalent exchange… Ed couldn't begin to tally up just how much he owed his friends – both Kale and Bri. For half a second the thought flitted through his head that he didn't deserve friends like them. Then he recalled the slap of his father's palm on the back of his head and his mother's gentle words. There is no equivalent exchange when it comes to love.
"Alright! Arm's done." Ed looked over and saw that the outer plates had been restored to their former place. "How does it feel?"
Ed flexed his arm, pleased to find that everything felt normal. Then he lifted it above his head and grinned when he didn't feel anything pop or lock up. Apparently, Kale really knew what he was doing. "It's great, Kale. Thanks."
"No problem. Now let me see your leg. I'll get this done and we can go grab some burgers or something. I'm starving." He pulled a chair over for Ed to rest his leg on.
Ed rolled his pant leg up to where the port connected just above his knee. It bunched uncomfortably but it was better than striping down to his shorts in the engineering club. "Yeah, sure." He agreed to the suggestion of food. "I'll just need to call my parents first and let them know."
"Me too." Kale started on his leg but they kept talking this time while he worked.
"You're pretty good at this, you know?" Ed commented casually. "Quick, efficient… you look like you're enjoying it too."
Kale nodded. "It's nice to be working on automail that is actually being used instead of a fourteen year old spare. I like helping people, especially my friends."
"Do you think you want to keep doing this – automail, I mean? As a career?"
"Maybe," Kale shrugged. "It's on my list of options anyway. I've still got a lot to learn though."
"I don't know about that." Ed grinned. "You're doing full tune-ups after just a year of study. That's definitely something. I bet you could get an apprenticeship in Rush Valley when you turn sixteen."
"It's mostly book-smarts though. I'll need some real experience before anyone would take me."
"Well, you're getting experience now, aren't you?" Ed smiled. He might not need to find a new mechanic after all. He'd already found one and somehow, having Kale work on his automail didn't feel like a betrayal. In fact, He got the feeling that Winry would have wanted it this way. "You can keep practicing on me whenever you want. And I've got an arm and a leg so you'll get the full range of study. By the time you turn sixteen, you'll have plenty of experience."
Kale didn't have to be a genius to figure out what Ed was saying. He grinned his thanks before ducking his head back into his work. "You know, I can do tune ups and adjustments and stuff like this but… you are going to need a real mechanic eventually. I can't handle anything major. And what about when it comes time to get new automail?"
"New automail? Why would I need new automail?" Just the thought of it made him sick to his stomach. He couldn't replace Winry's automail. He wouldn't. "I'll just keep this set in good shape. It'll last forever."
Kale chuckled. "Right, and you'll be all lopsided trying to walk with one leg shorter than the other. Spacers can only take you so far. You are going to grow eventually, you know?"
Ed stopped short, realizing that his friend was right. There was nothing he could do to stop himself from growing – heaven forbid he should have to put up with cracks about his height for the rest of his life – and eventually he would need to get new automail. "Yeah." He swallowed down the frog which stuck in his throat and put those thoughts out of mind. He didn't have to worry about that just yet. He'd hold onto this automail for as long as he could and then he'd find a special place to put it in his house so that he'd never forget Winry and everything she did for him.
"Hey, Kale?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."