House of Echidna Ch. 14
Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.
o.O.0.O.o
Louis eyed Victor's footsteps as they made their way from C5 Street to F2 Avenue. While the roads and sidewalks on the surface were packed with crowds and rowdy revelers, their pathways below were deserted. However, just because the way was clear, that didn't make it any less dangerous. Louis had to step forward and catch his nephew more than a few times. Tripping on broken cobblestone down in the sewers typically meant falling into the river of nastiness. Besides keeping a close eye on his sister's son, he also kept his eyes peeled for their exit. The toxic gasses were just starting to tickle his throat, but he was a grown man. Victor had outright coughed three times already. They were running out of time.
Despite all this though, Victor wore a huge toothy grin. He shrieked in delight every time a rat scurried across their path. He laughed when they entered a particularly gross section and his galoshes made that suction sound with every step through the muck. Louis was glad that at least the kid was having a good time, because the business deal he'd just struck turned out less-than-stellar for him the more he thought about it.
Louis was thankful that Victor agreed to come along. He didn't understand anything Louis and his business partner discussed, and he made for an excellent excuse to take an early leave. Louis liked Dr. Yturi as much as the next black marketeer, but his stench… The sewers smelled like a fresh summer breeze in comparison.
Now all they had to do was return to the surface and head home. The manhole Louis picked out ahead of time laid in a relatively deserted part of the city, so they wouldn't accidentally topple over a pedestrian on their way out. Although the thought was funny, the three days in the courthouse jail wouldn't be.
"Hey Uncle Louis?" Victor suddenly asked.
"Hmm?"
"What's going to happen when you run out of those burning sticks? Wouldn't that stop people from buying the stuff you just traded for?"
Louis stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes as wide as dinner plates. He whipped his head down to look at his nephew, his mouth hanging open with no words on his tongue.
Finally, after gathering his wits again, he said, "You speak Cretan?!"
The kid nodded. "Cretan and Amestrian."
The man blinked in disbelief. Louis and his family came from Cretan ancestry, but as far as he knew no one else but him had actually bothered to study the language. He knew his sister and her husband visited friends in Creta often, but Élise didn't invest in learning something unless she planned on using it extensively.
"Victor," Louis said, "are you and your parents going to move to Creta? You know… Permanently?"
"Yup," he told him without hesitation. "When I go back with them for the winter we're leaving."
Louis wasn't sure how he felt about that. Élise hadn't told him anything about it yet. Did she plan to tell him at all?
"So… we won't see each other much anymore."
The kid looked up at him and smiled. "Don't worry, Uncle Louis. Dad says we'll visit three times a year." He grinned and held up three fingers to exaggerate his point.
The rest of their trek through the sewers was spent in silence as Louis mulled over the new information. He thought about what it would be like at the Estate without Victor, or even the Elric brothers for that matter. Not to mention May's relationship with that guy from the bar was just starting to bud into a real romance. Pretty soon it might just be him and Fiona.
He'd just laid his hand on the first ladder rung leading up to their destination when suddenly a noise brought him out of his melancholy.
Up ahead, down the dark corridor leading to F3 Street, his ears made out sharp scuffling against the cobblestone. It would've been cause for him to scoop up Victor and book it up the ladder, since alligators weren't an uncommon sight down there, but something stopped him. Victor opened his mouth to say something, but Louis clamped his hand over it and held him close. The man listened intently, wondering what the hell could be making that noise.
All of the blood in his body turned to ice when he finally identified it: a mutilated, baritone caw of a bird. It was mixed with something similar to a hiss, and Louis knew exactly what was coming down that corridor.
A thousand volts of electricity lit up his nerves, and his body sprung into action without him, but it wasn't fast enough. Victor screamed under his hand about halfway up the ladder, and the concrete holding the rungs burst apart. The two landed right on top of the chimera. Their weight was enough to stun it, but not for long. It shook its head, sending dust and rubble spewing everywhere before it growled and stepped forward into the light. The sight would forever haunt Louis in his nightmares.
The… thing was covered in a patchy mixture of bright orange feathers and green scales. It stood on thick, scaly trunks that served as back legs, while the front limbs were non-functional wings tipped with eagle talons. The head had a huge misshapen beak that could probably rip a sheet of solid pig iron to shreds. Huge sail-like spines traced down its back, all the way to the tip of the tail, which was capped with a globe of flesh bristling with needle-like spines.
It roared and lurched forward.
Louis wasn't sure how long they ran. He'd lost his sense of direction somewhere back in the B district. They stopped at an unmarked crossing when Louis finally decided they'd lost the monster. The ladder leading up to who-knew-where was horribly rusted but intact. A few seconds later, though, Louis came to regret stopping to catch their breath.
The noise emerged once again, but this time it was coming from all four directions. They were surrounded. Louis didn't bother waiting to see the creatures before grabbing Victor and vaulting up the ladder to freedom.
o.O.0.O.o
May stood arm-in-arm with her date on a large wooden platform. Briefly, she wondered how the structure avoided buckling under the sheer weight. There were enough people on the network of docks to fill an entire subway train. The adults stood in groups while they laughed and socialized. The kids ran amok unsupervised as they chased each other with sparklers. Leftover confetti fluttered in the wind, lodging in the trees, collecting on the water's surface, and occasionally making an appearance in someone's food or drink. The maid laughed every time she saw a bug-eyed expression, which was usually followed by either a spit-take or an uncomfortable-looking swallow.
The fireworks were late, but that didn't mean much. There were years they arrived hours late. The people of Casier didn't really care about the fireworks. Most of the crowds gathered solely for the festival food, anyway. But that night May had been counting on them, if only to keep Finn's eyes on the sky and not her.
"May look," he said, pointing down towards the put in.
She looked just in time to see a poor unfortunate soul swallow a clump of glitter along with her cocktail. The girl upchucked, spilling the colorful nastiness all over the front of her white festival robes. May threw back her head and let out a good hearty laugh of amusement. Then she quickly coughed and cleared her throat, turning away from her date.
He sighed. "You're doing it again."
"Doing what?"
"Pulling away. Like you're trying not to enjoy yourself. Why is that?"
"Finn…"
When she didn't respond otherwise, he circled around to meet her gaze. His brow was relaxed but his eyes burned with curiosity and frustration.
"Is it－ Is it something I'm doing? Or saying? May, please talk to me."
He might as well have stabbed in her in the gut. She shut her eyes tight, and she felt her bottom lip quiver.
"I…" She swept their surroundings with her eyes. "Can we go somewhere more private?"
"Of course," he agreed. "Let's go, um, this way."
Once they reached the sidewalk, Finn led her away from the crowds and towards one of the city's vacant parks. As they walked, May kept her arms crossed over her chest, and her shawl pulled tight around her shoulders. It was made of silk, which matched the skimpy red dress Fiona convinced her to wear. She shivered both in the chill of the evening and at the thought of all the… altercations Fiona may have had while wearing the outfit. Even though the alchemist's days of stripping and exotic dancing were long over, the dress would never be washed enough times.
Besides feeling like one of Fiona's former co-workers, May also felt incredibly guilty. Finn was… well, he was amazing.
He turned out to be so much more than the typical bartender-hottie. He may have acted and looked the part, but off the clock he was just an average guy with average life expectations. He wanted to move out of the city, settle down on some property, and build a farm. His favorite foods included anything of and relating to soup, and he enjoyed driving automobiles. Despite having an atrocious amount of siblings, he and his family were close. In fact, their first date was spent double-dating with his twelve-year-old brother Paul and his school sweetheart Barbra.
In addition to being a real down-to-earth guy, he was also hot with a capital "H." May always had a weak spot for blonds with green eyes. He had the whole package going for him.
Unfortunately, that "whole package" included something she knew she couldn't take part of. May always had the same problem with guys. She figured after so many heinous break-ups she would learn how to let them down easy. But no matter what tactics or timing she tried, she couldn't avoid breaking someone's heart. Most of the time, it was her own.
Once Finn stopped and motioned for her to sit on the bench next to him, she sucked in a light gasp. Knowingly or not, the man had brought her to her favorite spot in the whole city: A1 Park, square in the center of the pear tree grove. She fell into the bench more than she sat, and she met his unwavering eyes.
"How did you know?"
His blond brow furrowed. "Know what?"
"Where to bring me. This place is where my mother used to take me before she…" May cleared her throat. "Before she passed on."
Finn straightened, his eyes wide. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"
"It's okay. Really."
A few minutes of awkward silence passed between them before the man coughed.
"So, why do you pull away like that?"
She shut her eyes, pain pulling at her face, before she sighed.
"I-I'm not normal, Finn."
"Well, shoot. Who is? What's that got to do with anything?"
"I mean it, Finn. Please believe me when I say it's not you, it's me."
The smile that had crinkled his eyes a moment before slipped away. He sat forward. "Okay."
"I'm just going to come right out and say it: I can't have kids."
May looked straight into his eyes and braced herself for his reaction. But his response was far from what she'd been expecting: he grinned.
"Neither can I."
She blinked. As she watched, his shoulders sagged, releasing tension she hadn't noticed until then. Before she knew it, the man took a soothing breath and let out a little laugh.
"I'm basically a dud," he told her. "The doctors said I'll never be able to sire a child of my own."
A few moments later, her brain caught up with her body and her own shoulders dropped.
"M-My family has a long history of terminal illness," she muttered. Her voice sounded hoarse even to her own ears. "I'm a carrier, but so far I've been spared. Any child I have might not be, though."
"Sounds like the feeling is mutual then."
Finn got up from the bench and held his hand out for her. She took it and let him pull her to her feet. He immediately wrapped his arms around her, heaving a big sigh. May, not wanting to spoil the moment with the "whole" truth, relaxed into his chest and reciprocated. After he let go of her, he met her eyes and smirked.
"Let's head back to the festival. The fireworks are starting."
True to his word, when May turned around she saw a single flare of red rocket towards the heavens. It burst into a million shades of crimson, and the rest of the show followed.
A genuine smile spread across her lips. She laced her finger with his and they walked out of the park together. The moment would've been perfect. Unfortunately, what happened next would ruin much more than just her date, given due time.
As soon as May set foot onto the sidewalk, the nearest manhole cover soared into the air, as quickly and easily as a champagne cork.
o.O.0.O.o
The Banner twins had to basically carry Edward off the boat when they reached the docks. Thanks to Louis's blade, the blond was able to free Bonnie from the monster's jaws, but getting back to the surface again cost him his automail leg. The two lugged him along like an oversized duffle bag as the medical people helped Bonnie onto the dock.
"She'll be fine," one of the men told them. "Just a few shallow gouges and a twisted ankle. Nothing a little time won't heal."
The Banner twins shared a look of relief. They set Edward down on a nearby bench and slumped into it on either side of him.
"Man," Otto said, "that was wicked. Not in a good way either. What the frick-frack was that thing doing in the lake?"
Ernst crossed his arms and heaved a sigh. "Beats me. I've never seen that kind of animal before."
"It's a chimera," Edward grumbled.
The twins both turned to look at him.
"A what now?" They asked in unison.
"You know… two or more animals spliced together with alchemy."
Horror struck Ernst's face. Otto turned a little green.
"No way," Ernst stated. "The chimeras at your house don't look like that. They're not monsters."
"Yeah, like that little cat-bird thing. She's cute even!"
Edward shrugged. "Sometimes they're cute, sometimes they're not. Fiona has been lucky, and she hasn't had any nasty ones like that for a while."
The twins shared an uneasy glance before falling silent. It stayed quiet between them until the medical professionals finished patching Bonnie up. She limped over to them and spread herself across Otto's lap, a sour pout on her face.
"Can we go home now?" she whined.
"I'll take Ed home, and you'll take Bonnie home?" Ernst asked.
Otto nodded. After he stood up and slung Bonnie over his shoulder, they headed off towards the H district. Once they were out of sight, Ernst let out another sigh and stood.
"You ready, man?"
Edward would've rather slept on that bench all night than get towed through town like an invalid, but he bit down his bitterness and nodded. Ernst wasted no time in looping his arm under his shoulders, and before he knew it they were off.
Edward thought that would be the end of his long and pitiful night. But the closer they got to the B district, the worse the city got. He'd thought it looked pretty shoddy when it was vacant, but the sight of an empty Casier was nothing compared to a slightly-occupied colossus of widespread panic. Finally, after hobbling through a few more districts, they stopped and stared, completely gob-smacked, at the site spread out before them. Suddenly, Edward understood what all the fuss was about, and it made his skin crawl.
Casier's citizens weren't just running around in a panic. They were running from chimeras. Clinging to the sides of buildings, swinging from the telephone wires, scuttling across the pavement, dive-bombing through the air, and patrolling the canals were dozens of chimeras. Edward watched in horror as a woman took cover inside an abandoned automobile, only to have her shelter crushed like an aluminum can under the scaly foot of an elephant-crocodile. Not even twenty feet away was a little kid (a boy no older than three) screaming bloody murder as a snake-weasel coiled its thick furry body around his chest. To his left, Edward noticed an old couple clinging to each other as a tiger-eagle cornered them, its mouth foaming and teeth flashing as it prepared to pounce.
Ernst's grip on him slipped, and they both fell to the sidewalk.
"Holy shit, man," Ernst mutter through his daze. "We gotta get out of here!"
He should've kept his mouth shut. A bear-hog that had been minding its own business (tearing someone's arm off) turned its bloody snout towards the sound of his voice. The thing lost interest in the moaning man on the pavement and focused on them. Edward's heart leaped into his throat when it scraped its front hoof on the ground, gearing itself up for a charge.
Ernst heaved himself to his feet and made to grab Edward by the arm, but he wasn't fast enough. Edward braced himself for Truth.
Truth that never came.
Edward had his eyes shut tight, but he heard the clang of the metal pole smacking into the chimera's skull. He opened his eyes in time to see the thing's body skitter off and slam into a trashcan. The bear-hog shook the rotten trash off its back before running off. When Edward looked up to thank his savior, he had to refrain from gasping.
Standing straight above him was a rugged, battle-worn young man. He wore a torn trench coat with a red festival shirt underneath, a pair of scorched cargo shorts, and nothing for shoes. A broken flag pole was clutched in his white-knuckled grip, and a soot-smudged scowl of pure loathing decorated his face as he scanned their surroundings; a face that was almost completely covered by stringy brown hair in the fluttering wind. Finally, he wiped his bangs away from his face and grinned down at him.
"How's it going, Ed?"
Edward choked and coughed before sputtering, "Alphonse?!"