Chapter 6 – Farewell
"This is going to really hurt," The man warned. Edward didn't say anything. "Well alright, I'll at least introduce myself. I'm Sam Tucker, I work under Central as kind of a tech geek," Tucker seemed rather talkative. He must really not get out much Ed thought to himself.
"Edward Ulrich," Ed finally acknowledged he was in fact listening. He didn't really feel like talking, he just wanted to be able to walk again. He's been greeting too many people lately and the fact he couldn't walk made him more aggravated than ever.
So many new faces…all because of what he wanted to do for Winry. There was so much to take in.
"So do you have any family other than your brother?" Sam asked.
"Just a dead beat father…" Ed answered.
"Oh, I myself have a daughter…" He looked away seemingly amused at a joke Edward seemed to have missed. "My daughter's name is very cute. She's Natalie and-"
"I don't care about any of that," Ed interrupted, blushing. He wasn't use to talking about family much less a stranger's family.
"Oh, really? Well no matter, I'm sure you'll get to meet them someday," Tucker babbled on.
"I don't think so, I'm going to be too busy of a person," Ed snapped back.
"Oh…?"
"Is that all?" Ed was surprised Tucker didn't say more. "It's just that I want to do something for my friend and my brother," Edward finished.
"Well, whatever. It's time to begin," Tucker warned grabbing for his disturbing looking tools. Edward thought back to what General Hues had told him.
-
"Edward, in this world there are truly many strange things. Central is in the process of discovering these strange things and we have high hopes in discovering the true nature of our very world," He smiled warmly which made Ed feel uneasy. "Now Ed, it's not that we want to threaten you or anything…"
"It doesn't matter, besides it looks like this is the only way I'm going to find my father whenever I want," Ed sipped some of the soup the medical team had given him. It still wasn't as good as the soup Grandma Rockwell had always cooked. Hues looked at him with concern.
"As for your brother, he'll have to join us too," He looked away for a moment lost in thought. "Now, I'm not saying this is really going to happen but you may need to go to war in service of the government," He finished.
Ed looked at him sternly. "I won't fight in the Iraq war," Ed spat.
"Well, You are still pretty young. I'm sure they won't use you for any wars, even so I'll do my best to keep you here in America" Hues explained. "Your father was once a member of Central but he did all those things and escaped from us," Hues continued.
"That bastard would never tell me anything I asked," Ed snapped.
"Your brother's body- err what's left of it is currently locked away safely," Hues explained.
"What the hell are you still doing with my brother's remains?" Ed asked in horror.
"Well, I'm sure your aware of his emotionless state? I guess I should tell you, theoretically since his soul still remains here on earth thanks to Ron Mustang's spell…you could make a new body for him. One that is exactly the same as his old one," General Hues said. "You'll need those remains if your going to do so…"
"Really?" Ed asked.
Hues shook his head confirming it.
"I tried my best to keep those damn creatures away from Alfonso's remains…I've only learned a little about those creatures," Ed stated.
"Really? Like what?" Hues was curious.
"That they seem to feast on anything that is of the body. They aren't from this world and they only appear during that kind of spell…" Ed explained.
"Spell?"
"Yeah, the spell we studied so hard for. The human resurrection spell…" Ed looked down in sadness.
"Thanks for the info Ed, this will be very useful for us in the future. Now if you'll excuse me I've got to go see my family," General Hues took his leave as Ed looked down in concern.
"Brother…Winry…I'll fix things. Somehow…"
-
Winry was fiddling with her hair in the waiting room. She was nervous and confused. Al had died…yet he was talking to her just this morning. Edward had mysteriously lost his right arm and left leg. To make matters worse it seemed both of the brother's didn't want to tell her what happened. Every time she had approached the subject they would always ignore it. Her best friends were ignoring her…
Did she really believe any of this?
She looked around her surroundings to see if anyone was with her. It was eerily quiet and there was no one in sight. Nothing but a row of chairs she had sunk into. There wasn't even a window, just shiny bright lights. She heard a door swing open.
"Winry?" Al asked.
It had been Al who rushed through the door. He had scared her. He looked rather alien and only resembled the old Al a little bit. His features were basic and there no longer seemed to be a personality she could pick up on.
"Alfonso?" She asked in disbelief.
"Winry can I ask you something?" Al asked.
"Uh…I guess," She gave him permission still unsure if this was the same Alfonso she had spent all those years with.
The emotionless android disturbingly stared at her never once moving while talking. "If you could bring someone back from the dead…would you?"
Winry was confused. What did that have to do with anything?
"That's a strange question," She replied. "I don't even know if that's you or not, you have Al's voice but…" She looked down at her feet. "I don't know how to explain it but there's nothing I can feel from you," Winry finished.
Disappointed but unable to show it Al decided to inform Winry of Ed's condition.
-
"Ow, damn it. What the hell is this thing?" Ed screamed in pain. Sam looked at his victim.
"Silly boy, this is for science. You see these little sharp things? Those connect to your nerves…" Sam Tucker explained. He pushed the green thing into Ed's right shoulder.
"Why couldn't I be asleep for this?" Ed asked trying his best from screaming.
"Well now that I think about it…umm never mind," Sam looked away in fear.
"What do…you mean?" Ed asked as Sam Tucker finished attaching the green looking plate on Ed's shoulder. "Ahh…" Ed started screaming but then remembered this pain wasn't nearly as bad as that night a few months ago.
"Central? When is this place going to let us go home?" Winry asked.
"I don't know," Al answered. He was now sitting awkwardly next to Winry. "It's a special branch of the American government. It apparently researches strange things," Al continued.
"Strange things, like what?"
"Like ghosts and…stuff like that," Al finished.
Winry frowned at Al. She was giving him an uneasy look.
"What…?" Al asked.
"Al if that's really you I want you to answer questions only you'd know," She girlishly grinned.
"Okay…"
-
Edward tested out his new limbs by plopping off the operation table. His new right arm and left leg were kind of greenish and looked like they were tacos filled with meat and by meat he meant wires.
"So these top of the line robotics are mine to use under those two conditions?" Ed asked.
"Yes, you must never let anyone see them so keep it covered and you must join up with central," Tucker explained.
"I've noticed everyone here has a code name…" Ed smiled.
"You noticed that eh? Those are the higher ups that actually serve the military and government," Tucker stated.
"Think they'll give me one? I'd hope I don't end up with one that references a World War 2 plane like Mustang," Ed smirked.
"They usually don' let kids join central, it's hard enough for normal young people to join. Of course judging by the severity of your state you were discovered to be in…you're truly something special," Tucker grinned.
Ed didn't like that look. He had seen one like it before. One his own father had given him once long ago.
"Well, I've got to be getting back to the family," Tucker explained. He whistled as he left the room. Ed looked on at the strange man as he left. Something about him seemed off.
Ed clenched his new robotic fist. It had the ability to change into a laser gun.
"This is actually pretty cool," Ed told himself.
-
Winry smiled. "AL!" Finally realizing this was in fact her friend. She embraced him.
Al had been forced into at least explaining some of the specifics of what exactly happened to his body. He still did not tell her he and his brother had caused it much less the reason they caused it. Al didn't feel the warmth of Winry…
"I can't feel you anymore…I can't feel anything…" Al spoke up.
Winry looked up at him in sadness. "You can't even feel love and emotions like that?" She asked.
"Kind of…but not humanly," Al explained.
He remembered back to the point he had died. He had seen his mother on the other side, was it really his mother? Was that heaven?
A familiar voice called him back.
"Hey guys!" Edward spoke as he walked into the doorway.
"Edward!" Winry hugged him noticing he was up and about. "Your leg and your arm…" Winry pointed out.
Al looked as well. Ed's new leg and arm were rather robotic looking and weird.
"As cool as these are, nothing beats the human touch I once had in these limbs," Ed said grimly. He looked at Al not realizing he had been there. "Oh, I'm sorry Alfonso…"
"No, it's okay. I guess I'll just have to get use to this body," Al stated.
"Winry, there's something I have to tell you," Ed warned.
-
Where is that girl she thought? She was worried sick about Winry. Grandma Rockwell had been searching everywhere for her. She noticed that the Hoenheim family was gone too. She had cried herself to sleep missing her granddaughter deeply. She looked out the window every day in hopes of a glimpse of young girl to walk up to her and explain everything that had happened. Then everything would be back to normal.
"These past months are killing me," Grandma Rockwell told herself.
It was then she noticed hordes of trucks and vehicles coming this way. "The military…what are they doing here?" She asked herself.
There was a knock at the door. Winry and a tall blonde woman came inside her house. Together they explained what they could.
"Where are Ed and Al?" Grandma Rockwell had asked.
Winry ran to her room crying.
-
"I'm sorry Winry but we're leaving," Ed had told her.
Al looked straight at her. Winry tried her best begging them to stay. However, their decision was final.
"Ed, I need you!" Winry yelled at them. "Your…" She quieted her voice. "You're my only family besides grandma,"
Ed gave a surprised look. He did love her but he knew that if he stayed…
He just couldn't take that chance. "I'm sorry but it's for the best," Ed explained.
"You still haven't told me what happened," Winry accused.
He didn't answer. She ran up to him and beat him on the chest. "You're my friends, please tell me," Winry pleaded.
Ed looked down at her.
"I'm sorry…" He walked off…
-
Winry buried her face into her shoulders sulking. She was laying on her stomach thinking about everything that had just happened. She lost her parent's recently and now Ed and Al her closest friends were leaving like her parents had so long ago.
She slowly turned her head to look out her window. All of her memories with Ed and Al came flooding back.
"Why do you have to leave me too?" Letting her tears flow she sunk back into her pillow.
"Edward, your so mean"
-
Edward looked up at Ron. He had been buried in the study of his new book that explained everything he would ever need to know about Central.
"So, have you guys come up with a code name for me?" Ed asked.
"Well it's entirely up to you. It should be something that has meaning to you though," Ron code named Mustang answered.
"Well, I lost my limbs and my brother lost his entire body…" He looked over at Al. "Any ideas?"
Alfonso just shook his head.
Edward thought for a moment. "You guys have been saying we're talented warlocks…so…" Ed looked to his brother.
"Just call us the Full Metal Warlocks," Ed said clenching his robotic hand into a fist. He had seen the name Full Metal before on his favorite cartoon that was currently airing on Saturday nights. He would always sneak to Winry's with Al to watch it. They hadn't had the luxury of cable, they lived in a trailer after all. It was too cool a title and decided to base his code name on it.
Ron looked down at Edward.
"Well, We'll need to train you some before we actually send you out into the real big bad world," He explained.
"What do you mean? We know everything we need to know about our abilities," Ed warned.
"You'll need to see a teacher down in the west, near Texas," Ron Mustang explained.
"Texas?" Ed asked in a bit of a shock.
"Yeah, her name's Izumi," He finished.
"Izumi? That's an odd name," Ed stated.
"Yes well she's not from America, she's Australian or something oh and be polite to her always. She doesn't exactly agree with Central's methods," Ron explained. "She's currently investigating mysterious disappearances down in Texas. She last contacted us about a strange priest claiming that he can do anything in the name of his lord, Ra," He finished.
"The Egyptian sun God?" Al asked in what seemed like excitement.
"Heh, you always did like watching Discovery channel at Winry's…" Ed looked down smiling and then frowning remembering his last good bye to Winry.
-
Winry wouldn't let Ed go just yet. She grabbed him. She hugged him from behind. "Please don't leave me," She said.
"Our father's gone missing, apparently he's done some pretty bad things for Central to go after him," Ed explained to Winry. "He's a dirty rotten father who betrayed us. I'm sorry Winry but I've got to make things right again," Ed finished.
Winry quickly ran ahead of him. "Please…" She begged one last time. Ed only smiled at her.
"Farewell…"
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I do not own the rights to Full Metal Alchemist. Hope you guys caught the Adult Swim reference hee hee.
Awww, this was a rather sad chapter don't you think? Poor Winry…but don't count her out just yet. She'll return to the story eventually.