When Ed and Al left the Colonel to deal with the panicking woman, instead of heading back down, Ed had them heading around the corner to wait. Al looked down, and curiosity could be heard in his voice. "Ed, you left without asking anything. What happened?"
Ed was still peeking around the corner, so he looked back with a frown. "Hey Al, did you notice the way that woman was looking at us? Me in particular?"
Al shook his head. "Not really. All I could tell was that she was afraid. Do you know who she is?"
"No, not a clue, but we're gonna find out." Al did not like the way his brother's voice sounded, but he also knew better than to argue. Once Ed made up his mind, it would be hard to change.
It was a little more than fifteen minutes later that Ed jerked back around the corner when Mustang come back out of the girl's room. The brothers waited until they heard his footsteps fade around the far bend before Ed waved, and they headed straight for the room the man just vacated.
Anna had barely had a chance to lay her head down when the door slammed open again. She looked up and groaned at the sight of the two Elrics before she let her head flop back. "Can I not catch a break."
Ed was immediately by her bedside while Al closed the door. "Hey, woman. I want to know who you are and why you kept looking at me that way?"
Anna had to remind herself that he was only fifteen, and no matter the different world, it would probably be frowned on if she decked him. She sat up with a sigh and tried to glare at him. "Is that how you make friends with everyone, or am I a special case?"
Ed's glare matched hers as he leaned forward. "Just answer the damn question."
She huffed. "Why don't you try asking like a person first."
Al grabbed his brother before he could do anything stupid and looked over at the woman. "Please ma'am, I understand that you were attacked last night, but you recognized us both, so can you explain that? It doesn't happen often."
Anna sighed and gave the younger boy a smile. It didn't last long, and she shook her head. "I can try, but I don't know if it will make sense. Although, if anyone would believe me, it would be the two of you."
Ed's eyes narrowed as he jerked away from Al's hold. "I knew it. You've seen it haven't you."
Anna didn't need him to verify what he was talking about. Her eyes flitted down to his right arm, and she had to clench her fist in the sheets to keep from reaching up again. All she did was nod.
Al gasped at her agreement. He finally understood what Ed had been talking about when the woman looked down at his brother's automail arm before she nodded. He lowered his voice before he spoke. "You've seen the gate too?"
She sighed and closed her eye before she looked up and shrugged. "Yes." That was all she could get out.
Ed made a disgusted noise next to her and pinned her with a heated glare. "That's it? That explains your eye, but not why you kept looking at my arm. You knew it was automail. How?"
Anna's eye snapped open, and her mind was whirling. These boys needed help. Desperately, but she knew that she couldn't just tell them about Father and the homunculi. Not if she wanted to keep Edward from rushing to confront the Fuhrer. Besides, she needed to find out which reality she was in first. It wasn't like she didn't know there was more than one conflicting story she had heard. Which one was real? God, the thought made her head hurt. How was any of this real in the first place?
She shook her head when Al grabbed his brother again. "Look, all I can tell you is that I'm not from Amestris at all. I have heard of the two of you. A lot about you. I know the reason you are called Fullmetal has nothing to do with your automail, but your style of alchemy and attitude. That is why I know you are Ed and he is Al. There are a few other things I know, but-"
She cut herself off as she could see both boys were not buying it. She started to run her hand down her face but froze as her hand touched the gauze. Her fingers turned into a fist, and she swallowed before she looked back at the two of them. "I can't tell you more than that. What I can tell you is the last thing the Truth told me before the gates shut. Maybe you will understand then."
That got both of their attention. Al couldn't remember the encounter at all, and Ed wasn't fond of remembering, but he understood how cryptic the being could be. It was interesting to him that the woman called it the Truth. "What was it?"
She sighed. "I was told it had been a long time since they had seen someone from my corner of the multiverse. They then said since it had been so long that it would be best if I took a little trip. Something about it being a mercy instead of sending me home. That was when I woke up in an alley here in Amestris instead of back in my apartment."
Ed was scowling, and Al was rubbing his chin. Finally, it was Al that spoke. "Why do you think it said it was a mercy?"
Ed scoffed, but Anna closed her eye. Despite the danger she was in, that was one thing she was pretty sure she understood, and she had to agree it might be a mercy. "I can't say for sure, but I think it was because alchemy doesn't exist where I am from. Since I can now use it without drawing a circle, I would probably be targeted. Either to be used in experiments or to be killed to keep the rest of the world from learning the truth."
Ed cursed, and Al froze. Ed was the first to recover. "Wait, if it doesn't exist where you're from, then how did you open the gate?"
Anna sighed. "It was an accident. I was working with an ancient transcribed text. I honestly didn't believe anything would happen when I added my blood."
Ed rolled his eyes and nearly growled at her. "Idiot! How could you be so stupid to play with forces you don't understand fully! If you were smart enough to get the formula right, then surely you understood enough to know what could happen!"
Al grabbed Ed once more. "I apologize for my brother, but it's hard to see other people be so careless."
Anna gave him a nod. "I understand. I was careless, but you both need to remember that to me, alchemy wasn't real. At least not in the sense that it is here in Amestris. It was an ancient art that was relegated to the same light as snake oil and other charlatans. The book I found seemed more like the beginnings of early chemistry, not alchemy in the sense I knew it. I wasn't trying to transmute a human or even create a philosopher's stone. Not really. I was following the instructions and trying to see something ancient brought to the light of the future. I'm an anthropologist. I was looking for living history."
Both boys had frozen during her speech. When she finished, Ed turned to her with narrowed eyes. "You know about the Philosopher's Stone?"
Anna's expression matched his. "No." Despite what she did know, that was one more thing that she needed to figure how to share with them without causing more harm than good. First, she needed more information.
She shook her head. "It was a legend. It was said that if a person could create it that they could have the elixir of life and gain immortality. They could also use it to transmute lead into gold and become wealthy beyond measure. It was a fantasy to goad dreamers on, nothing more."
Ed glared at the woman but didn't speak right away. He wasn't sure what to believe. She seemed to be telling the truth, but he knew there was more she wasn't saying. "You said that thing said something about you coming from the far corner of the 'multiverse,' right? Does that mean you are from another dimension or something?"
Anna chuckled. Ed was too smart for his own good. She looked at him and shrugged. "I don't know exactly. All I do know is that I am not from this planet. It could be another dimension or simply another corner of the universe."
They both turned when Al let out a shocked sound, but quickly turned back to face each other. Ed started pacing with his hand on his chin. He only did so for a few moments before he stopped and glared at her again. "If that is the case, then how did you know us?"
Anna could already feel the medicine kicking in and wished the Elric brothers had waited. It was a futile wish, and she knew it, so she tried to formulate an answer that would make sense. "I guess there is some connection between our worlds. I have heard stories of your world in mine, but they are muddled and contradictory, so I know a few people and maybe some events, like the war in Ishval, but not much else. I never thought that they were real."
Ed ran his hand down his face roughly before he stared at his brother. It was several moments before any of them spoke again. The older boy finally turned back to Anna with a frown. "If you are telling the truth, then I can't help but think there was a reason you were dropped here specifically. That thing doesn't do things randomly. I don't always understand, but I know that much. We have things to look into, but we'll talk to Mustang and see if we can't figure something out. Just keep your head down for now."
Al finally piped up from the other side of the room. "Maybe we can tell him she's our cousin from uhm, maybe Creta? That is probably the easiest border to cross, and he already knows she isn't from Amestris."
Ed grinned at his brother. "That's a great idea for now! It would explain how she knew us too."
Anna stared at both boys with shock. "Why would you lie for me?"
Ed frowned back at her. "Human transmutation is taboo. Most people don't know that is what happened to us. If anyone found out, we would be in a lot of trouble. Even if you didn't know what you were doing, it would still cause problems. Until we figure this out, it would be best if we keep this between us."
Anna started to thank him but was interrupted by an involuntary yawn. She covered it quickly and shook her head. "Sorry, they gave me something for the pain. Anyway, thank you. I know this is weird. It's scary as hell for me, but I'm glad you're willing to listen, at least."
Ed scratched the back of his head at the look she was giving him and waved her thanks off. "Don't thank us until we get this straight. I'm still not thrilled to know you were so reckless, but you seem the type to at least learn from your mistakes. I have a feeling there is something bigger going on anyway. Rest for now, and we'll be back later." Anna could feel her brain turning to mush, but she managed a nod as the boys turned to leave. She had barely managed to lay back down before she was out again.
It was dark when Anna next opened her eye. She yawned and stretched before she sat up and looked around. She felt much better than she had the first time she woke up, but that didn't keep her from jumping with a short scream when she saw a person sitting next to her bed in the dark. The man was sitting forward and looking at her intently. It took her a moment to realize it was the Colonel.
She put her hand over her heart as she shook her head. "Haven't you ever been told it's rude to sit in a girl's room after dark without permission?"
He sat back with a chuckle. "I apologize if I frightened you. I came to check and see how you were feeling. The nurses said you had been given something for pain, but that it should be wearing off soon. Don't worry, I haven't been here long."
Once her heart was beating normally again, Anna narrowed her eyes at the man. Surely he didn't personally check on all witnesses and sit there waiting for them to wake. What wasn't he saying? "Pardon me if this sounds rude, but you are a Colonel. Surely checking on a witness would be better delegated to one of your subordinates. Especially since you had to wait. Wouldn't your time be better spent on other things?"
Mustang smirked at her, but she didn't miss the flash of something a little dangerous in his eyes. "You might be right, but I never miss the opportunity to talk to a pretty woman."
Anna almost rolled her eyes. Almost. The only thing that kept her from it was the knowledge that his words were flirting, but his eyes were not. She had plenty of experience with the former, but the latter was new. She held his gaze for several seconds before she spoke again. "Why are you really here, Colonel?"
His smirk widened, and he sat forward again. "The Elric brothers came to my office earlier. Can you imagine what they had to tell me?"
Anna sighed and shook her head. "I am sure they were just as shocked to see me as I was to see them. Our families were separated long ago. I barely recognized Ed from the pictures I had. Since they are inseparable, I assumed the other was Al."
Mustang's smirk dropped from his face immediately as he sat back. "So, you are cousins?"
She shrugged. "Distant cousins."
He sighed and frowned. "Does that mean you are also an alchemist? They said your family used to know the practice, but weren't sure of your talent."
Anna felt her jaw clench. Those boys. They certainly knew how to twist the truth to fit the circumstances. Was that their solution to get the Colonel to keep her close? They were going to get her killed!
Her expression then turned to a grimace when she realized it wasn't any worse than what she was doing. Perhaps this could work in her favor. She finally nodded. "Yes. I am still new, so my talent is questionable, but I do know some alchemy."
Mustang frowned. "I know not all places are as accepting of alchemy as Amestris. Was that why you were attacked?"
Anna felt a prickle behind her eye. His reasoning was wrong, but his theory was still at least somewhat correct. That fact had her clenching her fists in her lap and staring down at them as she answered. "I cannot tell you who attacked me, or why they dumped me in an alley in Amestris, but I do know that it had something to do with alchemy."
Mustang sighed as he sat back. "Well, for now, I can offer you protection while we investigate. You'll be here for a few more days anyway."
He then stood to leave, but paused and gave her another of his charming smiles. "Perhaps once you feel up to it, you can even show me your skill level. If you are related to the Elrics, it has to be more than you claim. That kind of skill doesn't come along often."
Anna did roll her eyes at that point. "That level of skill takes years of practice and an extraordinary level of genius. I am an anthropologist first. I only started looking into alchemy because it became a passion of my mother's in the last few years of her life."
He froze next to the door and turned to her with examining eyes. "Your mother has passed away?"
Anna had to swallow once before she was able to speak. "Yes. Nine months ago. She was an acclaimed archeologist, but she got sick nearly four years ago. After that, we spent most of our free time looking into alchemy. I think it was just her way of sharing her last days with me. She told me before she left that she was glad we got to spend so much time together."
He was still giving her a look like he wasn't sure how to take what she was saying. "And your father?"
She frowned at him before she laughed under her breath and shrugged. "That would require me knowing who he was. If mom knew, she never told me."
He finally chuckled at that. He smirked at her. "She sounds like a strong woman."
Anna gave him a genuine smile. "Yes, she was."
His eyes widened slightly before he gave her a slight bow. "Well, I apologize for taking up so much of your time. I look forward to our next meeting."
Anna sighed when he walked out and leaned back. Things were moving too fast, and she still had no idea when she was or even which reality she was in. That one was giving her more of a headache than the rest. It wasn't that she didn't know the stories, but the fact that there was more than one was a killer. Which reality was really real? God, just thinking that sentence made her feel insane. She chuckled to herself and tried to think of how she was going to figure out her next steps.
A/N: Does anyone else feel like they are running around all crazy like? I kinda do, even though she hasn't left the hospital lol. So much being thrown at her, so many questions, and so few answers. At least they have the words of the Truth (haha, sorry) Anyway, I hope you enjoyed.
