Al's-best-friend: Okay, before any of you start whining about me not updating for a while let me explain. I have a new job. It's horrible and takes away about nine maybe ten hours of my day. So, when I get home I'm tired. I'd ratherdo other stuffthan write. If that bothers you well then that's too bad.
Disclaimer: If I owned FMA would I be writing fan fiction?
Roy really, really wanted to become the further. It was a well known dream of his. He thought no scratch that out, he knew he was a natural born leader. The people that worked for him trusted him and were fiercely loyal. He had good ideas and had no thoughts of being a dictator in his head. Sure, he has a little obsession over women but everyone had faults right? But not under any circumstances did he want to be in charge now.
H.Q. was a mess. The old further was dead. Many people quit, believing that they, somehow, would get murdered too. Everyone was running around screaming about this or that and begging that he assist them. People, civilians, were breaking in stealing things and proclaiming that nobody was in charge anymore. Secretaries burst into tears, raving that they couldn't take it anymore. Soldiers were either a) running away while stealing guns and uniforms that clearly didn't belong to them, b) trying to get the civilians outside and failing miserably, or c) just simply sitting around and watching the panic around them with pale faces.
Roy was sitting at his desk at the moment, yelling orders to the few remaining alchemists, sending them out to do several different things in hope of fixing some damage. Riza was currently with the soldiers. Roy could hear a few gun shots on the first floor. Followed by that was wild screaming and a sound compared to a stampede of elephants. He smiled at the thought that at least one thing was done.
Getting in had been easier than I thought. Mom had warned me not to underestimate my situation though. The place was chaos so it had been easy to slip through the grounds undetected. I stayed in the shadows, feeling like a predator. My job was to destroy pretty much half of Central's headquarters but I also had something else to do. I scaled the walls 'till I made it to the third story.
I slipped in unnoticed and decided to have some fun. I jumped up and grabbed the ceiling fan. It squeaked from my weight but held. As soon as I became situated a man who I had been taught to memorize stepped through the doors with military looking people behind him. He looked worn and old. Life must have gotten too much for him I thought.
He sat down on the chair behind the desk and barked out orders to the men. As soon as they left he slumped down in his chair looking tired. I decided to cheer him up a little.
"Hiya!" I sang out looking down at him at a weird angle.
"Hiya?" Roy questioned looking up from his desk but seeing no one. It was strangely quiet.
"Yeah, you know, when someone says that it's a greeting. Sort of like hi you!"
Roy jerked his head up and came face to face with me. I was dangling from the ceiling fan upside down. I blinked in surprise as he shot up from his desk and put his gloved hand in snapping position under my nose.
"Get down!" He ordered. My confused looked changed into a big smile. He was scared of me! I realized. Or at least cautious.
"This is your last warning!" yelled Mustang. I shrugged and pried my legs loose and carefully landed in a hand stand then flipped into a crouch.
"Man, you're tense." I replied teasingly with a light smile.
"Who are you?" He asked while keeping a little distance away from me.
"You don't know?" I questioned while pouting, feeling a little disappointed, "I've heard that you went through a lot of trouble looking for me though."
He looked me in the eye, "You're the new homunculus?"
I nodded while standing up. "So glad you finally understand!" My voice was light, cheerful.
Without warning Roy snapped his fingers. Flames went all around the office quickly destroying all the paper work and furniture. Smoke filled the room. Roy lifted his other hand to cover his mouth and waited.
"Boo!"
Startled, he tripped landing on the ground.
"How did you survive?"
"Bad boy," I scolded making Roy seem like a puppy, "I might have gotten hurt…well, if I wasn't used to this sort of thing."
Roy glared at me, "Why are you here!"
"Well," I sighed dramatically and placed a hand on my hip, "I would much rather go find Pipsqueak but mom said she wanted you dead." I laughed at his shocked expression, "You're surprised? She said you were causing a hassle for us. Well, you humans have to die sooner or later anyway. How 'bout sooner?" I lifted my hands in his direction, "Try not to run, you won't get far, I'm blowing this whole place up." I exclaimed now serious. "Have a nice afterlife you pathetic being."
Ignoring my warning he ran, but instead of bolting out the room into the hallway like I expected him to do he jumped out of the window landing painfully three stories below.
"Smart man," I realized thinking that if he ran fast enough he would get out of my range of fire. If he had ran to another part of the building infront of me rather than behind he would be dead in a few seconds.
"Well, at least he has a chance," I mused. Then, I let myself go; feeling bliss, power, and domination then I blew up. Moments later I heaved myself out on the ruble feeling numb.
Envy pulled me up. He was grinning his evilest smile that was reserved for only the wickedest things. Fire was all around us. Choking and suffocating everything around it. Screams were heard from the unlucky souls that had managed to survive this long. Right now they were probably burning alive. I smelt the metallic smell of blood all around us and I can truly say I have never felt more alive.
"To make something different from the original object it has to be made of the same stuff, right?" Marla asked meekly as if afraid she was wrong, "You can't do completely out-of-the-blue things like turn a tree into a pile of gold."
"Yes," said Al nodding, "I word it a little different though."
Marla smiled and started jumping up and down with her hair floating around her, "Yes!" She pumped her fist in the air, ecstatic, "Now can we start working?"
Alphonse seemed a little hesitant as he began shifting his feet, "Well…"
"Come on, Al! I know this you re-taught me the basics so I know I'm ready. We'll start off small, I promise."
"…sure." Al breathed out feeling defeated, "But let me warn you, I'm not a very good teacher."
Marla waved his comment off, "You and your brother learned this all by yourself didn't you?"
"No."
Marla almost slipped off of her stool in surprise, "Really?"
"Alphonse smiled, "Yeah, teacher was a little strict though," He muttered remembering, "Not that she was a bad teacher though!" He stated fast waving his metal hands infront of him, "She was the best!"
Marla giggled at his frantic attitude and placed her elbows on the small kitchen counter, resting her head on her hands, "Can you tell me more about her?"
"She taught us when we were really young. She always told us that it's better to do things without alchemy if you don't have to use it."
Marla nodded understanding.
"She was great at fighting too, with and without alchemy!" Al exclaimed showing obvious pride of his teacher.
"Whoa," Marla breathed out, "I'd love to meet her. She sounds like an incredible woman."
Al nodded and stood up making his stool slide a little ways back with a screeching sound, "Fine, I'll teach you. But remember small things!"
"Aye, aye captain," Marla mockingly saluted Al then slid off her stool and stood in the middle of the old hotel kitchen, "So, what do we need?"
"We have chalk right?" Alphonse questioned as he opened one of the cabinets.
"Yeah…" Marla trailed off looking in one of the drawers, "Look at all this junk Al. I can't believe this place! Doesn't anyone clean here?"
"What did you find?" Al peeked over her shoulder, curious.
"Ew!" Marla put on hand up to cover her nose and carefully dug out a dead rodent with her metal arm, "Gross," she whined turning her head away as she made a face.
Al chuckled, "I guess we will have to go shopping then.
I felt trapped, scared. For once I didn't feel powerful; I didn't feel confidence or self control. I had to get out somehow. I needed to run away but couldn't find the energy to do so. I felt my chest go up and down feeding my lungs as I gasped for air. I felt my heart race and my stomach tighten. Sweat. I was covered in it trembling. I should have felt disgusted with myself for sinking this low. I should have snapped out of it by now! What in the world was happening to me?
"You don't look so good." Envy stated looking at me with a calm expression.
We were out in Central looking for Mustang. There was still a chance he could have survived. Mom hadn't yelled at me when I told her that. She just smiled and said that it would be a great time for me to practice my 'specialty' again. I emidiatly agreed and set off dragging a semi-protesting Envy behind.
My hands were trembling now. I hugged my arms against me and slid off the wall we were leaning against into the dirty, sidewalk.
"Whoa," Envy said urgently as if just noticing I was not joking around. He grabbed under my elbows and pulled me up, into him. I leaned my head on his shoulder and, finding myself unable to speak, I pointed a shaky finger at my problem.
He looked across the street and instead of insulting me at my weakness like I thought he would do, his eyes narrowed dangerously. "Come." It was a command, not an option. I followed him gratefully while still leaning on him. We slid into the shadows and edged carefully against the walls of buildings until we were alone.
He lowered me carefully to the ground. I was feeling a little better even though I was still trembling.
"Do you know who they were?" His voice was calming and low as if afraid if he spoke too harshly I would freak out again.
I shook my head causing my hair to float around my face for a moment.
He sighed and lowered himself to the ground next to me, "Don't lie."
I closed my eyes and thought back to a few minutes ago. They were exciting a small grocery store. There was a tall, metal man and…
"Marla." I whispered feeling empty.
Al's-best-friend: I meant to end this chapter differently. I started typing and my hands took over I guess. Anyway, this chapter might have a little OOC with Roy. I'm sorry I tried the best I could. He's not a coward! He was just stressed out and the enemy just popped out at him.
Terri: So, what's the deal with Sloth/Anna being afraid of Marla?
Al's-best-friend: You will have to wait 'till the next chapter.
Terri: -pouts-