It was only a few hours, but Marcoh and Olivier were escorted to a train and made their descent towards Central City.
Olivier wasn't much for small talk, but she took a moment to look at the outside from her train car. However, one thing was permeating in her mind. "Dr. Marcoh, I have to ask you; do you regret what you did back in the Ishvalan Civil War?" her words came off a cold, but her eyes said something different.
For a moment, the old man wanted to tighten his grip on his legs. Images flashed in his mind, young and innocent Ishvalans unnecessarily slaughtered to make a Philosopher's Stone. Every fiber of his being full of regret, the atrocities that we bore witness too. Seeing bodies decompose and reconstructed into something that no scientist or any human could possibly explain. "I wish I could say yes. I think any other normal person would say so. To see a body sacrificed for something so extreme, the number of bodies it took to make just one stone. It's sickening to my stomach honestly, but the past is the past. It will always haunt me, but if I can make a bigger difference to hundreds of others, then I am willing to live with that and make that my goal."
The train continually screamed on the railroad tracks, but the two somehow managed to fall asleep. The snowy air blustered wildly, however a sense of calm was brought by the snow. White covered the nearby forests, animals frolicked like nothing could ever disturb the peace.
However, a man screeching at the top of his throat woke both Olivier and Tim up.
With instinct, Olivier drew out her prized sword, but Tim pushed down her hilt. "Wait a minute, the last thing we need is some sort of swordplay on a cramped space like a train."
Tim grabbed his medical bag and tried to make his way through the crowds of people. An older man in his thirties was thrashing on the ground, it took the force of five other men just to hold the unnamed stranger down.
"IS THERE A DOCTOR OR A NURSE ANYWHERE?" someone screamed for help, sweat was pouring down his face from trying to use any Herculean strength they could muster to hold the convulsing man.
His eyes were rolled in the back of his head and all ligaments seized terribly. Tim announced himself, and finally managed to get through and got a quick check of his stats with a stethoscope. "I need you to keep holding him down and make sure if he vomits to roll him on side so that he doesn't asphyxiate."
Even one of the conductors ran on over to see the commotion. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
Olivier politely drew her sword back into her sheath. "Do you have any rags or towels? Whenever I've seen my own soldiers act like this, we need to keep them warm since we're still in the colder part of Amestris."
Quickly, the conductor ran over to the storage closet in the train and grabbed anything that could potentially help out the sick man.
"Does anyone know this man or what his name is?" Tim inquired, while he held the man's hand and counted in his mind for his pulse. "Okay, his heart is 90 beats per minute."
Suddenly, a young-looking woman rushed on over and collapsed to her knees. "HONEY!? Please talk to me! It's my husband Alex and…"
Olivier caught wind of the husband's name and immediately took off her jacket. "Here, this should keep him warm. He's sweating profusely and god knows if his core temperature could potentially drop." Even if Olivier had some minor disdain for her own brother Alex, hearing a husband in absolute distress almost broke her exterior.
While Tim tried to keep track of Alex's stats, he knew something had to be done in order to get the seizures to stop. "General, I need you to grab my vial of Tegretol and a needle, do you think you can administer some?"
"Absolutely." She responded calmly and intently; she would make sure that this man lived for the woman that clearly loved him.
Everyone's eyes widened when they heard a woman of a high military rank and took a step back. They made sure nothing would block her path.
Carefully, Olivier extracted the right amount of CCs of the medicine and injected it into the man's forearm, while the train was still bustling along the tracks.
A few agonizing moments passed on by and Alex's bodily shakes came to a grinding halt. He was able to take a full breath, life was breathed back into his eyes. A pale green glimmered just right with the sun streaks within the train car. They barely opened; he saw his wife right in front of him. Her hand laid delicately on his chest, she wanted to feel his chest rise and fall. He didn't know what to say to the love of his life, he probably scared her so much that he thought he could've died any moment. "Eliana, I'm so sorry."
She quickly kissed him on the lips to shut him up. "Don't you ever say something like that. You had no control; it was out of your hands. There's nothing to be sorry about, it was thanks to a doctor and the General here that you're back."
He pried his head up and looked at both Tim and Olivier. A sense of relief washed over his face. "Thanks, I really appreciate it."
A smile formed on Tim's face, he was happy for once to see a patient of his turn for the better, not to see their remains in a glass bottle. "Don't worry about it. However, as soon as you get off the train you need to go to Central Hospital. I don't personally work there, I handle more private clients, but the doctors there are the best in our country."
All of the other passengers returned to their train cars, relieved that the worst situation was taken care of. Tim and Olivier exchanged a look towards each other, even they knew it would not be the last they would see something like that.
About another hour passed by in the train, but something wouldn't just sit well in Olivier's mind. She was so used to seeing everything worked like a well-oiled machine, no gear would come out of place and even if something was wrong, she could fix it immediately. "That man won't be the last."
For a moment, Marcoh thought his hearing was starting to go slightly deaf. "What did you say General?"
"Who would honestly try to take other humans and use them as weapons?"
Once again, he shook his head in disbelief. "Hold on a moment, are you saying that people are being weaponized and it's not a virus?"
She slightly smirked, she could almost chuckle beneath her breath. "Don't you see it? Even my men were reporting to me that Central is unable to keep it all together. Word travels fast, people going up in flames and monsters are running amok."
Once again, monsters and flames couldn't calculate in Tim's mind; they were like an equation gone wrong. "Oh, this is gonna make things interesting while we see the Furher, but I will act on the fact of what evidence I have as well as Edward's. We can conject all you want, but it'll only, no pun intended, fuel the flames even more. I have faith in Edward that he'll do anything he can to make our case clear."
However, that familiar feeling of dread and death slowly crawled up Tim's neck. The last thing he wanted to witness was another Ishvalan Civil War of genocide.
Eventually, after a failed mixture of staring out the train car window and napping, Olivier and Tim got off the train. They both looked around in case something else could possibly happen. People walked to and fro from their mundane jobs, but they all were a little tense, but wanted to keep a sense of normalcy. However, underneath the city was something foul, almost ready on eclipse of an immergence.
She carefully glanced around her surroundings, trying to get her bearings in a city she wasn't quite used to. Suddenly, a male scream shattered windows and vases nearby. The sound was so deafening, that Olivier managed to tune it out and drew her precious sword out. "Well then, where's the slimy bastard?" she coldly spoke, but with a hint of sarcasm behind it.
Eliana was trying so hard to contain her husband, but he lost complete bodily control and even lashed out at the love of his life. She didn't know what to say or do to calm the inferno down. He raised his hand up, as if trying to reach for a greater being; a bright red beam shot out into the sky, turning it blood red once again. Slowly, pieces of skin dropped to the ground and underneath that shell was something truly terrifying. Red markings covered his entire being and a large scythe-like weapon covered his hand. The innocence and beauty of his blue eyes turned pitch black; this was far removed from a Mannequin of Father's creation.
"HUMANS WILL CRUMBLE TO THE GROUND!" he screeched out, baring his teeth like a feral creature. He extended his newly transformed arm over towards the General as she closed in. "SO, ARE YOU UP FOR A FIGHT?" Nothing would get in the way of this man's pure wrath and vengeance.
"You took the words right out of my mouth!" Olivier replied, she rushed towards him, holding her hilt in her other hand as a guarding weapon.
The two exchanged blows against one another. Sounds of metal violently clashing against each other, it was a real battle that Olivier had been itching to get into. "Come on! Show me your true strength!" Normally, she'd not be one to egg on her opponent, but she was genuinely interested to see what other monsters might come her way. With one concrete step, she took her hilt and jabbed it right into the man's chest, as to hopefully catch him off guard. Her sword danced through the air as she was ready to put the creature out of its misery, but the denseness of the man's skin was so deep, that it barely left a scratch. She tried to pull her sword back, but skin quickly formed over her sword. He tried to swipe right at her, but managed to block the blow partially with her hilt, but it snapped in two just in time for her to be up against a wall. Shit, I didn't quite anticipate this. How careless of me. So much for pulling my weapon out, but let's see if he'd be willing to talk.
"Alex, why do you think humans will exactly crumble? Please tell me your plan, I'm all ears."
While the other citizens were running for their lives, the familiar sirens of the military and public came closer.
"COME ON ALEX! I want you to tell me, what do you know?" Olivier questioned once again, she was so keen on what could be happening within her own country.
He paused for a second, looked down at his left hand. Fear pulsed through and he dropped to his knees. "PLEASE KILL ME! I don't want to live my life like this. Eliana doesn't deserve a man like me, I'm weak. Completely useless." Carefully he extracted the sword from his neck and threw it aside. "Just, end my life."
With arms wide open, he was waiting for the proverbial angel of death to take his life away. The whirling sound of a sniper bullet pierced right through his head and temporarily knocked him to the ground.
Olivier turned around to see one of Central's esteemed snipers, Rebecca Catalina. Her face was neither sadness nor happiness, but to do the job that was unfortunately tasked to her.
Not too far, Lieutenant General Grumman came up to greet the Major General and the Doctor. "Olivier, I wish I would be seeing you under better circumstances. I quite respect the work you have done with your men in Briggs. This isn't a competition of who's soldiers can work better, but I am happy to see that you brought Tim Marcoh safely. Furher Bradley is waiting to see and discuss with both Marcoh and Edward what is happening to our people in not just our city, but possibly the whole country. I would hate to see other countries like Xing or even Drachma go through something like this."
As Grumman was about to instruct his own platoon to make sure the citizens were okay, suddenly the monster Alex rose up. Almost like a zombie not ready to go down yet; the rage in his eyes was truly palpable. Like a ghoul, he had his eyes set on the female sniper. "WHO THE HELL SHOT ME?!"
He lurched forward, about ready to take a grand leap onto the building where Rebecca was stationed. Before even a soldier could fire a round, Olivier ducked and tightly clutched onto her sword. The wound on his neck was still not fully healed, so she knew it would be a critical weak point. Every fighter instinct within Olivier managed to deal the deadly blow and completely decapitated the monster. Not a single fiber of his being attempted to reconstruct his body back together and the body dropped like a brick. He managed to take one more look Eliana, a woman who truly loved him no matter what, and closed his eyes as his entire body disintegrated.
She lost her husband, right in front of her eyes. There was no final kiss or even a chance to say "goodbye" or "I love you." Someone was just ripped right out of her life.
Both Olivier and Grumman were familiar with death, a never-ending cycle with almost no goal in sight. However, both of them were able to get through any struggles. No matter how old and young they were, they had the resolve and determination.
Grumman walked over to the widow to express his condolences. "Miss, I am so sorry for what you had to witness. Please, the military will handle any funeral costs or arrangements. Take my card."
Tears continually dripped down her face, she couldn't stop crying. Until she felt a hug by Grumman. It wasn't his usual style, but he wanted to bring comfort to the widow.
Off to the side, Tim was just gobsmacked by what had just occurred. He didn't even had the time to utter out a word out before the sniper took her mark. Oh my God. This is worst than what I thought. If people are being turned into weapons, who will else turn? Who can we trust? He stared right at the fortress surrounding the military base. How strong would it be up against a potential army of the unknown? Who would be willing to lay their life on the line right in the heart of their city?
Tim wanted to let those thoughts trickle into his mind, but he knew a job had to be done. "I think we need to head to the Furher now. We're wasting time here and anyone else could be hurt, or even killed. I've seen enough bodies in my lifetime."
All three adults agreed, they needed to get things done accordingly. Like clockwork, the other military troops came in to help assess the overall condition of the witnesses and assure them it was some "foreign" terrorist.
Olivier took one glance right at the doorways of the Central base. My brother Alex, I hope even through your thick muscles that you'll make it out alive.
/
For a few days, while the chaos in Central city was slowly forming, Roy wanted to make sure he had some sort of back up plans if things went into a total clusterfuck.
He was not about to allow his men to be slaughtered like pigs.
Ever since he was forced by Edison to fill in the ridiculous report, he mulled over his mind any possible scenario.
So if Central really does go up in flames, where do we need to go? I can't afford to let any of my chess pieces go off in different directions. You can't play chess unless you know how to utilize them to their full potential. Wait a minute, didn't Riza tell me about some barn far enough away?
A few knocks were heard and he slightly moaned, he was hoping it wasn't another General or stuck-up Senior Council member. "COME IN! The door's unlocked."
The cigarette smelling Jean Havoc came in with a slight smirk on his face. "Jean, what's the word? Any update you can give me?"
With a stack of papers and photos in his hand, Jean laid out everything. "So, Madeleine and Abby have been the best assets ever. Their beauty and knowledge are just killer, but I think we need to get ourselves ready just in case. Something's gonna hit Central hard, and it's not gonna be pretty. Actually, can you come with me to Warehouse 13?"
At first Roy was taken aback, the fated warehouse he hasn't heard in ages, but he did he did show a smirk. "Sure? I mean, what else could possibly go wrong?"
The two walked towards the storage area of the military base, making it look like they had to check on a couple of things. Everything was so chaotic that they easily made something look like the mundanity of checking supplies.
Soon, Roy and Jean were joined by Vato and Heymans, however Riza wasn't there. "Where's the lieutenant?" Roy asked. He was a little concerned about her mental wellbeing.
"Kain's working on our game plan when things do go south." Vato responded, he pulled out a folded map in his pocket. "I know she works best in silence and I believe Armstrong should be with her, but take a look at this map. Depending on what happens, from what I've been hearing FullMetal and Marcoh will be here soon. Right now the Furher's waiting to hear what those two have because apparently it's critical information. I think it might be best for you to join whatever meeting there is because us guys will be getting materials stocked and ready at the barn. It's enough of a desolate location that even the military won't notice. Plus, you gotta thank the man for lugging all of this crap over."
The Colonel leaned in, with a furrowed look on his face. "It sounds really risky, but we've got to make sure that everyone gets there. Whoever FullMetal needs, we need to protect them at all costs. I plan on every intention going to that meeting, but if someone straggles, proverbially rope them up and bring them there. I fear what this country could be turning into."
/
It's about time, all of the pieces will fall into place. I wonder what Marcoh intends to do. He's no different than me. He knows about the stones as much as I do. If it weren't for Father, we wouldn't be where we are now. A strong, formidable threat. No longer will mankind be weak, no, we will weed out the weak and fortify those who can withstand what the stones can do for them. The time is finally here.