Chapter 17: Simmering Tensions
Rain pelted them, soaking through their clothes and boots. The café they had agreed to meet at was on the corner of one of Central's main streets. Ed entered with his golden hair plastered to the sides of his face. He was shortly followed by a drowned-looking Mustang and a droplet-covered Alphonse. None of them looked particularly pleased about their state of being, but Ed and Mustang each gave a sigh at the dry warmth that surrounded them once the door had shut firmly behind them.
The coffee shop was packed with people, all of which seemed to be escaping the miserable so-called summer weather. Ed stopped a few steps in to scan the crowd. He did a second glance over, and he realized it was probably the first time in his life he wasn't happy to see that Envy wasn't there. He could feel heat start to rise in his cheeks at his foolishness.
"So, where is he?" Mustang said, clearly implying he would rather be somewhere else warm and dry.
Ed couldn't bring himself to look at Mustang. He absently gave himself a little shake. He actually expected Envy to listen to him? He actually thought that Envy would work with them and make things easy for them? For all Ed knew Envy had only used them for purposes unknown to them. Obviously, he was stupid to think that Envy had even considered helping them. Why should he? It wasn't like he was in any danger. He was already a dead man after all.
"Maybe he went to the wrong café?" Alphonse offered.
Ed grumbled, "I told him this one. He's not stupid, Al. He's obviously not coming."
"Well, this has been a fine day for a walk, but next time you want to prank me, Full Metal, do something more traditional like put packing nuts in my office or something…" Mustang turned and started to head for the door.
Neither Ed nor Al tried to stop him. They were too tired to stop him, too wound up in their own disappointment that it didn't even strike them that they could stop him. Once the door closed behind the Colonel, Al turned to Ed, "What now? I can't believe Envy didn't show."
Ed was fuming, "Stupid Colonel. He could have at least waited a few minutes before he decided to leave."
"You think Envy's just late?"
Slowly, Ed shook his head. His blue eyes closed briefly with weariness. "Something tells me he didn't plan to meet us in the first place."
A moment passed before Al spoke again, "You're right," he said, "Now that Father think's he's dead, he's free to do what he pleases. But… I don't understand. He left these with me."
Ed saw as Al produced the small wooden box from under his loincloth. He gently tipped the lid up to show the philosopher stones safely nestled inside. Ed frowned, "That is a little weird."
"What are we going to tell Winry?" Al asked, quietly.
"I don't know, Al," Ed sighed, "At this point she doesn't need to know anything. It's probably best we just go on as we planned. As long as Mustang knows the homunculi's plan he'll take care of his own. We just have to take care of Winry, and if that means keeping her out of the loop again, I can do that."
"You know she won't appreciate it if she finds out," Al warned him.
Ed shrugged, "She shouldn't have gotten herself involved. If she had just stayed in Rush Valley like she said she would –,"
Just then, Mustang entered the coffee shop again, hair flattened to his head in wet bunches, face lined with rain drops. Ed and Al stopped mid-conversation to see him followed by Winry. She was draped in a dark raincoat, but her blonde hair was soaked at the tips. Blue eyes peeked up from under the hood and she frowned at the sight of Ed and Al there.
"We should sit where no one can overhear us," was all Mustang said as he led them to the back of the crowded little café. Winry brushed past Ed and Al with a blank look, blue eyes stared out in front of her as if she didn't even see them at all.
Ed and Al exchanged a look of wonder and followed the imposter Winry towards a comfy-looking booth. Mustang had shuffled in already and had something like a map spread out on the table. Envy paused awkwardly before taking his seat next to Mustang, and decided against it and sat opposite him instead. Ed mentally calculated who he'd rather sit next to and found himself next to Envy looking over at Mustang and Alphonse. Silently, he wondered how on earth Mustang had become worse to sit next to than Envy and figured there had been a miscalculation somewhere.
After they had all settled in, Mustang and Envy continued to stare at one another as if waiting for the first strike. Ed shifted awkwardly under the tension that had been created between them. He watched carefully as Mustang's dark eyes moved thoughtfully over Envy's mask. The silence seemed to act as a buffer between their thoughts. Ed could feel Envy stiffen under Mustang's sharp glare. He wondered if perhaps this little introduction between them had been a mistake. He definitely didn't want to get in between them if they decided to have it out in the middle of the café.
Hesitantly, Alphonse broke the silence, "Uh… we're all working together now. Isn't that right, er, Winry?"
Mustang's frown deepened and Envy seemed to take no notice of Al at all.
As if he had let out a breath he had been holding, Envy said, quietly, "That's right. Working together."
"Give me one reason I should believe you?" Mustang spat, "For all I know, this could be a trick. From what I hear you're the craftiest of all those homunculi."
Ed was pretty sure Envy hadn't blinked since he entered the café. Slowly, the homunculus replied, "Selim Bradley is a homunculus."
Shock split the tension as this news was processed by each individual. Envy waited patiently for the wide-eyed expression on Mustang's face to subside before he continued, "He goes by the name of Pride and controls the darkness. His true form strives in the shadows and fears of humans. He is Father's favorite child."
"Pride was the homunculus that came to the Rockbell's house," Al said more to himself than anything, "He was the one that tried to kill you."
Envy continued as if nothing had been said, "The reversal transmutation circle should be enough to convince you I want to kill Father as much as you do."
Mustang leaned back into the leather booth and studied Envy thoughtfully, "What I don't understand is why a homunculus would even care to help a bunch of lowly humans."
"It doesn't matter," Envy said simply, "As long as we both get what we want…"
Mustang's eyes narrowed. "And I assume what you want at the end of all this has something to do with you not taking orders from anyone anymore?"
Envy's lip turned up in a smirk. He leaned forward and crossed his arms over the table top. "By this time, I can guess these brats have already told you I killed your best bud, which makes me wonder why I'm not being fried to a crisp right now. So, I can only assume that even a thick-headed wart like you can see that the potential of an alliance with me will bring Father to his knees. In order to do that the current Fuhrer must be eliminated, which means that you get first pick of the King's thrown. That is why you are about to make a deal with me. So, get to it. What can you possibly offer an immortal?"
Mustang blinked. Ed saw a bit of anger brush through his eyes. The Flame Alchemist hated being outmaneuvered. He hated it even more when his opposition degraded him in the process.
Reluctantly, he admitted, "You are good. I'll give you that."
Envy's grin turned smug, but Ed knew Mustang better than he did. There was nothing to smile about.
"But I'm going to offer you nothing," Mustang continued. Slowly, Envy's smile faded. "Instead, I'll give you a choice. You can choose to help us defeat Father and the other homunculi. In doing that you will assure that I become Fuhrer in the end and you will harm no ally of mine. Or, you can choose to walk away. As I understand it, your Father will not take you back, and you are under no obligation to help us to save Amestris. The choice is yours to make, but the outcome will be the same. The only difference is the time in which I kill you. If you help us, I won't kill you until after everything is settled. If you oppose us and walk away, I will deliberately hunt you down and kill you."
Ed and Al stared in shock at Mustang's proposal. Envy just looked angry.
Before Envy could say anything, Ed slammed his fist down on the table. He glared at Mustang as he said, "That's not a deal! I am just as angry as you are about Hughes, but how do you expect him to help us if we threaten him?"
"Murder is murder, Full Metal," Mustang replied, coldly, "I give no mercy to cold-blooded killers even if they have come to their senses. Hughes killer will be brought to justice."
"You are not justice!" Ed snapped, "You cannot decide that revenge is justice."
"Shut up, Full Metal. You have no idea what you're talking about. I can't even believe that you have decided to team up with this monster so easily."
"Listen to yourself," Ed hissed, "Listen to what you're saying. Envy is willing to help us and you're holding onto your revenge like it's more important that the fate of Amestris."
"I said shut up!" Mustang snapped. Alphonse just stared in shock at them all, at a loss of what to say.
Envy crossed his arms and leaned into the seat as Mustang had, saying, "And you really think a man like you has what it takes to be Fuhrer? You wouldn't last a day. If you get so worked up over one loss, imagine how you'd feel if your country went to battle. Would you take it upon yourself to avenge all those lost on the battlefield because you believe your own had brings justice by murder?"
Mustang's dark eyes focused on Envy as if he were trying to delve into his mind. He had gone rigid in his seat and Ed knew Mustang knew Envy was right. The café was loud with the laughter and chatter of the people around them. Nobody seemed to have taken any notice of their cold little corner of the room. Their briefly raised voices seemed to have been drowned into the babble and noise of the crowd around them. The rain still pattered outside in gusting waves against the fogged up windows.
After a moment, Envy said, "But who am I to change your mind about murder?"
Ed frowned at his flat tone. Al was staring at the table. Mustang dropped his gaze to the piece of paper he had put on the table and decided to flatten it under his palms, pressing out the creases with a few brushes of his hand.
"Indeed," he mumbled, "Homunculus, you are just as much the murder."
"At least I don't hide away in the dark corners of my mind," Envy replied, smoothly, "You've killed for the Fuhrer before. Remember Ishval?"
At that name, Mustang's head snapped up. His eyes went cold, and dark as coal.
Envy smirked, "If I recall, you and your men did some of the best damage. You're just as cold-blooded as the rest."
Ed and Al stared in horror at the furious look on Mustang's face. The Flame Alchemist seemed to be using up all his strength not to torch Envy where he sat. His hands inched towards the white leather gloves in his pocket.
Ed decided it was probably a good time to jump in. "Envy, are you going to help us out or not?"
Envy let out a short, sharp laugh that didn't suit Winry in the least. "Well, since I've got a foot in the grave on both sides of the coin I might as well do some damage while I'm still here."
Ed blinked at his unusual submission.
"Only on one condition," Envy added and Mustang's frown deepened. Of course there would be an addition, Ed thought resisting the temptation to palm his forehead. "I don't take orders from anyone. I make my own decisions."
"As long as those decisions don't intervene with our goals, then I suppose I can agree to that," Mustang gave a small, reluctant nod.
As they reach this small, but significant common ground, Ed and Al shifted more comfortably in their seats. The tension seemed to have lifted a bit, but Ed was almost certain Mustang had not revoked his earlier promise. He would make sure Envy paid for what he had done, one way or another.
"Since we're past this petty shit, can we get on with what we're originally here for?" Envy broke the silence like a gong vibrating sharply. His tone suggested he would rather be anywhere else, but Ed did not see any frustration or anger in his face. For the first time since he had really looked at him, Envy seemed human.
"Edward's already told me about the plan for this country," Mustang said in a lower voice. Despite the loudness of the café, all of them could admit it felt odd to be speaking about this so freely.
"Maybe we should go somewhere else for this. I didn't think it would be so crowded in here," Al suggested.
Mustang nodded, "I know a place. Even if we're overheard there it wouldn't be trouble. The woman who owns the place works for me."
They all silently agreed as they slid out of the booth and dashed out into the rain. The temporary warmth of the café left their skin and made them wish they were back inside. The group followed Mustang down a narrow street along the river channel. The rain had done its job well to keep almost everyone out of the streets. They didn't have to worry about being seen by anyone suspicious. Though, Ed noticed Envy checking over his shoulder every so often. He knew if he was in his position he would be doing the same thing.
A short stairway led to a discreet doorway at the back of an industrial building. They waited miserably in the rain while Mustang knocked four times, each with significant spacing in between them, and after a moment or so the door opened revealing a shaggy-looking man. Mustang entered without a word to the man and the rest of the group did the same.
They entered into what seemed to be the back room of a bar. Unopened cases of various different kinds of alcohol lined the walls or stood in stacks leaving winding pathways wide enough for a single man to walk through without having to turn sideways. They followed Mustang in single fill until they reached a wooden swinging door with small windows at eye level. Mustang went through them without bothering to look and the rest followed suit.
Warmth hit them like a wall as they entered into a spacious, richly colored bar. The air was thick with cigar smoke. It hovered in billowing clouds around the heads of those who had either a pipe or a thick cig between their lips. The dim lighting made it hard to tell just how many people were there at all, but Ed could easily tell there was not so many as the café on the corner. In addition to that they weren't nearly so loud and boisterous. A plump woman stood behind the bar and gave Mustang a wide, friendly smile once she saw him.
"Mustang, how nice of you to drop in and with friends too," she said kindly, though Ed felt there was more to her than what she let on.
"Good to see you too, Madam Christmas," Mustang greeted, taking off his soaked hat and giving her a little bow.
"Now, now, you're going to make an old woman blush," Madam Christmas laughed a throaty laugh and added, "I suppose you'll be wanting some privacy?"
"It's hard to find a quiet room here in Central," Mustang said, "One where you're not going to be overheard."
Madam Christmas' lip turned up in a grin. Ed silently wondered how much this woman actually knew. She seemed to have wisdom beyond her years. "Of course," she nodded.
They were led down a narrow, dimly lit hallway. Along every side of it were doors, closed and locked tight. Madam Christmas led them to the very last door and unlocked it with a key from a very cluttered keychain. She swung it open and gestured them inside, and without another word to Mustang or anyone she disappeared to the bar again.
"Are you sure this is a safe place?" Envy asked. His voice had a slight tremor in it and Ed seriously considered the homunculus was nervous. Just the thought of it amused him.
"I can trust that woman with my life," Mustang replied as he shut the door behind them and locked it.
Envy let out a small sigh. There was a flash of brilliant red light and where the image of Winry had stood, the familiar form of Envy had taken her place.
The room was empty except for a small round table and a few chairs. Al opted to sit on the floor. A single bulb hung over the center of the table, casting the rest of the room in shadow. Ed watched Envy glance around at the room, taking in even the darkest corners as if he expected someone to be standing there. After some time, they were all seated around the table with the map of Amestris spread out before them.
"The shape of this country allows the transmutation circle to be drawn without breaking through. It circles it completely, going through these six cities," Mustang studied the map intently, "What I don't understand is how did they manage to draw a transmutation circle this size without anyone noticing? The country is full of esteemed alchemists. Someone was bound to notice it."
Envy nodded, "The circle is being dug from underground. A homunculus named Sloth has been working on it ever since Wrath took up the Fuhrer's seat. The circle is almost complete. Father plans to have everything ready by the eclipse. And as for humans noticing the circle: there have been people who have stumbled onto the tunnel and suspected something was happening, just like your friend. But every one of them was ordered to be killed."
Mustang seemed to let Envy's comment about Hughes slide off him like water on oil.
"And these six markers are the points of the transmutation," Ed said, "Only, Fort Briggs hasn't been disturbed yet."
"That's only a matter of time," Envy explained, "Sloth will complete the circle underneath Briggs. That's where the ends meet. Then, it's just a matter of causing trouble there."
"With tensions between Briggs and Drachma as they are it won't take too much effort," Mustang said, "All Briggs needs is the thought of Drachma invasion and they'll be at war."
"That was the plan," Envy said flatly.
Ed and Al stared at the little dot on the map labeled 'Fort Briggs'. The wall of Briggs was said to be impenetrable, but it was the only thing standing between Father and his goal. He would certainly find a way to crack the barrier. It was just a matter of time, as Envy had put it.
"We should go to Briggs and warn them," Al suggested.
Ed rounded on Mustang, "You've got men in Briggs, don't you?"
Mustang looked a little ill. "When my men were split up by the Fuhrer, Havoc was sent to Briggs as a First Lieutenant…"
"We have to get in contact with him. Maybe he could warn whoever's in charge to keep an eye open for trouble," Edward suggested without taking a breath. He then turned to Envy, who looked just as reluctant as Mustang. "You said Father didn't have anyone working for him there, right? If we can get to the one in charge at Briggs before he does –,"
Mustang fingered the map thoughtfully, though it seemed he didn't have the heart to even consider Edward's idea. "Things work differently up at Briggs," Mustang explained, "The one in charge there isn't as easy to fool as some would be. For ten years Briggs soldiers have been training under the tensions that Drachma will descend on them one day. They train for war, while the soldiers in Central grow soft. I'm sure that even if you make it to Briggs wall they won't let you in. They're so damn paranoid of Drachma spies you would need a signed crest from the Fuhrer himself."
"It's a bitch to get up there in the first place," Envy added, "Everyday a blizzard wipes the landscape clean of a path. You'll get lost walking in circles and then you'll just freeze to death."
"A signed crest from the Fuhrer, eh?" Ed chuckled, "How ironic."
At that, Alphonse slammed his large iron fists down on the table, saying, "We have to do it! If we don't do it, the transmutation circle will be completed."
"Al's right, we have to try," Ed agreed.
Mustang was still staring thoughtfully down at the map. Envy, however, was staring right at Ed in bewilderment. He studied the brothers as if he were searching for some sign of weakness, but found none. After a moment, Mustang sighed lightly. "I will try and get in contact with Havoc and see if he can keep an eye open for us. Maybe he can do something on the inside to allow you into the Fort."
Edward's face broke into a wide smile. "Good, then we leave tomorrow."
Envy was still staring at them in shock. "You're all crazy," he blurted. He received questioning looks from all around him. "You're going to die out there."
"Are you with us or not?" Ed said.
Envy frowned. His eyes darkened in momentary thought. "I suppose I'd rather be anywhere but Central right now."
Alphonse gave out a happy little noise and Envy was convinced it really shouldn't have come from something so big. Ed and Mustang had started to focus on the map as another question seemed to pop into their heads.
"How are we going to get there without being noticed?" he asked. He and Mustang leaned in, pooling over the map as they tried to think up the best possible route to take.
"The road seems to stop here," Mustang pointed at a dot in the Northern hemisphere of the map, "But the weather conditions would make it too dangerous to travel by foot for long."
"There's a mining town just next to it," Envy added, "You could use the tunnel systems to go further north."
"Mining tunnels…" Ed mumbled thoughtfully, "I guess it wouldn't be as dangerous as walking through a blizzard."
Envy made a sound that Ed figured was his way of agreeing without words.
"Those tunnels probably take you up into Briggs territory and then the fun begins," Mustang smirked, "Briggs isn't accustomed to having visitors. Don't expect hospitality when you get there."
"If you get there," Envy added rather darkly.
"You're coming with us, remember?" Ed reminded him, "And we'll get there one way or another."
"You know," Mustang said, darkly meeting Envy's eye, "If you really wanted to stop Father, you could always just kill his sacrifices off. Then, he would be back at square one."
Ed and Al glanced between Envy and Mustang nervously. Tension seemed to settle in the small room as it had back at the café. Envy's lip turned up in a grin and he replied, "Yeah, I could."
Mustang raised an eyebrow.
"But then where would I be?" Envy asked, smirking, "Father would just find new sacrifices, because after all Amestris was created for creating alchemists, and then I'd be the one at square one."
Mustang didn't drop his gaze from Envy not once. A moment passed before he even seemed to breathe. Envy was the only one in the room undaunted by the tension that had rested upon them. Without any hesitation at all, Envy snatched up the map from under Mustang's fingertips and started rolling it up.
"If you think I'm still an enemy," Envy said. Every word was plain as day, sharp and pronounced so that Mustang didn't miss a single syllable. "Then, you should kill me before I kill you."
Slowly, Mustang's lip curled up in a sly smirk, "I see we understand each other then."
"Oh, human, I really doubt you can outsmart me," Envy returned the smirk, "You're threat is very heart-warming, but you're just a mortal after all."
Mustang frowned, "I've killed your kind before. There is no reason I can't do it again."
Winry opened the door to a small group of five or more soldiers dressed in blue uniforms. They all wore stern expressions on their faces and a few of them had their weapons unlatched from their leather holders. Winry's eyes widened in shock.
"Ms. Rockbell?" one of the closest soldiers addressed her. He stepped forward with a heavy foot.
"What is this all about?" Pinako arrived behind Winry with a pipe hanging limp in her hand. Her brow furrowed at the sight of the soldiers at the door.
"Ms. Rockbell, we have orders to detain you. You must come with us," said the soldier, sharply.
Winry's mouth fell open. A soft, "What?" escaped her lips before the officer came forward and grabbed her forearm. He roughly cuffed her wrists and pulled her out of the house.
Pinako shouted after them angrily and followed them onto the porch, but one of the soldiers blocked her way.
"It is in your best interests that you remain in the house, lady," he said coldly, "These are direct orders from the Fuhrer."
Up above the front porch, the balcony door left open for the breeze, sat Lan Fan leaning against the wall. She fingered the door jam with her newly crafted fingers, attached to her newly crafted arm. It ached at the roots of her very being. Her nerves had screamed for mercy when Winry and Pinako had attached it. Now, only a day into recovery, she was already convinced her stay here had been too long.
The Fuhrer, the homunculus, had Winry in his grasp. She had to do something. She had to move.