Chapter 25: It Runs in the Family
Envy held the philosopher stone in his palm, fingers curling around the edges. It had been too easy to defeat his doppelganger. He wondered if there was a catch. Something missing. But as he absorbed the stone back into his body through his hand, he felt the familiar feeling of envy take over again. It was not as powerful as his pride and gluttony, but it was there.
"What about Winry?" Hawkeye asked them. Envy glanced up at Mustang, and replied, "They don't have Winry. I'm almost positive."
"How can you be certain?" Mustang asked.
Envy explained. "Because what he didn't realize is that Winry and I left on bad terms. So, if Winry saw him and thought he was me, he would have mentioned that she acted coldly toward him. He didn't. All he said was that she was needy. I can only assume he was lying. It's an old trick I used to pull with humans. Pinpoint a weak spot and play on it. He was an idiot to try my own games on me."
"I see." Mustang's eyes narrowed, and Envy realized his mistake. Knew the Colonel was thinking about what kind of game Envy had played on Hughes. He knew if he revealed that he used the image of Hughes' wife to kill him, Mustang would not hold back in his flames of revenge. After seeing firsthand what the Colonel was capable of, Envy knew that would be a secret kept only to himself.
Envy frowned and started walking into the tunnel system. Quietly, he said, "This place is like a maze, Colonel. Stick with me and I can show you the way."
"This doesn't make us friends, homunculus." Mustang's voice rose and echoed into the tunnel. Envy stopped and turned back to him. Saw the flame still burning in the Colonel's eyes.
Envy could not help but grin. "I would be disappointed if you forgave me that easily."
Cold metal bit into her wrists. There was a copper tang on her tongue. Her head pounded. When she opened her eyes she saw a dark room, lit dimly by a single skylight, high above. The walls and floor were enveloped in tubing and pipes. Winry had seen this room before. Remembered being led here by Gluttony and Alphonse when he had swallowed Envy, Edward and Ling. Father's Lair.
A voice echoed through the chamber: "You're being so sullen even though we're in the middle of a heartfelt reunion?"
Winry squinted into the darkness and saw the flashing lenses of Hohenheim's glasses as he approached the center of the room. Upon the altar stood his look-alike. Father. She was not certain if Hohenheim could see her. Realized she was chained to the wall at the side of the room. She tried to make a sound and make him aware of her presence, but her throat was dry. The words caught and stuck.
"You've gotten really boring," Hohenheim continued. "You used to be pretty fun, with all those emotions. Lust, greed, sloth, gluttony, wrath, pride, and envy."
Winry stopped her struggling to stare up at them and listen.
"They say a man has seven sins. Too much of one of them would certainly destroy a person, but, on the other hand, all of them are necessary to understand other humans," Hohenheim said. "So, why did you let go of them?"
A silence lingered. Winry glanced between them, cautiously.
"Answer me! Why did you create the homunculi, keep them by your side, and have them call you 'Father'?" Hohenheim asked, and Winry's eyes widened. "Back when you were in the flask, you used to make fun of the community known as family! Could it be that you actually wanted one for yourself?"
Winry watched as Father's eyes narrowed slightly on Hohenheim. She knew he had struck a nerve when the ground around Father's feet suddenly turned liquid and he sunk down into it, disappearing. Hohenheim glanced around looking for him, and saw Winry.
"Winry…?"
"Help…" Winry squeaked. Her voice cracked as if she was overcoming some long spell of laryngitis. Throat tightening, breath weakening. It felt like the chains were digging deeper into her skin, getting tighter.
Red sparks shot up from the ground around Hohenheim. Father appeared behind him and shoved his hand into his spine, piercing his skin, sinking deeper. Hohenheim froze, eyes wide. Winry watched in silent horror.
"It's not that I want to become human. I want to become the perfect being," Father growled, lips curling down in a scowl.
Suddenly, he sprang away, holding the arm that had stabbed Hohenheim. Eyes wide. Hands shaking.
"What did you do?" he asked.
"Something you refuse to do," Hohenheim replied. "You threw away something important along with your emotions."
"Something important?"
Hohenheim turned to him, a fire behind his eyes. "Don't even think you will defeat us easily. I spoke to Envy, and he has done the same with his stone too."
Father's gaze drifted over to Winry. The scowl still clear on his face. "So, he is still alive. I figured as much when Pride did not return to me. No matter."
Winry bared her teeth at Father, strugged against the chains that bound her, and snarled, "You won't get away with what you're doing here. Envy will stop you!"
"I know he will most certainly try," Father replied, calmly. "He is, after all, my son."
His son…? Winry wondered how often he used those words. Did he even understand what he meant by them? She doubted very much he did. Remembered Envy claiming to have no childhood. Indeed, he was never a child. Not once. Born into adulthood and tasked to carry out his master's wishes. Ordered to call him 'Father.' It was just as Hohenheim said: the homunculi were striving for a sense of family.
"You don't…" Winry's voice trembled as she forced herself to say the words, "You don't even know what family is. How can you say he's your son? Envy knows more about love than you ever will."
"Because Envy is a son to me in the definition of the word: he comes from me," Father replied. "I don't expect you, a human, to understand. Let's just say our resilience runs in the family."
"No." Hohenheim took a small step forward. "Envy has become an individual, separate from you. He has developed his own unique characteristics; his own soul, complete with complex emotions and thought patterns. He is cooperating with me for the sole purpose of defeating you!"
Edward felt like he had walked for hours down the same corridor. He passed doorway after dark doorway. Every once and a while Darius or Scar would peek into one and see nothing. Finally, it was decided that Darius would lead a team with the chimera's, and Edward, Alphonse, Mei, and Scar would try another route. They separated. Reluctantly.
As Edward and Alphonse followed Scar and Mei around a corner, he heard Darius saying, "Does anyone else find it ironic that the one and only person who knows where to go has been left behind at the entrance?"
He did not stick around long enough to hear the replies. The thought of Winry caught in the grip of Father tormented him. Envy said he had sent her to Resembool. He wondered how it was possible the homunculi had found her and brought her to Central.
Alphonse seemed to have read his mind, because he said, "I wonder if Winry's okay."
Edward frowned. "If that bastard lays a finger on her, he'll answer to the three of us."
Alphonse' armoured head turned to glance at him. Edward could almost hear a gasp in disbelief.
"What was that about?" Edward asked.
"Oh, nothing," Alphonse replied, innocently. "Just… I noticed you grouped us with Envy. Does that mean you've forgiven him?"
Edward was sharply aware of Scar and Mei listening in on their conversation. He sighed. "You didn't see what he did fighting Pride, Al. An enemy, even an enemy pretending to be our friend, wouldn't have done what he did. Envy put his life on the line more than once that night. Call me naïve, I don't care, but he's changed for the better."
Someone giggled, and Edward saw Mei's face turning a touch pink. "I like him. He's weird, and his chi feels similar to the homunculi, but at the same time it's very different than them."
"What do you mean 'different'?" Alphonse asked.
"It's very powerful," Mei said. "He has many souls within him, but the people aren't writhing and screaming. They are silent. They aren't fighting him. They seem to be working with him, and that makes his chi stable. Like a humans, but stronger, much stronger."
Scar stopped, and Mei almost walked into him. "This is it," he said, staring forward.
The hallway finally came to an end. A single doorway led them into a dark chamber. There in the center crouched a man, glasses reflecting the light from the hall, hands covered in white chalk dust. A transmutation circle was sketched onto the tiled floor.
Edward, Alphonse, Scar and Mei stopped in the doorway and stared over at the man. He stood up and put his hands in the pockets of his white lab coat, and grinned. "Oh my, do I have guests?"
When his mouth opened a single golden tooth shinned in the darkness. Edward felt Scar tense next to him. He clapped his hands together and transmuted his arm into a blade. Just in case.
"Who are you?" Alphonse asked.
The gold-toothed doctor cocked his head to the side. "Me? I guess you could say I'm the man who created King Bradley…"
"Which means," Scar growled, and readied his destructive alchemy, "that you're on their side."
"They're here!" a voice shouted from the hallway behind them. Edward glanced over his shoulder to see Mustang, Hawkeye and Envy burst through the doorway. It felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Even if the gold-toothed doctor had allies, having Mustang and Envy on their side would surely tip the scales in their favour.
When Envy saw the doctor, his eyes narrowed. "How is a maggot like you still alive?"
"Oh?" The gold-toothed doctor's grin widened. His eyebrows rose above the rim of his glasses, as he said, "This is a surprise. A homunculus working with the enemy. Interesting, interesting…"
"Enough chit chat," Mustang said, pulling down one of his white gloves. "I'll give you one chance to get out of our way."
"You must be Colonel Mustang," the doctor grinned, glasses flashing maliciously. "Thanks for coming all the way down here on your own. It gives me one less thing to do."
He raised his hand into the air, like a signal, and a group of five men dropped from the piping in the ceiling. Swords raised, they rushed at the group, as the doctor said, "Guys, entertain them for a bit."
The group scattered and separated. Edward and Alphonse fought back to back. Scar tried to grab his opponent with his right hand but the soldiers were much too fast for him. Mustang and Hawkeye guarded each other, but Mustang was not able to get a flame going. Every time he went to snap his fingers, his opponent would kick or swipe at his hands. Even Hawkeye was missing her targets.
Mei and Envy were the only two able to land any attacks. Her Xingese martial arts training made Mei agile and able to read her opponents chi, so she knew what they were about to do moment before they did it. And Envy's inhuman speed kept him one step ahead of his attacker, dodging mostly. When he did get a shot in on his opponent he landed a head kick and sent the soldier flying into the wall.
"What the hell are these guys? Dolls!?" Edward shouted. "They're so fast!"
"Not dolls," Scar said. "Their movements clearly differ from the ones we fought before."
"Their leftovers from –," Envy narrowly dodged a kick to the head. He ducked and jumped away. "They were the other candidates for Fuhrer. Leftovers once Wrath was created."
"That's right," said the doctor, smiling down at the transmutation circle. Chalk in hand, he worked at it while his bodyguards kept Envy and the rest away. "Despite that, they've been training for battle all this time. They're not as good as King Bradley, but they're pretty decent."
One of the opponents kicked away Hawkeye's last firearm, and managed to get her into a choke hold. Mustang was immediately distracted by this and let his guard down, just to have a blade pushed threateningly against his throat.
"There," the doctor said, finishing the transmutation circle and dropping the chalk. "Let's begin."
Envy heard Mei cry out, and saw her with both arms held behind her back. Edward and Alphonse shortly followed suit in similar submissions. Alphonse's head rolled to Envy's feet when he was tackled to the ground.
"Number 16, number 21, number 19, number 29, number 26," called the doctor. "Come over here."
"What the –?" Edward was suddenly released as his opponent ran to the doctor's side. Alphonse and Mei were also released and the two opponents Envy had been fighting ran back to join the doctor in the center of the room.
Before they could wonder why the soldier's had arranged themselves around the doctor, the transmutation circle was activated. Blue alchemic sparks lit the chamber.
Edward furrowed his brow. "What's going on?"
"Do you know how many alchemy research facilities under direct control of the Fuhrer exist in Central?" the doctor sneered.
Envy's eyes widened. "He's activated the underground pathway that connects the research facilities!"
"What does that mean?" Mustang asked, trying not to press too hard against the blade drawn at his throat.
"It means Father's started collecting the sacrifices," Envy replied, darkly.
"Very good," laughed the doctor. The blue sparks suddenly died out, and in their place a dim purple light ignited the chamber. Envy felt the ground shudder and when he looked down small black hands were reaching up and out of the floor.
Like in the Gate, he thought.
The five Fuhrer candidates were consumed by the tiny black tendrils, given as sacrifice. And the shuddering stopped. Edward and Alphonse screamed together. Envy stared across the chamber at them as each of them stood above a large eyeball that had opened up in the floor.
"What…!?" was the only word either of them could manage before they too were consumed by the black hands of the Gate.
Within moments, they were both gone.
"Fullmetal!?" Mustang shouted at the empty space. The purple light extinguished, leaving the dim chamber as it had been.
"He… disappeared?" Hawkeye breathed, eyes wide.
"Alphonse…? He's… gone?" Mei squeaked.
Mustang growled at the doctor. "Where did you take him?"
"Father's Lair," Envy said, quietly. Everyone turned to stare at him. "It's almost begun. The eclipse must be almost here."
"You homunculi are so unreliable," said the gold-toothed doctor.
Envy rounded on him, fists balled. "What did you say to me?"
"You couldn't even prepare five human sacrifices for this day," the doctor said, frowning. He looked up at Envy, who was shaking with fury, and then drew his gaze over to Hawkeye and Mustang. "I suppose this will have to do. Now, Mustang, we don't have much time. I'd appreciate it if you would willingly cooperate with me."
Mustang scowled, and the Fuhrer candidate holding a sword to his throat suddenly grabbed his arms and held them behind his back. He struggled. Fighting for freedom until he was pinned to the ground by two men.
The doctor smirked, and said, "Do you mind performing human transmutation and opening the Gate?"
A shudder went through the room at his words. Envy snarled, "You're a fool if you think he'll agree to that."
He wished he could jump forward and strangle the doctor, but he could not make a move against him which he stood in the center of the circle. Knew that as soon as he stepped into the transmutation, the doctor could use it to do anything to him. It was the only reason Envy kept himself rooted.
The doctor seemed to sense his growing impatience, because he said, "Don't play hero, homunculus. I know you're too strong for any of my men to hold you down, but if you try anything against me I will have the small girl gutted like a fish."
Mei gave a whimper, and Envy glanced over at her, frowning. He would not test the doctor's bluff. Knew the man would not hesitate to end Mei's life.
"Hrm… interesting," the doctor said again. "I've never known Father's Envy to be such a pushover."
Envy gritted his teeth, hands shaking in fury, but he still did not move from his spot.
The doctor turned back to Mustang. "Fine then. Mustang, I don't care who you transmute. I just need you to open the Gate. Your late parents, your lover, your friend?"
Maes Hughes? Envy glanced out of the corner of his eye, but Mustang was too busy glaring at the doctor to notice.
"What idiot would try it when they know it's not going to work!?" Mustang snarled. "I refuse! I will not open the Gate!"
The doctor seemed to sigh. He shifted his glasses up a little higher on his nose, and said, darkly, "Didn't I say we don't have much time?"
A gurgled screech erupted from across the room. Crimson soaked down the front of Hawkeye's jacket. Her captor let her fall to the ground, as blood bubbled out of the fresh cut across her throat.
Mustang gasped, "Lieutenant!"
They watched as she was dragged across the floor and into the center of the transmutation circle. Eyes looking blankly forward. She brought a thin hand up to try and slow the bleeding, but a crimson pool was already forming beneath her.
"Lieutenant! Say something!" Mustang screamed, struggling against his captors.
The doctor grinned and Envy wanted desperately to tear his eyes out. Use the lenses of his glasses like spoons. "Now, perform human transmutation and become the fifth sacrifice. Come on. Hurry up, or she'll die."
"I won't die…" Hawkeye said, weakly. "I've been ordered not to die…"
"If only immortality could be obtained by following an order like that…" the doctor said. "If only…"
Envy glanced over at Mustang. A bead of sweat dripped down his face. The torn conflict evident in his furrowed brow, and the way he gritted his teeth.
"Well, Mustang? The woman you cherish is dying…" the doctor persisted.
Envy thought he might do it. Knew humans were weak when faced with real conflict; a choice between the greater good and the ones they loved. Save one and kill many, or kill many to save one. He had seen humans make the foolish decision to save the one over and over again. Doubted Mustang was any different.
Mustang dropped his gaze to the ground, and said, weakly, "I won't do it."
The doctor frowned. "You're going to abandon her?"
Envy glanced to the side and saw Mei staring at him. A… signal? What was she trying to say?
The doctor screamed. Envy glanced up and saw him hanging from the piping, supported and tangled in a sticky mass of saliva. He didn't waste another second, Envy launched himself at the man keeping Mei pinned, and managed to free her. He snapped the man's neck easily.
Darius and Zampano appeared through the doorway and tackled the two men holding Mustang down. Jerso dropped down from the ceiling. Mei rushed to Hawkeye's aide, hands shaking. "Oh no…"
Mustang joined Mei and gathered Hawkeye into his arms. "Lieutenant! Speak to me! Lieutenant!"
Envy, Scar and the chimera's tried to keep the doctor's men from interfering with Mei's Alchehestry. A blue light flashed in the corner of Envy's vision, as he dodged a series of attacks. He heard Mei cry, "It's no good… Her wounds are too deep. I need… I need…"
A philosopher's stone. Envy transformed his arm into a spike and shoved it through his opponent's chest. The man dropped to the floor, and Envy turned to Mei and Mustang. He did not understand why, but he said, "Mei, use me!"
Mustang's eyes widened. "What?" he breathed.
Mei looked concerned. "But…"
Envy dropped down next to them, and pointed at his chest. "You don't have time to think about it, idiot. Just do it! The worst that can happen is I will pass through the Gate again."
"You've done this before?" Mustang asked, voice straining. Envy could tell he did not care about his safety, but just wanted confirmation that Hawkeye would come out fine at the end of it.
"Sort of," Envy replied.
"Right…" Mei said, shakily. She drew up another circle, and glanced up at him before she touched her fingers to the edge of it. "Here goes…"
Blue light sparked up from the ground. Envy felt familiar tiny pinpricks on his skin before the dark chamber was flooded with a blinding white light. He closed his eyes against it, held his hands up to shield his face. When he opened them again he was standing in the middle of an all-white space. A silence pressed in on him. Before him stood tall double-doors, engraved in an ancient tongue.
The Gate.
"Welcome back."
Envy spun around and came face to face with a pair of violet eyes. The image of himself. His Truth.
His reflection grinned at him. "So, you've been busy," it said.
Envy glanced around, knowing that he was needed back on earth. Mustang and Mei would have healed Hawkeye now, and they would be making their way to Father. They needed him. He had to help them. He felt the pressure to move through the Gate as quickly as possible. If he did not, if he lingered more than necessary…
"How do I get out of here?" he asked his reflection.
"Did you not come here for a reason?" it asked.
"Are you going to ask a thousand questions again?" Envy snapped. "I don't have time for this bullshit. I have to get back to them. They need my help!"
His reflection smiled at him. Crow's feet appeared at the corners of its eyes. It cocked its head to one side, green-black hair cascading over its shoulders. "Of course they do. Don't let me keep you…"
Before Envy could reply the Gate behind his reflection opened with a loud creaking sound. The noise echoed into the emptiness. Envy bolted into the blackness before the hands could even wrap around him. As he was enveloped in darkness, he heard his reflection whisper back into the Gate:
"Congratulations, my soul. You gave a part of your life to save that woman, and asked for nothing from me in return. You are selfless, and I am proud of you…"