I am back. To those of you still with me, much love. Seriously. My absence was inexcusable, despicable, and (to me) startling when I realized how long it's been since last I appeared here. And although this chapter is shorter than I planned when i started it a year ago, what comes next has gained more depth and clarity. And rusty as I am I want to do it both in a timely fashion and to the specifications that exist inside my skull.

until then.

Chapter 16: a coffin with windows (is still a coffin)
Sum: Ed and Alucard set in motion the Elric's containment plan.

Ed watched the man's face go from shocked to suspicious. He waited until his motives were about to be questioned to pull out the watch bearing the insignia of the State Alchemists. "Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist. Maybe you've heard of me?" He waited a beat before continuing, not bothering to introduce Alucard. "I need to speak with your superior immediately. We have an issue of dire consequence that if left unchecked will endanger the lives of everyone on this train."

Dark eyes darted from the watch, to him, to the space above his head he assumed Alucard was occupying. The man opened his mouth to question the nosferatu's presence, only to have his eyes glaze and his jaw close, nodding slowly. "Follow me, Sirs."

Ed threw Alucard a disapproving glance, but didn't bother bringing up his distaste. It could wait, their mission couldn't.

They were lead to an enclosed space occupied by five other men in uniform, all eyes quickly fixating on them when it became clear their fellow worker wasn't alone.

"Jensen, who are these people?" A broad man with an enormous mustache asked, clearly the superior in the group.

"Military sir."

Ed stepped forward and flashed his watch, introducing himself as he did. "Are you in charge here?"

"Yea, been in charge of these men since before you were out of diapers lad."

He could feel the vein in his forehead twitching. "Oh yea old man? Then I suppose you know this train inside and out, what with all the time you've had to sit in it and look pretty."

The conductor smirked. "Aye, reckon I do. What sort of military business does a pipsqueak and his pet suit have with me and my boys?"

"Well Mr.…?"

"Repin."

"Mr. Repin, I need you to listen closely. There are currently twenty three-"

"Twenty five." Alucard corrected smoothly.

Ed felt his frown deepen. At the rate they were going, it was only a matter of time before Alucard declared the entire population of the train a loss and they were swimming in the dead. "Twenty five passengers aboard this train that could be minutes away from death. And once they're dead, everyone on this train becomes nothing more than a prepackaged meal plan."

"I think you've gone soft in the head, kid-"

"I wish I had. Because that sounds better than the alternative, doesn't it? Me just some crazy kid, with no possible chance that what I'm saying has any validation what so ever. But I'm not, and the longer we stand here discussing who's head is softer, the less the likelihood of containing the situation."

Repin crossed his arms over his chest, mustache puffing out as he sneered down at the alchemist. "Say I believe you, say there are twenty five-"

"Twenty eight."

"You just said-"

"Yes. I did. However, now there are twenty eight of them."

The conductor huffed. "Fine. Twenty eight passengers aboard my train on the verge of what? Going mental? This isn't going to end with you telling me a wee monster tears through their insides and starts gnawing on lookers on is it?"

Ed wasn't sure how to answer that one, as he'd never heard such a ridiculous thing. Alucard chuckled, though what humor he gleaned from the question, Ed didn't want to think about. "No? Look, we need to find a way to separate these people from everyone else to keep casualties to a minimum."

"Hold your horses lad, you still haven't explained this properly. So go on, out with it. Tell me why we absolutely must do as you ask."

"Alucard, why don't you enlighten our new friend here on the details."

And he did. In brilliant, nausea inducing detail that had every one of the men paler than the nosferatu filling their mind with horrific images.

"Are you-is that-"

"Now I think we're speaking the same language. Is there a place where we can quarantine these people?"

"We can put them in the dining car, sir." Jensen offered, far less shaken than the other men.

Ed nodded. "That actually could work well, if we can convince them they've won some sort of raffle dinner or something."

"Your kind are rather fond of food they do not have to pay for themselves."

Ed ignored the jab, but the conductor didn't. "Oy, where you from then, eh? Creta? Drachma?"

"England. And before you start your little anti-foreigner diatribe, perhaps you could do as you've been asked. I do believe this boy is of a higher rank than yourself? And unless I'm mistaken, it is customary for the lower ranking individual to abide by the commands of his superior." Alucard tilted his head to the side, smirking serenely at the clearly displeased conductor.

Repin saluted stiffly to Ed. "Right, sir, perhaps if you could tell me how we differentiate the sick from everyone else so we can get started carrying out your orders?"

"Too pale, glassy eyes. A bite mark that looks like everything around it is dying-"

"It would seem we've spent our allotted time."

Ed whirled to face Alucard, noting the way the vampire was eyeing the door leading to the engine car. "You can't be serious! How many have already turned?!"

"Two, last car. They are being dealt with, however I doubt their would-be victims are aware that bite marks, no matter how small, are tantamount to a death sentence."

"Just great. And the other ones?"

A minute shrug of the shoulder. "Minutes, hours….still human, well, still breathing at any rate."

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Ed turned back to Repin and his men. They were few, and by the looks of them did little in the way of maintaining authority with anything other than a pen and paper. But they were here, they were hands, and if (no, when) the worst came to pass they wore uniforms easily identifiable, and more readily trusted than a couple of kids and a suit.

"Right. We need one man per car; I think we should be able to manage that. Inspect everyone. And by inspect, I mean up close and personal. The one you miss is the one you'll regret." He managed to hold every last gaze turned his way, watched as they registered his sincerity, as they glanced to the dark clad man loitering behind him. Watched as all hope that this was a prank drained from them like water from a sink.

"You heard the boy, gents. After me."

Repin swept past the two of them, and Ed nodded as he did. There was no acknowledgement in return, but it didn't really matter. What needed to be done was on its way, and that's all that he cared about. He continued to stand to the side as the men filed past him, Alucard silent beside him. It was eerie, how still the man could be.

"Well put, if a touch inelegant."

"It got the job done, didn't it?"

"One would hope."

He glanced up into the placid face of his follower, who seemed to be staring at the door as though it were as transparent as his glasses.

"The night is still young, the party is 'just getting started' as one of my comrades was once fond of saying."

Ed managed to reign in his incredibility over the idea that the creature had 'comrades', his curiosity over what such people might be like (and more importantly what was wrong with their wiring) and his semi-horror over the idea that there could possibly be more than one of him.

The two followed the end of the grim procession into the passenger car, which was lit now only with the dim light of the few overheads-the sun had fully set as they'd proceeded with their grim errand. He tried to ignore the crawling sensation, cold and painstakingly slow along his skin as he surveyed the unwitting passengers. Victims. Casualties. Soil displacing-he snapped his eyes shut as if to cut the thought in half.

Coughs, murmurs, he returned his gaze to reality, observing, cataloging, calculating. They moved through the cars and in each one a man broke off, speaking in hushed tones to sleepy patrons. Ed nodded to Al as they passed, took note of his younger brother's gaze so bright and alert in the gloom. The overall atmosphere was hushed, creating a sense of foreboding the elder Elric did not like one tiny little bit. 'Man am I really getting sick of all these 'calm before the storm' moments'

They made it through until finally only he, Alucard, and Repin were left, staring at the door that led into the final passenger car. The nosferatu had said nothing since they began their trek, no warnings, no re-counts, no snide remarks about anyone's mother.

He half expected to walk through the door into a scene torn from a horror movie, all blood spattered walls and flickering lights. After all, here now there be monsters. He took a deep breath as the door handle clicked, and shifted blindly over the threshold.