Aftermath of Sin

chapter 2

E-566

"This is where you live?" Roy asked quietly, and Matt nodded, pushing aside some fallen steel garbage cans to reveal a multitude of plastic and cardboard boxes. He took another apple seemingly out of his sleeve and shined it before biting into it, tossing the other apple core into a trash bin. Lights shone on the bin for a second and Roy jumped back in surprise as the trash can intoned "Apple core." And resumed it's stillness. What kind of freakish garbage can...?

"You'll get used to it, if you want to survive out here. Listen, if the rain gets harder, go for one of the plastic boxes, a'right? The cardboard just collapse on themselves when they're wet. A drop of water landed on Matteas's brow and he rubbed it away quickly. Roy squinted at his brow. "What's that?" he asked, pointing, and Matt quickly clapped his hands to his head.

"It's nothing!" he cried, diving for one of the cardboard boxes and putting something on his head. Roy was once again mystified by Matteas's behavior. Maybe it wasa scar and people in 3020 were very vain, maybe they had to cover up everything. He certainly didn't feel comfortable asking Matteas about it.

He sat himself down in a plastic box. If this is where the poor boy lived... Living conditions were never this terrible in Amestris... and it was cold! He shivered and reached his hands into his pockets, feeling something familiar. He pulled them out: his gloves!

Matt looked at him from an opposite box. "What's that? Pretty man's gloves in Amestris?" he taunted, and Roy ignored him, turning them over in his hands. "Ever heard of alchemy?" he asked, and Matteas nodded.

"Oh sure, it's all in books and fairy tales though, like magic."

"It's not magic, it's more like a flexible form of science. You take one thing and make it into another..." It was damp out, he couldn't use too many flames. He drew on the pavement instead and pressed his hands to the circle, and Matteas's eyes narrowed. "Don't do that!" he hissed harshly, his hands flying up to his brow again.

"Why not?"

"Just... don't..." he fell back into the box as if he were in pain and Roy got up and knelt beside him.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?"

"Just leave me alone, I'll be fine." Dammit, the search signals...

What search signals? Have you done something?" Matt jerked, not realizing he had spoken his thoughts aloud.

"Just be quiet, don't do anything!"

Matt twitched in his box a few times and moaned, clutching his head in his hands, writhing painfully. Roy bent over him, one hand on his shoulder, unsure of what to do, then he saw Matt's eyes...

They were blood-red and something dripped off of his brow, revealing four inscriptions. "E... 566?" Matt roared something unintelligible and whipped out one arm, tossing Roy aside like a rag doll. Roy got up on his elbows and stared at Matteas, and Matt got up on his knees, then his legs with difficulty, and staggered out of the alley.

Roy got up and went out after him to find Matteas surrounded by men in black suits and some very nasty guns... he didn't like it.

"You won't take me back! I won't go... back there... NO!" Matt held his hands in front of him and something red erupted from his hands, annihilating the first row of men, then the second; he turned quickly and his other hand shot out a green orb that hovered above another group of the soldiers.

It exploded.

The men opened fire on Matt and he seemed to dodge them with ease without really realizing it, and he swung his hands in an arc, blue fire flying a wave towards them. Roy got his hands out of his pockets and snapped his fingers, walls of flame surrounding them, and he grabbed Matt's arm.

"Let's get out of here!" he was about to drag Matt away, but movement seemed to come easily to him because he immediately grabbed Roy's wrist and started to run, but it wasn't like running... it's like we're... floating, gliding... he looked down at their feet and was amazed to see them sliding along on a yellow energy stream. Matt put down Roy slowly and Roy got the hang of the skating motion quickly as Matt bound yellow energy slips to the bottom of his shoes. Matt seemed to have no need for them.

That was when Roy realized that they were skating above New York City, above at a dizzying height. The city seemed to be a mass of little bright specks of light... In Amestris, there was only power in the working facilities; here, it seemed, there was a city wide power grid. He kept his eyes on the yellow stream though, he didn't want to fall.

He looked ahead at Matteas and wondered what order of being could possibly make something like this, could shoot fire, explode bombs, and fire laserlike blasts at pure will... not to mention summon skate roads... E-566... There was suddenly a flash of red and Roy called out a warning. Matt screeched to a halt on the road and the red light became a stream as well, a stream that coincided with theirs. Roy didn't like it.

Another person... but he was different from Matteas. He was tall and fair-haired, with golden amber eyes, and a satanic grin on his face; Roy's insides curled and twisted, he already didn't like this guy. He looked almost too much like Fullmetal... a huge version of Fullmetal.

"Well well, E-566... fancy seeing you here."

Matteas hissed, on guard. "K-18."

"You truly live up to your name as the 'Devi'l's Experiment', don't you? Look at all the destruction you've caused for a moment, won't you?" he lazily waved a finger at the section of New York they had left, in flames and explosions wracking the sector.

"How destructive, especially for you, E-566."

"My name is Matteas."

"Yes yes, whatever you like. However..." K-18 slid lazily by Matteas. "Remember... E-566 is scheduled for 'immediate deconstruction' when caught. And you are ever the inferior model to me, E-566."

"What are you saying?"

"If I catch you, I'll make you wish you were being deconstructed, 566, mark my words."

"I'll... keep that in mind, K-18."

"It would be in yourbest interests. It's no fun to be hunting you down unless you're scared out of your little mind, so go."

Matt started to leave.

"And one more thing... I'm not the only one hunting you down. So run, E-566, run until they catch you... then I'll have the pleasure of deconstructing you myself," K-18 laughed mercilessly.

Matteas said nothing and looked over to Roy, jerking his head down the yellow energy path and Roy nodded, following Matteas. There was a shot and an orange ball of energy flew past Matteas's head, grazing his cheek enough to draw blood. He whirled back around and faced K-18, whose hand was outstretched. "Don't take me lightly, E-566."

Matteas inclined his head and continued down the path, careful to keep Roy in front of him in case K-18 decided to attack and do some permanant damage.

"Bastard," Matteas muttered.

"Who was that?" Roy asked.

"K-18... he's the top notch for the K series killing machines... he's the best in assassinations and... dealings with deaths."

"So he's a murderer? And what's the K series?"

"Basically. The K series... well... I might tell you later. Just keep moving or you'll fall off..."

"Roy."

"Alright, Roy. Just skate."

A K series... after me... and he's not the only one. Who else have they sent after me?

Yay, I got some revies! I'm so happy T.T

-T A