Welcome back to The Water Alchemist. I don't own any of the intellectual property of Fullmetal Alchemist.
Chapter Fifty-Two
Convergence
Mustang fired another bought of flames at the soldiers, hearing their retreat, though he wasn't too mystified by it. It was becoming clear that they were severely outnumbered, and out of ammo without his flames. Just as he was about to fire another shot, an ice cream truck came screeching down the street, just barely making the turn without tipping over. Mustang watched in bewilderment a moment as it stopped right in front of them, lending them some much-needed cover. The back door popped open, and a familiar brunette popped her head out the back, waving enthusiastically.
"Yoo-hoo! Riza!"
"It's about time, Rebecca," his Lieutenant scolded, to which Rebecca replied sheepishly.
"I know, sorry, but I think you'll find it was worth the wait," she said, disappearing back into the truck a moment. "I've got all sorts of goodies." The silly illustration of a bear holding ice cream split in two as the van opened up to reveal an arsenal of weaponry, and excited shouts erupted from the chorus of Mustangs men as Rebecca began to encourage them to sample the goods. The front door of the driver side of the cab opened in front of Mustang, and Breda and Mustang coughed on the sting of smoke that wafted out.
"Good to see you, Havoc," Mustang huffed a laugh, noting a figure behind him.
"You too, Colonel. You know, you should send me on assignments involving pretty women more often," he remarked, grinning as the ash of the burning cigarette in his mouth fell out onto the street.
"Like I said before, no money, no honey!" Rebecca called, clearly overhearing his subordinate.
"Oh, come on! When I get promoted, I'll have plenty of dough!" Havoc called back indignantly. Mustang sighed; the man sure had his vices. You'd think he'd learn after his last girlfriend tried to kill him.
"In your dreams," she huffed, and Havoc sighed.
"Well, can't woo 'em all," he shrugged. "Which reminds me…" Havoc sprung forward, allowing the passenger behind him to reach over, handing Mustang a gun.
"Here you go," they said.
"Oh, thank you," Mustang replied politely.
"It's good to see you, Colonel. It's been a long time, huh?" they asked, and Mustang furrowed his brow, a bit puzzled. His bewilderment faded as she removed the hood covering her face, smiling brightly at him with a salute. "Second Lieutenant Maria Ross, returning to active duty without permission, Sir."
Mustang was about to respond, but a loud bang erupted from the stairwell just behind them, and Havoc jumped down from the van, moving to urge everyone inside. With everyone in and secured, as well as another smoke bomb courtesy of Rebecca, they pulled her into the back, and Ross tore off through the enemy forces.
"I didn't know you were involved in this, not that I'm complaining," Mustang quickly remedied, sitting between Ross and Hawkeye. "But I do have to ask; where did you procure all these weapons? And who gave them to you?"
"That would be thanks to Moi," Havoc said, cheekily, through the small peep-hole that opened to the cabin behind them. "Over 80 years in business, we offer everything you could possibly need— from underwear to arms, and we're just a phone call away. Havocs, your neighborhood general store. Though, I had a little help."
"What do you mean?" Mustang asked.
"I'll let him tell you," Havoc mused, taking a deep inhale from his cigarette, shutting the sliding door of the window after blowing the smoke into the front cabin. Its occupants coughed, but a smile drew across Ross's face, and Mustang couldn't help but wonder what exactly was going on as they pulled out of the city, making it to a small clearing they had designated as a regrouping site. Fuery was quick to utilize his skills and climbed a telephone pole, borrowing the line.
"All set!" Fuery called, the wires he'd connected cascading down to the ground.
"Go ahead," Ross said encouragingly, handing the phone to Mustang. He wondered again just who he'd be speaking to. Maybe a Xingese official or someone from Havoc's family. They owned the store, after all. The line clicked and connected the Colonel to this mysterious helper.
"This is Colonel Roy Mustang speaking," he said formally. "I'm honored to have your support."
"You've always had it," a coy voice answered, and Mustang froze. It was almost as if he were talking to the dead. A long moment passed.
"Hughes?" Mustang barely whispered, waiting for the other end to cut out or maybe to play tricks on him. He hadn't been able to talk to Hughes himself; he'd only gotten updates here and there, had only clung to the hope of being reunited once again. It was surreal. "You, uh… I heard you remember most things these days."
"Yeah, thanks to Dr. Knox's counter drug, I do," he said, and Mustang couldn't help the quirk of his mouth. "I remember. It's good to hear your voice, Roy." Mustang sucked in a sharp breath before letting out a relieved laugh.
"Yeah. It is," Mustang agreed, running a hand through his hair. "But how— what did—"
"Havoc's been real helpful in making sure I adjusted to small-town life. Running a small branch of a little general shop was just the right fit. I still got a wife and kid to feed, you know?" he laughed, and it all suddenly made sense. "Which, by the way, you will not believe the pictures I have to show you! Elicia's getting to be so big!" Mustang laughed, glad to hear he was just as enthusiastic about his wife and daughter as he was before.
"Of course, soon as we clean up here," Mustang promised.
"Which reminds me," Hughes said. "Who do I send the bill to?"
"The office of the Fuhrer. And start a tab," Mustang grinned.
I jolted awake. I panted a few breaths, looking around, the dome still devoid of light. I took a relieved breath, dreaming a moment that Pride had escaped.
"Are you alright?" Al's voice reverberated around the large dome.
Yes, I knocked, holding a hand over my racing heart, and after catching my breath, yawned. For a moment, I relished in the quiet that had fallen in the dome. That calm shattered after another clang that rang out above all other noise in my consciousness, and I groaned. Just when I thought he'd stopped.
"He's been at it a while, on and off," Al commented, seeming to sense my irritation. I nodded, though I was quite sure Al couldn't see me. Having two of my senses docked was a real pain. I adjusted, sitting up. Al had let me rest against his armor, which was fine for a while, but it was starting to get uncomfortable. "You can try and go back to sleep?"
The offer was sweet and sincere, though I wasn't as tired as I had been when we'd first entered the dome. It could have been the residual fatigue from the transmutation, or maybe it was the complete and solid darkness we were stuck in, but I had been tired enough to fall asleep as soon as Ed and the rest of our companions set out, though that had to have been some hours ago. I had lost track of time. At some point in my snooze (which was already pretty restless on its own) Pride had begun banging what I believed to be a rouge stick against Al's detached helmet. He was probably trying to drive me mad enough to transmute myself out of the dome. But even with the banging, I'd managed at least a few hours of sleep. He'd have to try harder than that.
No, I tapped his armor twice, standing and stretching a moment. I looked around, my eye trailing to the sound, seeing a slightly darker blob of space where I had left him. I absently traced my hand over my shoulder and took a sharp breath as I brushed against the still tender skin. I wanted to ask just how long it had been. How much longer we'd be here. I wished I had some cards to at least pass the time until I realized I couldn't yell 'rummy' in my condition.
"How you kids doing?" a voice called from outside the dome, and I perked up at the change in pace. Heinkel had stayed behind to keep an eye on us and to allow his injuries to heal. I had managed to stop the bleeding and patched him up, but Pride had done a number on him, putting him out of fighting commission. It was nice to know there was someone else there with us, just on the other side of the wall.
"Good!" Al called back, shifting in the dark. Heinkel made a huffing sound that I almost didn't catch on the tail end of another clang, courtesy of Pride.
"Hey, Alphonse, what's all that racket in there?" Heinkel asked.
"Selim's been playing with my head," Al droned back. Heinkel went quiet on his side of the dome, and I went to move to sit when a rushed pounding sounded against the outside of the dome, and I froze.
"Stop him! Stop him from making that sound!" Heinkel cried, and my heart pounded in my chest in rhythm to his fist against the dirt. "'Dot dot dash!' It's code! He's sending out a signal! He's been broadcasting our location!"
I turned to Pride, catching a flash of his red eye in the dark before an explosion muffled all other sounds, and I defended myself against the massive gust of wind that swept through the dome, coating us in dust and chunks of debris. As the wind died down, I opened my eyes only to see that Pride had made his way to the opening, Al's head in his hand, the light filtering in illuminating him. Another figure stood just outside the dome, but it wasn't Heinkel, and my heart dropped as I realized just who managed to cause an explosion like that.
"Hey, thank you for coming to get me, Kimblee," Pride said, exiting the dome. "I appreciate it."
"Yeah, I'm here, but please don't give me any more extra work to do," Kimblee complained as I heard Al gasp, scrambling to my side. Pride laughed apologetically.
"I'm sorry about all the trouble," he said, scratching the back of his head. Al clutched down over my shoulder as his shadows obstructed our view of him. "I won't let my guard down again." The shadows receded, and he shot us a warning glare before turning his attention back to Kimblee.
"Ah, so you're alone, then? I thought the Gluttony was out here with you as well," Kimblee asked.
"Yes, well, in the end, I had to consume him," Pride said, swinging Al's helmet around.
"You ate Gluttony? Your own kind?"
"It's not like it's cannibalism. We are a collective," Pride rationalized, throwing Al's head over his shoulder. Al scrambled forward to get it, replacing it to his shoulders, and we stepped from the confines of the dome warily. "We were both born of the same father, and now we've gone back to being one form."
"So that's how it works," Kimblee noted. I looked around, realizing Heinkel had gone unaccounted for. My breath caught as I noticed him, bloody and nearly unconscious, laid up against the side of the dome a few feet away. I dashed out, running toward him before Al realized what was going on. I had made it about halfway when he cried out for him.
"Mr. Heinkel!"
"Oh? Still alive?" Kimblee said, and Heinkel coughed up a bought of blood. I ran faster. "What a pity for you. But then, you are a Chimera. The life force is strong in you." I heard a clanking behind me just as I dropped to my knees, assessing Heinkel's injuries. It was bad— the blast managed to aggravate old wounds and create new ones, and I could only infer the internal damage done. My hands shook over him as I tried to determine what to heal first.
"Mr. Heinkel!" Al cried again. A loud metallic thud sounded behind me, and I turned to see Al splayed across the ground, a deep frown on Pride's face as his shadows wrapped around Al's legs. "Damnit! Let me go!"
"You're not going anywhere," Pride hissed, his gaze finding mine. "And neither are you." His shadows darting toward me. I moved to shield Heinkel when Al roared.
"Why you—"
A clap resounded through the air, and blue sparks flew as Al created an explosion of his own, covering the terrain in a cloud of thick dust. A cover. I quickly turned to Heinkel, clapping my own hands together, managing to taper the bleeding. As I feared, though, most of the damage was internal— from what I could tell, a broken leg, and a few cracked ribs, not to mention the bleeding. But as I finished, he groaned, and I let out a relieved sigh. I grabbed up his arm, throwing it around my shoulder, and he let out a skeptical sound.
"Marina, I'm far too big for you to—"
I lifted with every fiber of my legs burning, a sweat breaking at my temple as I grunted, but I managed to stand, earning a surprised look from Heinkel. My knee's just barely held, on the verge of buckling under the weight, but I tapped his other leg, and he seemed to understand, putting as much pressure and weight on it as he could handle on it, reliving my burden just a bit. We moved, and he hopped forward, utilizing the cover Al had made for us. If we didn't find a safe place for Heinkel, he'd surely die. That couldn't happen. I glanced around the cloud, vaguely hearing Pride say something, but Al's grunts were much easier to hear as he approached.
"Mr. Heinkel! Marina!" he said, and I waited for him to appear, but he wasn't as tall as I'd remembered. I looked down, realizing his legs were gone, and Heinkel suddenly swayed, taking me down with him. I landed awkwardly, my arm taking the brunt of the blow, and I cried out; the sound gurgled and grainy as I inhaled deeply, pushing the pain from my sense of consciousness. "Ah! Are you all right?" Al crawled his way toward us, and I picked myself up from under Heinkel's burly arm, limp over me. I managed to flip him over, realizing he'd fallen unconscious.
No, no, no, I thought desperately as Al pushed feverishly on his shoulder. He was simply too heavy for me to carry alone, and Al had no legs, and neither of us had the materials necessary to transmute him some new ones. Heinkel groaned finally, and Al swiveled around him, hooking his arms under Heinkel's shoulder. For once, Al was somewhat my height, and I hooked my arms under Heinkel's other shoulder, and together we pulled, dragging Heinkel across the battlefield as his head bobbed, in and out of consciousness.
"Just leave me. Get outta here," he said, lucid. "Listen to me. Go, quickly!"
"No way!" Al answered for both of us.
"Don't talk back to me! At this rate, we'll all die. Leave me behind. You might be able to save yourselves," Heinkel croaked. I wanted to smack him but considering his injuries, refrained. I focused instead on planting my feet firmly enough to get a good pull.
"I told you not happening! Now, think about something useful instead! Like staying alive," Al barked, a piece of the structure we were attempting to leave behind crumbling, adding to the dust and debris in the air. I coughed a moment as Heinkel kept on nonsensically.
"Think about it; we're facing Kimblee and Pride both. Now leave me here and keep moving."
"Don't give up. I swear, I'll save you!" Al cried, taking another step back. He let out a startled sound as the joint of his leg broke beneath him, and he stumbled back, losing his footing and landing on his back. I managed to keep Heinkel from falling, trying to keep his head from smashing into the rocky terrain. Al sat up and began beating at his leg, willing it to work as I set Heinkel down gently. "Oh no! C'mon legs! Move it! We've come too far! We can't afford to be beaten now! I won't allow it!"
Al… I wanted to call my friend, wanted to assure him somehow. It shattered me to watch him go on like that. He let out one last grunt, reaching for Heinkel.
"Mr. Heinkel, grab on! We're not giving up," he said, and I followed suit. I let out a gasp as a sharp pain ripped through my arm, and I dropped to my knee. Through grit teeth, I reached for Heinkel.
"You kids are really something else," he said, and Al and I paused. "You're still determined to help another person even when you're falling to pieces yourselves."
"I promised…" Al trailed off, his armor shaking. "I promised my brother I wouldn't let anyone else die, no matter what." Heinkel let out short, shallow breaths, and I wondered if he'd passed out again. I went to shake him, but he spoke softly.
"I guess you're right. Wasn't it Kimblee who said that the true test of winning was surviving?" Heinkel said, moving to reach into his pocket. "Which reminds me, I have something that might be useful."
He removed his fisted hand, and I dropped to my other knee as he opened his palm, a shiny red stone glistening in his hand, and Al gasped. I recognized it almost instantly. It was the same stone I had knocked from Kimblee's hand before we followed it over the railing and down the mine shaft. My mind raced with memories of that day, and I forgot to breathe. I could hear Al and Heinkel talking, but I couldn't hear them, not over the rushing of the wind in my ears or the scream in my vocal cords as I fell down the mine shaft. A weight fell over my shoulder, and my eye was finally drawn from the stone, finding something grounding in the red of Al's eyes. He squeezed down on my shoulder, and I took a breath.
"With this, we might actually have a chance at winning, but…" Al trailed off, his gaze not leaving mine. I swallowed hard as I realized they contemplated using it.
"Yeah, I know. These are made using human lives, aren't they? Your brother told me. He said you'd rather not use one of these to get your original bodies back. In that case— in that case, don't use it for yourself. Use it to save the entire world instead. You deserve it because even though they've been put into that stone, you still recognize them as people," Heinkel coughed, looking pointedly at me, and I stiffened, my eye drawn back to the stone. I could still hear their voices, the ones from before— calling to me, pulling me together, helping me to move forward. I only realized later they were the voices of the people within the stone. The voices of Ishvalens. The voices of my people. "I know those people – even though they are trapped in stone – they still want to fight to protect what matters to them. Let them fight. They deserve the chance." I dug my nails into my palms. I couldn't ease their suffering or loss, but I could make sure it never happened again. If I had to use the stone to do so, I'd ask them to lend me their strength and for their forgiveness.
"Marina," Al asked gently, and I shook my head in affirmation. Whatever it took. "All right."
"Now you give them hell for me, crazy kids," Heinkel coughed, handing the stone to Al.
"We'll fight. Together," Al said, and I nodded.
A flash of red erupted from Al as I erected a pillar for Heinkel to lean on. Al marched on ahead, confronting Kimblee and Pride head-on, the stone in hand. After securing Heinkel, I drifted with the dust cloud, using it to hide my presence, as well as my scent. I heard Kimblee call out to Al.
"Good! There you are. Very well-done, Alphonse Elric," he cheered. I watched through the haze as Al tossed the stone, forgoing giving Kimblee a response. "A Philosopher's Stone?"
"But where did he find one?" Pride asked, bewildered. Al slammed his hands to the ground, and smoke erupted from the ground just as I got into position.
"Dust in our eyes again?" Kimblee complained as I rushed forward from the cloud, catching Pride off guard as I kicked him, sending him flying across the terrain. Was it morally wrong to kick a child? Sure. But was I alright with kicking this child? Absolutely.
"What?" he cried, sitting up, apparently not anticipating having to deal with me.
Kimblee made brief eye contact with me before Al slugged him, sending the man flying. Prides black shadows crashed into the earth before me, and I jumped back as Kimblee slammed his hands to the ground, the explosive power heading toward Al and me. Al quickly erected a barrier between us and the blast, and no sooner than when it subsided did Pride swing at us with his sharp shadows. He went after Al, and I went for Kimblee. He grinned widely at my approach.
"Ah, so we meet again, Miss Wayde," Kimblee said, narrowing his eyes at me. "You know, I haven't paid you back for our last meeting!"
He lunged forward, setting his palms to the ground, sending another explosive blast through the earth at me in a spark of blue. I ran until I nearly collided with the blast, and just before impact, I clapped my hands together, pressing them to the ground. I upended the ground beneath me, and the energy of the blast sent me shooting forward right for Kimblee. I flew the distance between us, landing just in front of him. I crouched down as he swung out at me, and I swung up, aiming for the base of his jaw. He stumbled back, and I just grazed the hair of his chin. I drove forward, my fist colliding, slamming into his solar plexus, and he let out a breathy sound before regaining his balance.
He clapped his hands once again, reaching out for me, and I bent back, using my good arm as a springboard as I kicked my legs up, landing a solid hit to his side. It didn't deter his hands from finding the ground, and rubble erupted beneath me as I found my footing and dodged the length of the blast. I circled him, knowing I was faster, edging into his blind spot and closing in, exchanging blows, not giving him the time or the opportunity to transmute. I could feel the rage welling up inside of me with each blow, every bit of hatred I had for him seeping through the cracks of my being. It drove me, and for a moment, I let it, handing the wheel over to my resentment, my body following its orders. Again and again, I hit him, and he finally managed a swipe to my face, but it barely registered as I bent and spun, kicking at him, my hip driving the movement just like Izumi had taught me. My shin collided with his forearm – which he'd raised at the last moment for a block – and sent him across the terrain. I went running after him, seeing red, but I was yanked back by my neck, drawn into the fight between Pride and Al. I skid across the dirt as Pride held Al, and I snapped to, realizing he'd been impaled. Rage quickly turned to worry, but Al was quicker than me, a flash bomb popping into the air from seemingly nothing. I grinned.
"A flash bomb!" Pride cried out, slicing it in two.
"A decoy!" Al nearly laughed triumphantly, a second flash bomb erupting from his feet, and I closed my eyes just as it set off.
"That's the stone! A tricky thing," Pride remarked, and I could feel the restraint on my neck dissolve, and I sat up, watching as Al encased Pride in a smaller version of the dome. I blinked a moment.
Why hadn't we thought of that before? I wondered dimly to myself as I moved to stand as the dust settled. Al heaved a sigh, and I realized I ached all over, my arm not of much use anymore. My eyes settled on the foe approaching us from behind, his hands in his pockets. I narrowed my eyes at him. We weren't finished yet.
"Yes, the power of the Philosopher's Stone is truly something to behold. Having used one myself, I suppose I know that better than anyone. That's why I'm puzzled by you. What I'd like to know, is why you don't use that power to get your original body back? I mean, your friend had possession of one for a long while," he said, and I went still as Al looked away. "Hadn't you ever thought to use hers? Or did she keep it from you? Alchemists are a selfish bunch."
"We knew," Al said quickly, dispelling any implications of dishonesty.
"With her stone, you and your brother could have had your original bodies back by now," he said.
"We know," Al said lowly, his fist shaking a moment. I felt my stomach bottom out, looking up at him. I couldn't tell what he was thinking, what he was feeling.
"I'm sure that was difficult, having the thing to end all your troubles just dangling in front of you, taunting you," Kimblee pressed, and I bit my lips together, guilt welling in my throat. I hadn't thought of it that way before. All this time I had the stone, I never thought about how difficult that would have been for them, knowing a solution was right there if they only chose to take it. I cast my gaze to the ground, pressing my eyes shut. Was he resentful of me because of that? Had they both resented me this whole time?
"It wasn't," Al said, and I looked up at him solemnly. "We knew we couldn't use the stone. Marina didn't taunt us with it; she helped us stay our course; to find a better alternative. It wasn't hard coming to that decision." I released a breath I didn't realize I had held in sheer relief. I swallowed back the lump that had formed in my throat as Al looked at me, sincereness in his voice.
"Well, I suppose now you could change your mind. You and your brother could use the stone to restore your bodies, and then your journey would end, wouldn't it?" Kimblee asked.
"If I did that, I couldn't save everyone," Al replied simply.
"It's in accordance with your ideals. In order to obtain something, you give up something of equal value."
"Tell me, why do I have to choose?" Al asked, surprising both Kimblee and me. He lifted the stone in his hand. "It isn't right. I have to choose between returning to our original bodies and saving everyone. But why can't we have our real bodies back and save everyone? It isn't fair."
"But it's the law of equivalent exchange," Kimblee reasoned, flicking his wrist.
"Well, I say searching for possibilities that aren't bound by rules or laws; that's how humanity advances," Al said firmly, and something about the words, or maybe the way he'd said them, struck me. Maybe there were other ways, other abilities, and avenues yet to be discovered. I learned more and more things about this world and my place in it the longer my journey lasted, and I wanted to know even more. I wanted to hear Elias's stories of my mother, and I wanted to know more about my people and my culture, and I wanted to believe that Al was right, that there was a way to restore their bodies without forsaking anyone. Hell, there were alternate universes; it wasn't so far-fetched to find other possibilities after knowing something like was proven to exist. Kimblee placed a pensive hand to his chin.
"I see, so if you can discover an exception to the rule, you can effectively rewrite the laws of nature as we understand them. Is that how it's supposed to go?" Kimblee asked, pacing to a piece of rubble before settling down on it. He looked at us with eyes so cold a chill ran down my spine. "Because there is another possibility, you know— you don't get your bodies back. And you don't save everyone. That could certainly happen."
He opened his mouth, and Al gasped as I realized the bastard had used the same trick twice, hiding a stone between his teeth. But I'd seen this trick before. It didn't work then, and it wouldn't work now. I clapped my hands as he pressed his hand to the ground, erecting a barrier to protect us from the shockwave. Al and I retreated, but not before I snatched the sword up that Al had transmuted, running into the cloud of smoke. We ran like hell, heading for Heinkel, only stopped when I stumbled over something rather large that groaned beneath me, catching my fall.
"Doctor Marcoh?" Al breathed, rushed breaths coming from the suit of armor. I sat up quickly, smiling as I realized we were in good company.
"He came when he saw the smoke," Heinkel explained. Al let out an excited sound, shoving the stone into Marcoh's hands.
"Can you heal Marina's arm and Heinkel's injuries?" he asked quickly. Marcoh grinned up at him.
"Of course," he said, and he moved to aid my arm.
"Alright, I'm counting on you!" Al said, running back the way we came.
I reached for him, unable to call his name, and as soon as Marcoh finished, I sprinted after him. I wouldn't let him fight alone. I found Kimblee in the smoke, running at him full force. I flung the sword at him, which he evaded, thought Pride almost didn't, jumping away. Al flanked Pride's side, blasting the earth to create an even heavier cover, and I brandished my knife as Kimblee tried again to upset the earth beneath me. I sprung forward, kicking through the wall of dirt he erected between us with a flash of blue, my heels colliding into his chest. I landed right above him, pinning him to the ground. Something in me snapped as I came down over him. I wanted him to pay for all the harm he'd caused, all the hurt he'd put us through. All the hurt he'd put me through. I cried out as I brought the knife down, just above his neck, my hands halted by his wrapped around my wrists. My hands were shaking, and I grit my teeth as he grinned that smarmy grin.
"Heh, what's stopping you?" he said coldly, and I held the knife firmer, frowning. He suddenly pulled on the knife, drawing a spot of blood from his neck, the blade glistening in the sunlight. I pulled against him, suddenly confounded by the change in dynamic. He laughed, his eyes wild. "I know you want to kill me. The look in your eyes— it was magnificent. They almost burned red with rage. So, what's stopping you, huh?"
I could do it, I thought to myself, and the thought shook me. It was pure hatred and rage, and it wasn't who I wanted to be. No, I realized. I don't want to kill you. I wanted him to pay, but not with his life. I wouldn't be able to face myself. I had to at least try to find other options. But that decision came with consequences I knew I had to face.
"You're weak," he laughed. "You're just like your father and Edward Elric— a pathetic coward who can't even finish the task you started based on a loose sense of morality and justice!"
I took a sharp breath before I twisted my wrist, the blade nicking his neck just slightly, and I aimed the tip at the palm that still held me, slicing myself in the process, driving the blade straight through the skin, slamming it into the ground, held there by the knife. I clapped my hands as he cried out, pinning his other arm down to the ground and hardening the earth at his wrist. I removed the blade from his hand, and blood spurted out, coating my face as I drove it into his other hand, breaking the transmutation circles etched into each of his palms.
I don't need to kill you to win, Kimblee, I thought, wiping his blood from my face as he writhed in agony. I stood from him, watching his hands twitch. And that's my choice. I turned to find Al, rushing back into the smoke, when I heard Kimblee laughing maniacally behind me. He broke his wrist from the restraint, and I ducked into a crouch, ready to take him on again. He stumbled forward, his eyes crazed.
"And now you'll—"
Heinkel sprung from the smoke in his Chimera form, locking his jaw around Kimblee's neck, blood gushing from his now severed artery. The dust began to settle, and Pride watched us, Al pinned firmly to the ground. His eyes narrowed with malice as he sent his shadows after us, and Heinkel dropped Kimblee from his mouth, holding him out as a shield. To everyone's surprise, Pride halted.
"I see now; you humans are indeed tenacious. However, you have no hope with winning," his shadow slunk around Heinkel, and I gasped as they bound me, dragging me forward. I landed on the ground in a heap opposite to Al, wriggling to escape my bindings. Pride pointed in the direction Central was in. "You should know our Father is just over there. But, of course, before we get to that, we're going to have to do something about your current situation, aren't we?"
His gaze fell upon Marcoh, and his shadows leaped at the chance to do away with him, but they were thwarted as a rouge vehicle screeched onto the scene, the blades bouncing from the cab. I watched in slight horror and amazement as the car came barreling toward us, just narrowly missing me, ramming straight into Al and Pride. The shadows disbanded, and I sat up bewildered, looking into the driver's seat. I blinked a few times, rubbing my eyes to make sure I wasn't seeing things as Yoki sat at the wheel, gripping the down on it with white knuckles and tears streaming down his face. I made a surprised squeaking sound as Heinkel grabbed me up, forcing me to my feet as he grabbed Al's leg, pulling him away from Pride, dragging him behind us.
"Yoki?" Al said disbelievingly, a sentiment I seconded.
"All right! Way to take him out fuzzy lip!" Heinkel called as we ran to the car, meeting Doctor Marcoh there. "Where'd you get the car?"
"It's the one Kimblee rode here in," Marcoh explained, quickly climbing into the cab. The guys who drove it here are taking a little time out."
"Okay, well done, Doctor Marcoh!" Heinkel praised, urging me into the car as Al moved to stand. Heinkel spun, his breath catching as he shoved Al into the car. He nearly crushed me beneath him. I managed to crouch to the floor before Al's armor knocked me out. Heinkel threw Kimblee in the direction I believed Pride to be in before climbing in himself. "Move it, let's go!" The car spun out, the wheels grating against the ground, and we were off and on a very bumpy ride. I chanced a look up, and at that moment, the top of the car was cleanly sliced away from the rest of the car.
Holy shit! I thought, covering my head as we vaulted a canyon, barely landing down smoothly. Yoki's cries could be heard over the rushing wind above us.
"Shut up! Quit whining and drive! I have no desire to attempt fighting that monster head-on!" Heinkel roared. "Get us to Central on the double! We need to meet up with Ed and get rid of this Father guy before that thing can catch up to us!"
Ed, I thought, rising, grabbing hold of the seat in front of me, the wind whipping at my hair, Central visible in the distance. We're coming.
"Give it up. It's no use. The tire is definitely stuck," Marcoh lamented. I looked out over the side of the vehicle with ease since Pride had so kindly turned it into a convertible. The tire was deeply wedged into a drain, close enough to the curb to make me wonder where Yoki had gotten his license. Well, that was a question I had been wondering for the entirety of our ride, bumpy and long as it was, though I was grateful that, at the very least, the number of cars and pedestrians we encountered was minimal, even as we entered the city. The usually bustling metropolis had cleared out, likely thanks to the heavy presence of military personnel, lots of which we passed, trying to get us to stop, but Yoki trudged through, yelling and crying the whole way.
"What are you doing, idiot? If we don't hurry, the eclipse is going to start!" Heinkel yelled, exasperated, kneeling by the tire.
"Shut your mouth! C'mon, just take care of the car already," Yoki commanded, glued to the driver's seat.
"Well, since you asked nicely," Marcoh muttered sarcastically. I moved to jump from the cab, but Al stopped me.
"Doctor Marcoh, Marina, please stand back. Mr. Heinkel and I can handle this on our own," Al assured.
"Well, I'm sure you can, but still—"
"We're fine. Let us take care of it," Al said more sternly, and I sat back.
They didn't let me help, but they let me at least jump from the cab so it wasn't so heavy. I stepped back next to Marcoh as Al and Heinkel crouched, grabbing the base of the car.
"Right, here we go— one, two, three!" Al counted off, and they lifted in unison, pulling the vehicle from the drain. A chill ran up my spine, my stomach lurching suddenly, and I turned toward the feeling, my gaze affixed down the street we had entered on. There was a shimmer of light that quickly disappeared around the corner of a residential building, and the feeling subsided, though it still nagged at the back of my mind.
"Miss Marina?" Marcoh called, startling me. He looked worried; his brows knit together as he pat my shoulder. "Are you alright? Is it your arm?" I looked down at the bandaged wound and checked the end of the street one last time before shaking my head.
"Alright! We can get going now," Al called, the car free.
We hopped back in, and Yoki threw the vehicle in gear, headed toward Central Command.
Ed and Scar ambled through the halls, trying to backtrack. Ed had a bad feeling, settling in the pit of his stomach after seeing his commanding officer going off on Envy as he had. Ed wasn't exactly sure what it was Mustang was hoping to get out of the ordeal; revenge, or maybe vengeance— but Hughes was alive. He was with his family. Mustang and Marina had ensured that. But when Mustang found out it was Envy behind the drugging, the fabrication of his death – even posing as him for the picture in the paper – it was like he'd forgotten their accomplishment, dead set on inflicting as much pain as possible on the Homunculus after he'd taken the form of the man to taunt Mustang. He was enraged, fervent in his questioning, malicious in his approach, scorching Envy again and again as they slipped by, heading to meet Father. Ed understood his rage, understood that no matter how much time passed, what had been done to Hughes couldn't be undone, but Mustang's promise of revenge for him made him something Ed had never thought him to be— frightening. That wasn't the man who was supposed to lead the country eventually. Ed couldn't leave him like that. He thought he heard Mustang's footfalls coming down the corridor.
"Edward?" a familiar voice called, startling Ed and stopping him in his tracks. It was a voice he didn't think he'd hear again, at least, not so soon, and his blood ran cold. He turned to see Marina, smiling. "I thought I was lost for a moment there. Thank goodness I found you." She began approaching him, and Scar walked up behind him, seeming uncertain. Ed cast his gaze to the floor, chuckling a moment before it turned into full-on laughter.
"Oh man," he said, running a shaky hand through his bangs. The girl stopped, seeming confused.
"Edward, are you alright?" she asked, each echo of her voice a pang in his chest. He sighed, composing himself, looking her dead on.
"I was so glad just to hear her say my name again, I almost lost sight of what I'm doing here," he said. Maybe he could understand Mustang's strife a bit better. Having someone impersonate a person you loved to use you… it was unforgivable. But she was still there, waiting for him to return. She was out there, counting on him to come back. Clapping his hands and transmuting his arm into a blade, he started in a run and jumped, lunging at the figure, surprise evident on her face. "Thanks for reminding me!" A flash of red sparked as Envy reverted forms, letting out a dissatisfied click of his tongue.
"You'd hit your little girlfriend?" he asked, barely dodging Ed.
"We spar all the time; besides, I feel just fine hitting you!" Ed landed a clean hit across his jaw, sending him down the corridor. Envy scrambled to his feet and took off, Ed and Scar running after him, but they were only met with an empty hall when they turned. Ed heaved a breath. "Damn! We'd better hurry and find the Colonel before he does something he regrets."
We encountered a few military roadblocks along the way, and Yoki managed to narrowly avoid getting stopped as intended— though, we careened into a lamp pole after a particularly difficult block. We all groaned but, luckily, none of us were seriously injured as we ditched the car, nothing more than a liability now.
"Geez, first a ditch, and then you run into a lamp post! Have you ever even driven a car before?" Heinkel cried angrily.
"Will you shut up? It's not my fault that piece of junk was impossible to control!" Yoki called back in his defense.
"Calm down! This is no time for us to fight! We just gotta hurry up and find a way to get underground," Al scolded, putting a halt to their bickering as we rounded a corner. Al was the first to hit the street, and I nearly bumped into him as he stopped. "Is that…" I looked beyond him, the plume of smoke just ahead rising from what looked to be Central Command.
"That must be from Colonel Mustang's men," Marcoh reasoned.
"Let's just hope that everyone's okay."
"Brother…" Al murmured under his breath, and I felt a tightness in my chest. I shook my head. He's alright, I reminded myself. He's Edward Elric, after all. He had to be. I tapped Al's armor, and he looked down. He gave me a curt nod that I returned before we pressed on. "Let's move." Central came closer and closer as the sky grew darker and darker, and we were quite literally racing against time.
"There!" Marcoh called, the green flags of Central Command flapping wildly in the wind, the dragon crest of the military a fierce reminder of what we were up against. But we'd come so far. We couldn't back down now. The finish line was in our sights when sudden tremors rocked the ground. Our party stopped, glancing around anxiously. Heinkel jumped back, and I spun, taking note of how pale his complexion was, how sweat beaded over his brow, his countenance wavering.
"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Al asked tentatively, his voice choppy, the nerves getting to him.
Heinkel didn't answer, but it seemed more like he couldn't. He was too petrified. More tremors rocked the city, and without warning, an eye opened beneath Al's feet. He looked down, letting out a questioning sound before he was overwhelmed by black arms, tearing his armor to pieces. He screamed and cried out, and we all watched in horror as Al disappeared before our eyes. I blinked, unable to process what had just happened.
"Alphonse!" Marcoh called, snapping me back to reality. "No, Alphonse…"
I crumpled, falling to my knees. Why Al? How? He didn't do anything to deserve it. I seized a moment, banging my fist frustratedly against the pavement. I couldn't even call for him, past the lump in my throat, past my muteness. I trembled, but the ground had ceased its tremors. I looked up at the flags of Central, their indifference almost mocking as I stood. A hand rested against my shoulder.
"We should get moving," Heinkel said quietly.
I nodded, knowing there was no other option. That's what they always said, wasn't it? To move forward, no matter how bad it hurts, in whatever way you can manage. You move forward. We began again, my sights set on the flags of Central as we ran. We'd get him back. We were so close that I could see the skirmishes of soldiers returning fire against the occupied building, hopefully by our allies as we'd planned. But something flipped in my stomach that caused me to pause, and a bright light flashed beneath me. I shielded my eyes, looking down, the transmutation circle I had used to cross worlds appearing below me. And just like Al, an eye appeared at its center, black hands picking me apart and swallowing me whole.
Ed grit his teeth, crouching, his metal arm already a blade. One moment he was with the Colonel and Scar, and the next, he was in the belly of the beast, the damn bearded bastard in front of him. Though, he took on a different form than Ed was used to. His body was vaguely human-like but more of a blob of black with menacing eyes all around its surface. He somehow dragged them all there— his teacher, himself, and Al, who was unconscious and not responsive. He had called for his brother to get up, but no answer came from the suit of armor, meaning it was just him and his teacher against that thing. Hohenheim managed to get himself captured, unhelpful bastard. But there was still time before the eclipse, which meant there was still time to take this guy down before anything else went wrong.
"Well, while we wait on our fifth, why don't we invite our host to join us?" Father grinned widely.
"Host? What the hell are you talking about?" Ed asked, not liking the sound of that.
"You'll see soon enough," he said, waving Ed off.
He opened his arms, and sparks of blue erupted above them, just like they had when Al had fallen through the ceiling. Someone was coming, but who? A circle opened up above them, and Ed's eyes widened as he recognized the circle and the girl who flew through it. He rushed forward, catching her before she hit the ground with a decided thud. She groaned, as did he and Ed jolted up, grabbing her by her shoulders.
"Marina?" he said, his voice barely audible, and she looked up at him with wide and confused eyes before looking around.
"Welcome, precious host," Father droned, and Ed stiffened as they both turned to the sound, and Ed extended his arm in front of her, glaring him down. Greedling's words echoed in the back of his mind.
She's different from you. Don't ask me how or why; she just is. She's not just a sacrifice.
He should have guessed this sort of outcome, but the reality of the situation still pissed him off.
"Now we are just waiting for our fifth sacrifice," the monster called, and Ed gnashed his teeth at him as they managed to stand. Marina took notice of Al, her breath catching as she ran to his side, shaking him gently but urgently. Another spark of light shone above them, and they all watched as the Colonel dropped through the transmutation circle, falling to the floor.
"Colonel!" Ed cried, running to his side.
"I brought him to you. He's our fifth," Pride sneered.
"What the hell happened to you, Colonel?" Ed asked, shaking the man's shoulders. He was unconscious. "Snap out of it!" he stirred a moment, and Ed was relieved he was at least still alive.
"I wish we could say that makes all five of the required sacrifices, but Alphonse Elric has not arrived yet," Ed heard Father remark to Pride. Mustang coughed, and Ed's attention snapped back to the raven-haired man that began to sit up, clutching his head.
"Colonel, you okay? Say something!"
"Fullmetal? Where— where are we?"
"The bearded guy's hideout. Now, what happened? What did they do to you?" Ed asked.
"I was flung into a strange place. Into a gateway of some sort," Mustang said, and Ed breathed unevenly, his heart racing in his chest.
"The portal? That means something was taken from you!" he cried, looking the man over. "But your arms and legs are still here."
"Fullmetal, I don't know how you can expect to see my condition when it's this dark in here," Mustang said, his hand resting between his eyes, over the bridge of his nose.
"What do you mean?" Ed asked warily, and taking one glance at the Colonel's glossy eyes, duller than the ink-black he was used to, his heart sank.
"It's all dark, pitch black," the Colonel said, moving to stand. He held his hand out, searching for a wall or some sort of support or maybe a switch for the light as he stumbled forward. "The lights— where are the lights?" He tripped on one of the many pipes that lined the ground in a sort of nervous system, falling to his knees as Ed sat back on his haunches, a rush of emotions overwhelming him.
"No… it can't be," Ed murmured.
"Ah, so you can't see, then. That's good. We found your abilities to be quite problematic in the past. You're by far the most troublesome of the State Alchemists we've dealt with," Pride said, a patch of his face faltering, fluttering to the ground. He covered the hole in his face with his hand, but Ed had already noticed it. "I think it's fair to say that you've had this coming."
"Colonel— you performed it? Human Transmutation?" Ed asked lowly, staring at his commanding officer in contempt. Even after seeing what he and Al had gone through, all those lectures Ed had endured from him about the incident over the years, he couldn't understand why Mustang would make the same mistakes they had.
"Of course not! You think I would willingly do such a thing?" Mustang shot back, and some relief washed over Ed, but not enough to quell the stirring in his heart.
"That's true. He didn't. We had to force him to open the portal," Pride said, gesturing widely. "It all worked out in the end. Now Colonel Mustangs meddling and his troublesome flame alchemy will present no more problems for us."
"The Truth can be such a cruel thing. The two brothers who wanted to feel their mother's warmth once more; their attempt to bring the dead back to life cost one of them the leg on which he stood as well as the only family he had left. The other lost his entire body to have it replaced by a suit of armor that could feel nothing. The woman who sought to bring back her only baby was given a body that would never again bear children. The girl longing to be heard and understood, stripped of her voice. And then, the man who looked to change his nation had his eyesight taken from him, and now he can no longer see his future. Humans who would dare to play God must pay a steep price for their arrogance. That is the way of the universe, the natural order imposed by the very thing you claim to worship. That is Truth," Father proclaimed.
"I don't think so!" Ed yelled, having heard enough. His fists shook, as did his shoulders, and he barely managed to keep the ire from his words as he clenched his fist. "If he had done it of his own volition like we did, that would be one thing. But to force someone to participate in human transmutation against his will and then steal his eyesight— you think that's justified? That is in a truth I'm willing to accept!" He stood, staring the monster before him down, to which he just grinned in earnest.
"Is that so?" he asked, his grin widening. Ed grit his teeth, about to transmute the floor beneath the monster, but there was an explosion above them, but no blue sparks of light, so Ed was surprised when the young Xingese girl in pink robes and her panda descended from the ceiling, dropping down amid pipes and broken tile, running to his side.
"Mei Chang!" he acknowledged. Her attention was nearly immediately drawn to the dark figure, which was staring up at the ceiling she'd just burst through.
"There he is," she said under his breath.
"And now my lovely home has a gaping hole in it," the being remarked coldly, turning to them. "How dare you, girl."
"He may look different now, but there's no mistaking it. He's the one who's behind all of this," she confirmed, more for herself. She took one look back at Al and Marina— her previous focus abandoned as she ran to him, crouching beside Marina, who was still trying to wake him up. "Oh, Alphonse, what happened to you?"
"I don't know. We can't get him to wake up," Ed said warily. He'd been down so long, and it didn't seem like anything anyone had been doing was enough to bring him to. He'd never seen Al like this, had never wanted to. He wanted his baby brother to wake up already, so he knew he'd be alright.
"Oh no!" Mei cried, taking over Marina's shaking. "Please wake up, Alphonse! Say something! C'mon Alphonse, get up!" Her pleading seemed to go unheard, but there was a sudden clank that sounded and surprised Ed, sounding more like a gasp than a movement of his armor.
"Al! Al, are you alright?" Ed called, crouching beside his brother as he gasped again, shooting up.
"Alphonse!" Mei said excitedly, and Marina let out a heavy breath.
"Al!" his teacher called, running to them. Al took a few breaths, composing himself.
"Teacher, brother, Marina, Mei…" Al glanced around, his eye eventually falling on Father, on the beast he'd become. Ed frowned as the figure grinned.
"And now, my host and all five sacrifices are here."
"So, you mean to tell me that you reject the Truth?" Father asked.
"Yeah, exactly," Ed shot back, waving his transmuted blade at Father pointedly. "And listen here, don't go thinking you've won just because you got us here. We aren't just gonna sit back and let you sacrifice us!"
"Your words will do nothing to alter your fate," Father said, and I frowned, getting into a fighting stance.
"Marina," Izumi called for me, and I stiffened, my lessons with her returning to me, and I rushed over, crouching at Mustang's left. I touched his shoulder gently, and he jolted a moment. I winced an awful pit in my stomach at what had happened to him. "It's Marina. She and I are going to help get you out of here. Can you stand?"
"No, none of you will be leaving," Father assured us, having overheard our little plan, and I narrowed my eyes at him. "Escaping is futile. You're already deep within my stomach." Mei stepped forward, a determined look on her face.
"Mei!" Al cried.
"What are you doing?" Ed asked exasperatedly.
"I've come a long way to talk to him. Envy told me that you are immortal!" she accused, waiting a beat for a reply. When there came none, she continued. "So, you're not denying it? That's all I need. I'll handle this one, Alphonse." Izumi gave me a look, and, on her count, we lifted Mustang to his feet.
"What? Not on your own. He's too powerful!" Al tried to reason.
"It's fine. He can't control my alkahestry," Mei said with the wave of her hand.
"Even if he binds our alchemy, you shouldn't fight him on your own. We can help!" Al tired again.
"I'll be alright. Just keep the smaller Homunculus out of my way," she instructed firmly.
"She makes it sound like he's the easy one to fight," Ed grumbled. He looked back at us through his peripheral. "If he can strong-arm us through the gate, why has he done it before?"
"Fullmetal," Mustang called, moving forward. "Shortly before I was deconstructed, Selim said it was their last resort and that they didn't have any other choice."
"Which can only mean it must carry some kind of risk for them," Ed concluded, our gaze falling back to Pride.
"Most likely," Mustang affirmed.
"Then we might have a shot," Ed said, that familiar fighting spirit gleaming in his eye. He gave a curt nod to Al, and ever in sync with one another, they clapped their hands together, rubble pillars shooting up after Pride, who retreated rather than retaliated. "Well, look at that! We could use our alchemy!" The boys ran off, and Izumi turned to me.
"Alright, let's move you two," she said, and we began carefully walking our way over the piped terrain, guiding Mustang as the fighting escalated behind us. Something crashed behind us, and the wind from the blow nearly knocked Mustang to his feet as he stumbled over a pipe.
"Ah, I'm sorry," he said, his voice overwrought. His teeth grit together sharply, regaining his bearings. "I'm useless." I shook my head, and Izumi voiced my exact thoughts for the two of us.
"Don't be ridiculous," she said hastily. A large door loomed ahead, the clanking of metal on metal and alchemical warfare still raging behind us. Izumi pointed ahead and ran to the door, attempting to open it, first with her super-human strength and then with alchemy. Neither worked.
"What's going on?" Mustang asked, but I couldn't answer, and I bit my lips together, squeezing his hand instead. His frown deepened as Izumi approached.
"Marina, you go on ahead, try to see if you can find a way out for the both of you," she instructed, and I looked at her wide-eyed.
What about you? I asked with my gaze, and her face softened, that motherly aspect I'd seen in her in Dublith emerging.
"Be his eyes," she said before turning to the fray. I looked back a moment, watching as she erected a cannon, hitting at Father dead-on, his body absorbing the hits. "His hands-free alchemy doesn't make for a fair fight!"
"Marina?" the Colonel asked, and I turned, putting my trust in them to win like she put her trust in me to see Mustang to safety.
We walked along the walls, and I ran my hand along it, something Father had said springing an idea fourth to my mind. If we were in his stomach, we had been thinking about the materials of the walls all wrong. It wasn't iron or even steel; it was intestine, acid, stomach lining. Organic matter, all of which had a percentage of water within it. I released Mustang briefly as an idea came to mind, and I pat his arm, assuring him I wouldn't be long. I clapped my hands together, placing them to the wall, drawing all the moisture from a Mustang-sized opening. My lip quirked up as the fibers of the wall began to shrivel up, and I kicked at the wall brittle enough for my leg to get through. I kept at it, keeping the water at bay as I made my own way out.
"It appears that the time is upon us," Father's voice boomed through the echoey chamber, and I spun around, noticing the black arms flying toward us. I grabbed Mustang roughly by the arm, shoving him into the hole I had made, the lining of the interior already closing in on him.
"What's going on?" he demanded with a groan, and I clapped my hands, moving to go after him, but the hands wrapped around me faster than I could transmute.
Run! I thought desperately, hoping a blind man would hear a mute girl's plea to run, but even as the flesh closed back up, the hand reached into the depths of the stomach lining and pulled Mustang out, dragging both us and our comrades across the room, back to Father. They were all slammed down at different angels, set equidistant from one another in a circle-like pattern. I, on the other hand, wriggled at Father's side, my feet dangling just above the floor. Ed landed just before us, and our eyes met. I'm sure the fear and uncertainty held in his reflected in mine. The building began to rumble, and something sinister took to the air as Father spoke.
"I'm done with indulging your frivolity. It's time to put you to work, my sacrifices. This planet of ours; have you ever considered the possibility that it might, in fact, be a life form? Actually, it would be more accurate to refer to it as a vast nervous system— one that's retained its every memory since its inception and has witnessed the universe unfold. Just think of the massive quantity of information that such a system would hold. But an even better question; how much power could one gain if they opened that systems gateway? Have you ever considered that? Think about it. And what if you had access to an unlimited solar system, unlimited universes, unlimited gateways? Just how much knowledge do you think is stored just beyond this world and into the next?" he proclaimed, and my eyes widened in horror as he gazed at me, his eyeball mere inches away. "You, girl, host the key to every gateway you could possibly imagine. And now that I have you gathered, I shall use you as sacrifices to open the planet's gateway!"
"That is a pretty good plan, pops," Greedling called, and I snapped my head up, noticing the wild and excited look in his eye as he snuck up on Father.
"Where'd he come from?" Pride yelled over the tremors that grew more intense with each passing moment.
"Hope you don't mind me using it for myself!" Greedling sliced through his Father, the once-solid figure now a liquid, oozing across the floor. "This world will finally belong to me!" The liquified Homunculus looked up at Greedling, its wide pointed teeth grinning up at his son.
"I was expecting you to make an appearance. I know you too well, my son. Have you forgotten that you were born from my extracted avarice? Anything that you might happen to desire, I can assure you, that I desired it first," he reminded and slunk away, taking on familiar attributes of Prides shadows, dragging me and my comrades along with him.
"Ed!" Greedling called, watching as Father threw them down into a star formation, with me still stuck unwillingly to his side as he reformed himself into the shape of a man.
Hohenheim tried a last-ditch explosion, the sound booming in my ears as red sparks collided and the hit was blocked. The dust cleared, and Father gazed at him with amusement, laughing as it proved only a simple block was necessary to subdue Hohenheim.
"Careful now. Don't damage the host," Father taunted, rearranging my bindings, pulling at both of my arms, outstretching them as if I were on a crucifix, dangling me over the center of the circle of the pedestal below. "Now, the very center of this world is right here!" He slammed his hand down onto the transmutation circle, the small figurines arranged their sent flying.
"Evil bastard!" Hohenheim cried.
Red light engulfed the room, and I watched as eyes opened on the bellies of the five within the circle. I thrashed against my bindings, the red energy crackling beneath me, licking at my heels, forming a dome over Father. Maniacal laughter and the screams of my friends mingled and mixed into a horrid song. Black hands reached for the white, protective dome around Father, and I could feel the pure energy tingle through my body even without touching it. Hohenheim gazed up at me through his agony, and I realized I'd have to activate the ulterior solution.
"I'm going to trace the circle into your back now," Hohenheim said, and I nodded firmly. His palm rested gently against my skin, a stark contrast from the electricity that crackled through me a moment later. I bit down hard on the rag in my mouth, tears springing to my eyes. That awful branding sensation reemerged, and for a moment, I thought I'd be sick. "I'm sorry, just a bit more."
"Fight for me! Let your gateways fight for my soul! Shed your energy for me!" Father commanded, the energy surging around us. He laughed heartily. "What truly magnificent energy. Its immensity is indescribable! I can barely contain it. Now that I've obtained enough power, I will open up this planet's gateway and open the gateway of each planet in existence until I've obtained all the knowledge there is to be had!"
An eye opened on my stomach as the energy building within the dome – building around Father – converged all at once over me, overwhelming my senses. I cried out, the sound pitiful, excruciating pain radiating from my head to my toes. Hit by a thousand lightning bolts each second— that's what I imagined the pain to feel like. My vision began to spot, but I forced my eyes to stay open, forced myself to keep conscious. I could barely feel my outstretched arms anymore, let alone my legs that dangled beneath me, nothing but dead weight. My head lobbed, and I couldn't keep my eyes open no matter how hard I tried, but I maintained my consciousness. But it still wasn't time yet. I wasn't sure how, but I could feel it.
"Timing is everything if that's what it comes down to," Hohenheim warned, having finished what needed to be done. "Activate it too early, and not only won't it have any effect, but it shows our hand and will allow him to stop you. Activate it too late, and, well…" He didn't need to say it. I could conjure my own thoughts of what might happen.
Something in the air around me shifted, and the diverged energy converged at the center of my being before shooting out of me— up to the ceiling, to the sky, to the heavens. I could see it, even with my eyes closed, the way he opened the gate, his fist wrapped firmly around the sun, pulling God to earth, demanding subservience. Just a little longer, I told myself, coughing up blood from the overuse of my already mutilated vocal cords. I wondered very briefly if I were still a physical being or merely an idea.
"Join me! I will no longer be bound to you or your consequences! I will force you down into my bowels! You'll have no choice but to be absorbed!" Father spoke to God callously, demanding respect, successfully pulling God into himself. But he wasn't finished.
He reached another hand, another set of doors just before his grasp. My eyes shot open, realizing it was time. I focused all my energy on my back, to the carved pattern there, and used my life's force to trace out the circle within myself. I had to remember what it felt like, using the Philosopher's Stone. I remembered their voices, pushing me forward, and with an outcry, activated the circle.
Ed blinked his eyes open slowly, his eyelids heavy, his whole body tingling. It felt like he'd fallen into an electrical current, coursing through his veins like charged volts of energy. He even felt the tingling sensation in his automail, phantom-realized sensations to match his flesh counterparts. He groaned as he moved to sit up, glancing down to his stomach. The large eye that had opened there was gone, but whatever had happened after that was hazy. He couldn't remember anything outside of his own screams and feeling like his soul was being— ripped open, he figured was the best way to describe it. Like his very essence was being forced apart. He glanced around, accounting for his comrades, who all seemed to be coming to.
"Is everyone alright? What happened?" Mustang asked, sitting up.
"You have done well, my faithful sacrifices," Father remarked, and Ed's attention was drawn to him. He looked completely different, Ed's golden hair and eyes reflected in the young man that sat on the throne, his legs crossed casually, his cheek resting over his knuckles, seemingly bored.
"You mean you actually did it?" Hohenheim asked though Ed feared he already knew the answer to the question he posed.
"Yes, I have done what I set out to do— acquire God," Father stated plainly. It was like the air was sucked out of the room.
"Acquire God? That isn't possible!" Ed yelled.
"Unfortunately, it is. Given a great enough amount of energy," Hohenheim corrected, and Ed grit his teeth.
"Wait, what energy?" Ed asked a moment before his eyes widened, the realization dawning on him. There was only one instrument of alchemy with that kind of energy output. "The Philosopher's Stone?"
"It can't be! Does this mean everyone was turned into a Philosopher's Stone?" Al asked.
"How many lives were sacrificed for this?" Mei questioned, her voice wavering.
"Amestris is a large country; at least fifty million people," Mustang said.
"I could have had fifty million more, but it seems my host had been tampered with," he said, and Ed followed his cold glare to Marina, who laid unconscious beneath the pillar he had slammed his hand into to acquire God in the first place. Ed's heart sunk. What did he do to her?
"Marina?" Ed called, his voice suddenly hoarse. She didn't move, and Ed couldn't see the steady rise and fall of her back. She was completely still. Why was she still unconscious? "Hey, Marina! Marina!"
Weeds as tall as my calves tickled the back of my leg. A breeze kicked up, flowing through the reeds. They danced in the wind and almost looked like a rolling sea, glistening in the fiery light of the rapidly setting sun. There was a hint of salt in the air, something calming about the scent. We never lived near the water growing up, so on the rare occasion I got to see the ocean, I remembered it well. But this place, there was something about it that beckoned me in a way that was eerily familiar and somehow entirely new.
The sun set quickly over the dune, the summer heat only dimming slightly, and I moved forward, realizing there was sand beneath me, between my toes. I pressed on, the glimmering of the ocean far across the horizon calling me. I trudged through until I left the grasses behind me until the moon was high in the sky and small lights twinkled around me.
"Eep!" a young voice cried, and I turned to see a little girl, her petite hand glowing. She held her arm out, stock-still, letting out a small yelp each time the light on her hand dimmed and glowed. A figure knelt next to her, chuckling, the crashing of waves sounding beyond him.
"It's alright," the man assured her— for some reason, the word 'father' rung out in my head. "It's just a lightning bug, Rina."
"Light Bug?" she questioned, unsure. He held his hand out, far larger than hers, and plucked the critter from her open palm, letting it race across his hand.
"See? Harmless," he said, the yellow light illuminating the girl's face. Her eyes shone with it, wonder and awe pooling there. The bug stayed a moment more before fluttering into the night, joining its colony to light up the night sky, and they watched as it disappeared into the night. The man tapped the girl's shoulder, pointing up at the sky. "Look, Rina."
"More bugs?" she asked, and the man let out a hearty laugh, a sound that startled me.
"No, no. Those are stars," he corrected, and she frowned but didn't argue. "But I guess if you want to get technical, you could consider them as one and the same." She gave him a questioning look.
"Huh?" she said, her eye tracking another bug. She started after it, seeming to have forgotten his musings, and he had to jump up after her to catch her before she got too far. She groaned in distaste as he lifted her, but her frustration was quickly replaced with amusement as he swung her around in circles, her giggles loud and raucous.
"You're not a very good listener," he scolded playfully before turning her attention back to the stars. He pointed at a big blue ball of light— one I could recognize anywhere. "Remember that one?"
"Laris!" she shouted excitedly, and he ruffled her hair with a big grin.
"Right, Polaris. See, stars are just big balls of gas and elements, made up of the same atoms that make you, and me, and even the lightning bugs. We're all connected."
"Connected," she parroted, clearly not understanding its meaning, clearly just beginning to grasp the language, and he nodded, setting her down, taking up a stick, drawing a circle in the sand.
"We're all connected in a cycle, and we'll return to where we came from. One day, we just might be a star or a lightning bug," he said, and she looked even more puzzled than before. "All is one, and one is all. You might be a little young yet to understand, but I think one day, it'll all make sense."
The waves crashed loudly over the sound of their laughter, and I was fading, retreating as the scene before me dissolved. I felt myself slip away.
I groaned a moment, my back sore from how I'd landed. I rolled to my side, laying there a moment before I tried opening my eyes. My breath caught as I realized I was back in that terrible void, and a million thoughts raced through my mind. Had I failed to activate the countermeasure? No, I had felt it. But then, why was I here? Had it backfired? What happened to everyone else? Better yet, where was Truth? I looked around, managing to stand, realizing I was completely alone in the void.
"What the hell is going on?" I wondered aloud, looking around, and to my surprise, my voice echoed around me. I clasped my hands over my mouth, blinking rapidly before I removed them, trying again. My voice echoed again, the gritty and uncomfortable feeling in my throat gone. A smile spread across my face briefly before dread settled in my stomach. What was going on? "Is this some kind of sick joke, Truth? I'm tired of you toying with me!"
"I'm afraid it's not a joke," a voice called behind me, and I stiffened.
My heart thrummed in my throat, beating as fast as a hummingbird's wing. No. Not him. I wasn't ready to face him. I didn't know how to. But still, I turned, curiosity and something else, something I couldn't pin down urging me to peek over my shoulder. I didn't want to be right— but I was. He stood there casually, his hands tucked into the pockets of his slacks. I swallowed thickly.
"Are you… Carter?"
And here it is the moment you've all been waiting for… for me to introduce Carter and then go on a two-week vacation LMAO. Sorry, everybody, it do be like that sometimes. But oh my God I had such a good time writing this chapter, especially at the end there trying to explain what was going on as Marina is getting zapped. This is also kind of a fill-in-the-blank chapter where we don't see a lot of the goings-on of the Central upheaval, just the main parts that changed due to the course of my story, so consider everything else as you would in canon. I also understand if this chapter was a little overwhelming; I did manage to shove like four episodes worth of stuff into one chapter, but I will say that I am very, very proud of it. I think it's one of my favorites so far because we see how Marina has developed both as a fighter and a person, and she's using her big brain to make better decisions, but also ones that still align with her moral compass. When I decided she'd dig some knives into Kimblee's palms, I went absolutely nuts, haha. I enjoyed letting them have a sort of rematch, especially given the history of her family lineage to go along with it and her and Al working together to kick some ass. I always love bits where I get to showcase their bond and how well they mesh and work together as well. So, that was also a delight. Also, I was debating about the Envy v. Ed bit, but I had written it near the beginning of the story when I first decided she'd lose her voice, and I just, ugh, I couldn't pass on the troupe, alright? I'm a sucker, but we get some exhibition there too about Mustang without bogging things down with reiterations of the show. If it was unclear, Mustang is just as pissed on behalf of Hughes suffering. But yes! I hope that this is enough to tide you over until I get back from the beach, and I'll see you soon!