Chapter III: The Day of Scarlet Clouds
The days of winter were well on their way, and the inhabitants of North City new this better than anyone else. The cloud-filled sky was a stark gray, reflecting the mood of the soldiers stationed there in Northern Headquarters. A squad of guards stood at the front doors of the compound, rifles at their sides and eyes scanning the grounds ahead of them. The frigid late morning left rendered their breath visible in small puffs of vapor in the air, only to float away into obscurity after a short-lived existence. With the exception of the soldiers stationed outside the complex, Northern Headquarters had been devoid of activity until two figures in military uniform entered through the front gates, crossing the grounds between the fence and headquarters' front doors quickly.
"Good morning, sir," one of the guards saluted the pair of blond- and brown-haired men.
"Good morning," the blond-haired officer returned the greeting with a quick salute and continued into the building.
In compensation for his failure to secure the homunculus he had helped to create in the Central-Western region, Despair had decided to infiltrate the high-security prison beneath Northern Headquarters in order to take a State Alchemist-turned-criminal into his own custody. He had heard Marlo mention wanting to gain the convict's help in his plans, and, taking initiative, Despair had taken his personal aide along with him on his trip northeast. He and another homunculus who went by the name Apathy had entered Northern Headquarters with the help Despair's abilities and were now making their way through the compound to the maximum-security prison below.
Being able to bend, absorb, and refract light in intricate and versatile ways, Despair could have easily been able to penetrate the HQ's defenses invisibly, however, he instead opted to walk right into the building along with Apathy disguised as two officers stationed in the area: this, in accordance with his lively and mischievous personality, he considered a slap in the face and serious insult to the military compound's security. He and Apathy had observed a pair of officers stationed at Northern Headquarters that had the authority they needed, as well as arrived at the complex at a suitable time, and then Despair used his ability to manipulate light to disguise the pair of created humans as the officers they had spied on.
So it was that two homunculi were at the heart of an Amestrian military compound. Despair loved the feeling: that is, knowing that you were about to deal your enemies a humiliating blow and they could do nothing about it, even as you walked among them. Apathy, on the other hand, remained in a state that lived up to her name: casually indifferent toward the whole affair, only joining Despair on the journey out of her loyalty toward the suited homunculus. Despair found the created human so amusing; in truth, it seemed Apathy possessed all of the emotions humans did- she just hardly expressed them. This gave Despair untold amounts of delight as he pried at his fellow homunculus's past and grew closer to the created woman.
Despair had found Apathy near Amestris's northern border, and, upon discovering her, raised her to proper health. Together they had wandered the Amestrian countryside in search of each others desires- for Despair, to become human, and for Apathy, to actually know what it was she wanted- before meeting Marlo and forging a deal with him.
Despair and Apathy, along with the created human Deceit and- eventually- another homunculus who rarely showed himself from the depths of Marlo's various hideaways, had made a pact with Marlo years ago, back when each of them were even younger than they were at the moment. The true details were rather extraneous to Despair at the moment- at the moment they were simply carrying out various mundane tasks that were only intricate details whose effects would later take the shape of a much greater scheme. He only knew that, one way or another, Marlo was planning to create an alchemic catalyst he claimed was even greater than a pure Philosopher's Stone: an implausible statement, but he did support his statements well enough to make it seem a distant possibility.
The pair of homunculi opened a door that led down a spiraling stairway to the prison chambers below. Despair- still protected by the illusion of a military officer- shrugged to himself, mentally swatting away his musings. He glanced beside him to Apathy's altered form and immediately longed to let the disguise fade away. In reality, Apathy had the appearance of a young woman in her early twenties so beautiful one could almost say that she wasn't human- which, ironically, was true. On top of that, she let her long, icy-blue hair fall freely behind her, ending at her waist; her silver eyes viewed the world through an unwavering gaze of sheer indifference. In reality, she appeared so much greater than the filthy human appearance that disguised her now.
An amused smile played at the corners of Despair's lips as the two "officers" commanded two soldiers to open the thick, iron door they guarded so diligently- or so they thought. Without worry- almost casually- the two homunculi traversed down a dimly lit hall lined with cells. Each was accessible only through a metal door as strong as the one they had passed through, and each was guarded by a pair of guards. Both stared straight ahead, keeping their goal in mind: the man who waited for them in the cell at the end of the hallway.
Coming to a stop in front of the men who guarded the final cell, a blond-haired Colonel addressed the soldiers, "Open this door." When met by questioning glances, he continued, lifting a document to their gazes, "I have an official declaration from His Excellency, Fuhrer King Bradley, specifically stating that the man in this cell, Robert Leith, once known as the Scarlet Rain Alchemist, is to be released from his incarceration and transported to Central immediately."
Obediently, albeit reluctantly, the two soldiers guarding the chamber opened its massive, iron door; the weak lighting in the hallway penetrated the chamber to reveal a man with vibrant red hair, long from ages without being cut.
"I take it the military's stray dog has finally become useful again?" the former prisoner inquired glibly, his sly voice echoing throughout the confined space.
A few explanations and a short while later, the trio was back in the open air- one of them for the first time in years- and traveling briskly out of Northern Headquarters.
Once the coast was clear and they were well out of the military's watchful gaze, Despair released the cloak around Apathy and himself, revealing them in their true appearances. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am known as Despair; this is my colleague, Apathy. We're working with someone I believe you know quite well, Marlo."
"Oh," the Scarlet Rain Alchemist laughed, "I trust he's still doing well? I suppose so, considering he's gone and helped me out yet again." Not that it mattered to either of the homunculi, but Leith spoke in an intelligent fashion one would never expect to hear from a former convict- undoubtedly, Scarlet Rain was not as openly despicable as most escaped convicts.
"Quite well," Apathy answered softly, eyes studying their new ally carefully.
"Now, as you may've guessed, you aren't heading to Central like you overheard," Despair continued. "No; we are returning to Hanz, southwest of here in Amestris's western region, where Marlo and the others are waiting."
"The others?" Leith repeated. "Then my favor to him is still proving useful?"
Despair smirked. "You must mean Deceit." He paused, and then added, "Yes, there is also a fourth homunculus amongst us, who you'll meet as well."
A smile full of malice formed on the Scarlet Rain Alchemist's pallid features. "Just like before, when I was still a State Alchemist," he mused, iniquitous delight in his voice.
The homunculus in the suit and top hat chuckled, as if to find Robert Leith his kindred spirit. "Yes… I assure you, your brother-in-law will be quite happy to see you."
Author's Note: Yay, chapter four. This chapter was really only supposed to introduce more faces, but I guess I ended up explaining quite a bit of Marlo's part of the story, too... Well, thanks again readers! Come back tomorrow and I'll probably have another chapter in by then.