5th and final chapter!
Chibi Hayaku Hashiru: Sorry I made you wait so long for each chapter. Though think of it this way, at least I'm still updating. (grins) There's one fanfic I love where the author got to the really good bit and then disappeared off the face of the planet.. (sigh) Anyway, to make it up, not only am I posting WAY earlier than I usually do ( I think ), but this one has Al in it! (yay!) Anyway, it's a space station in space, near the moon. (grins)
Chapter 5: The Bug
It was early morning. Al entered the large hall that, just yesterday, he had attended a banquet for the introduction of a very powerful camera. Up on the stage, to the right, Al could see the large machine that handled the feed from the camera that was currently up in the space station orbiting their moon. Directly ahead, a large screen covered the back of the stage.
" There you are, Al. " His mother called out to him from near the console. She smiled, waving, but her movement was edgy, as if she had something deeply important on her mind. Frankly, they both did. For today was the day that his father promised to let him speak to Edward, his brother...
Al couldn't help but feel a pang of excitement. He had begged Hohenheim to schedule it early, and from what he had said, Edward had demanded the same thing. Was Edward also so eager to see him..? The thought made him feel so happy...
" We're almost set up. " His mother told him as he stepped onto the stage. She had a tone of excitement in her voice. She watched a man working the buttons of the consol he sat behind, a set of headphones held up to his ear.
" Almost time, Ma'am. " He stated to Trisha. " We're just waiting for the transmission to come through, it should pick up at any moment. "
" Excellent! " Trisha exclaimed. She then walked briskly over to the podium where the microphone still sat. Al stayed by the console, watching the man. After about a minute, he started frowning. After another minute, he started pushing buttons.
" What's wrong? " Al asked him. He was hesitant to respond.
" It seems that we're still picking up no transmission. " He stated eventually. " I'm sure there is nothing wrong with the equipment. "
" Maybe they're running late? " Al suggested. His voice was calm, but he could feel a swell of panic. Nothing could go wrong, not now... The man nodded in reply. Though more minutes passed, and still nothing happened.
" Oh, I hope nothing is wrong up there... " Trisha sighed eventually. Al looked over at her. She looked sad and worried, but she seemed to be trying to hide it. " But, " She continued, " Since there's nothing wrong with the equipment here, then we can only assume there's a bug up there, and we can only wait for them to fix it. "
" Are you so sure it's theirs? " Al asked, leaning over closer. " Maybe this is faulty, maybe that's why they can't get through? "
" Nope, this is running at one hundred percent, it's not here. " The man replied, shaking his head. Al was about to argue, but suddenly he felt his mothers arms wrap around him. He hadn't even heard her walk over.
" Don't forget, Dear, " She whispered, " This is your father and your brother we're talking about. If there is any problem whatsoever, those two can fix it without trouble. We just have to be patient. " Al nodded dismally.
Oh, Brother... He sighed. It's been so long... What could be keeping you now...?
The entire station shook violently from the impact, sending Edward and Mustang flying. Edward slammed painfully into the ground, his stomach sending waves of agony shooting through his body, forcing him to curl into a ball for a few moments, groaning in pain, until it slowly subsided to a dull throb. When he could, Edward uncurled himself, forcing himself to his knees. Mustang was already running over to him, looking concerned.
" Are you alright?.! " He demanded, grabbing Edward's arm, lifting him to his feet.
" I'm fine. " Edward nodded, trying to ignore the pain. " We've got to get down there! " Edward began to run towards the elevator, but Mustang yanked him back.
" What was that thing?.! " He huffed, looking bewildered. " What is a 'Bug'? "
" You'll soon find out! " Edward snapped. " Come on! " Once again he ran towards the elevator, leaping in, Mustang and Aru right behind him, the creature jumping back up onto Edward's shoulders as the doors closed. Edward punched in the button for one of the middle floors, one that looked like it was hit.
" What are you doing, those floors are going to be in the vacuum of space! " Mustang yelled.
" If it is then I'll fix it! " Edward growled. " We have to get to it as soon as possible! "
" So what is it? " Mustang asked again. Edward sighed, annoyed at having to explain himself.
" It's called a Bug, " He replied irritably, " I've.. fought them before, they're really dangerous and hard to kill, and it'll slaughter every person on this space station in hours unless we stop it. "
" And how do you stop it? " Mustang queried.
" It's pretty much like an insect on Amestris, except bigger and stronger. " Ed explained. " It's exoskeleton is impossible to penetrate with anything, so you gotta remove it with alchemy, which means getting up next to it, which is in itself incredibly difficult. "
" And you've fought these before? " Mustang huffed, bewildered.
" Yep. " Edward nodded. " A whole army of them. " He added under his breath.
Moments later, Edward felt the elevator come to a halt,and the doors slid open. Up ahead he could hear loud crashing sounds, and a man shouting.
" Get ready! " The man ordered. " Damnit, Breda, stop shaking and aim! " As Edward and Mustang rounded a corner, they spotted Hughes not far ahead, shouting orders at Hawkeye, Breda, Havoc, and a few other guards and scientists. Up ahead of them, passed a few doors to the left that looked like large storage rooms, an emergency door blocked off the rest of the corridor, a small window in the middle of it. On the other side Edward could see nothing but dust clouds. Something big was moving around, causing the ground and walls to shake with each of it's steps.
" Hughes! " Mustang shouted. Hughes glanced behind him, looking rather concerned.
" Roy! " He shouted. " I don't know what this is, but it's coming this way! "
" What's the damage? " Mustang asked, staring at the emergency door.
" I dunno. " Hughes replied, shrugging. " I'm assuming the thing hit several floors. Luckily it looks like there's only one. "
" Damn right we're lucky. " Edward growled.
" All of you fall back! " Mustang ordered. " Bullets are useless against it! "
" How do you know? " Hughes asked.
" Edward says so. " Mustang replied, gesturing towards Edward as if he hardly believed him himself.
" Good enough for me! " Hughes nodded. " You lot, fall back, get the hell outa here and seal off the other floors! " The shooters instantly obeyed, running passed Edward, Mustang and Hughes, disappearing around the bend.
" You too, Hughes. " Mustang ordered.
" Up yours, Sir. " Hughes replied. Mustang sighed loudly.
" You've got a wife and kid, Hughes! " Mustang shouted. " I'm not telling them you died 'cause you were being a retard, now move! "
" Alright, alright, jeez. " Hughes gave in, backing away. " I'm not telling them you were being a retard either, you hear? " Mustang nodded, and Hughes turned and ran off.
" You know, it's not exactly the brightest idea to stand alone against one of these things. " Edward commented as Hughes disappeared around the corner.
" You said you need alchemy to beat it. " Mustang replied, scowling.
" No, I said you need alchemy to remove it's exoskeleton, Dumbass! " Edward shouted. Aru screeched in unison with him, pointing a tiny finger at Mustang. " Then you can shoot it to buggery! "
" Well that's your fault for not being clear, isn't it! " Mustang huffed, folding his arms. " Besides, I have a gun as well. "
" Oh right, lets put a few bullets into it, that'll kill it for sure! " Edward growled, his voice reeking with sarcasm. " One gun'll just get it's attention! "
" That should be enough. " Mustang stated. " Then when it's after me, you can pierce it with metal from the walls. " Edward was about to shout something else, but hesitated.
" Sounds like a plan. " He uttered a few moments later. " But you gotta be fast, these things have a grudge against me. "
" You'll have to tell me why later. " Mustang replied, pulling out his gun as he turned to face the emergency door. The ground shook more violently. Suddenly the door started to buckle as the thing smashed against it.
" Wait, " Edward muttered, turning to Mustang, " How come everyone's carrying guns on a space station? "
" No time! " Mustang yelled. At that moment, the door ripped open, and immediately a powerful suction started dragging Edward and Mustang towards the open door. Edward clapped his hands and slammed them onto the floor. Blue sparks filled the corridor, and moments later the suction stopped. Now that everything had settled, Edward could get a better look at the enemy, while behind him he could hear more people arriving.
The 'Bug' was huge. It filled the corridor, which itself was large. It was shaped sort of like a cross between a crab and a spider, with 6 beetle-like legs, not including the two front ones, which it used like arms. It had a tail like a scorpion, but longer, so it could reach pretty far in front of it, and pretty quickly. It was an eery, black-green colour, like when you look at the shell of a black beetle and it shines green in the light. It seemed to have no eyes, and no antennae, but it had large, pincer-like jaws, which crunched through the metal from the door like it was bread.
" Holy f- " Mustang began, but his voice was drowned out by an incredibly loud screech from the Bug, like nails on a chalkboard. The monster moved it's body like it was looking around. Suddenly it turned towards Edward. Aru hissed.
" IIIIIDUAAAAARRD IIIIILRRIIIIIC. " It screeched. Immediately it charged towards him at an amazing speed, quickly reaching him. Without hesitation, he shoved Mustang hard, knocking him aside as he too dodged the creature, Aru leaping off his shoulder to make it's own escape. As it passed him, he clapped his hands and dove towards it. But suddenly his knees buckled, and he fell to the ground. The bug stopped it's charge. Now not only had he missed it, but he was under it. Not good. But not the end. Edward reached up, touching it's underbelly, and instantly, in a flash of blue sparks, the black, metal-like armour dissolved, revealing disturbing, wrinkly brown muscle. The Bug screeched in anger, scuttling backwards away from him. Edward struggled to stand, but only made it to his knees when he saw it raise it's scorpion tail. It's lightning quick, scorpion tail.
" Ed! " Mustang shouted. A loud bang filled the corridor, hurting his ears. It was quickly followed by a pained shriek from the Bug, which scuttled backwards further, bleeding from a bullet wound on it's underbelly. Edward quickly got to his feet, only now realising how tired he was...
" Mustang, get back! " Ed yelled. Too late. The creature charged towards Mustang, who had kneeled on the ground to aim. He didn't have enough time to dodge, instead firing another bullet into it's soft flesh. It screeched in pain, but it didn't stop. More bullet fire. But this wasn't from Mustang's gun. Edward glanced behind him to see at least ten men, all firing hand guns. The Bug stopped it's charge, Mustang taking the opportunity to stand up and move back.
" Aim for the exposed flesh! " A familiar voice shouted. Edward glanced back again. Hohenheim stood beside the gunmen, holding a weapon of his own. " Get back, Edward! " He bellowed. Edward ignored him. He was quickly growing tired, due to moving around so much so soon after a major injury, but he wasn't about to run away yet. He had to kill this thing. He can't let it get away. It'll kill everybody...
Ed clapped his hands again. " Get ready, Old Man! " He shouted. He dashed forward towards the Bug again, arms outstretched. The Bug's exoskeleton was like plates. While they looked like one solid piece of body armour, they were actually separated by the smallest gap, too small for any weapon to pierce, but big enough so that Edward's alchemy couldn't remove two at a time. He had gotten the plate covering it's underbelly before, but now he needed to get one that made aiming easier. The 'face' would be a great spot. But he had to be quick.
Unfortunately, an exhausted Edward wasn't quick.
Before he touched the plating on it's 'face', it swung it's front, arm-like leg, smashing him in the chest and sending him flying backwards, hitting the ground hard. Dazed, he could only watch as the Bug, ignoring the bullet fire, towered over him, raising it's tail. At the last second, Edward rolled sideways, but once again, he was too slow. The stinger nicked his arm, drawing blood. Ed cupped the cut with his hand as he once again pulled himself to his knees. But the Bug slammed it's insect foot into his back, knocking him back down.
" EDWARD! " He heard Hohenheim scream. Why was he screaming..?
Suddenly there was a blue flash, and a large pillar slammed into the bug, sending it flying backwards, as far as out through the emergency door into the destroyed corridor behind it. The bug immediately began climbing back through, but it gave Hohenheim enough time to come running over to Edward, grabbing him under the shoulders and dragging him back. Hohenheim dragged him into one of the storage rooms to the side, carefully propping him against the far wall beside this old unit that looked like it was once a command console on the bridge. He spotted Aru sprinting in a few moments later, leaping up to sit on the console, chittering loudly.
" Ed! " Hohenheim shouted again. " ED! "
" Damnit.. " Edward mumbled, gripping the scratch again. It barely bled at all, but it pained. Even though the Bug only nicked him, it still managed to get enough poison in him... He'll never stop bleeding...
Sighing, Ed attempted to push Hohenheim aside, intending to stand. But Hohenheim seemed to have suddenly become very strong, not moving in the slightest.
" Ed, you can't fight anymore! " Hohenheim yelled. " Look at yourself! You've got no strength left, and you're covered in blood! " Ed looked down at his shirt, and sure enough, his stomach wound had begun bleeding again, and rather severely, completely covering the front of his shirt, and most of his pants. Though whether that was from the toxin in his blood, or the fact that he'd been running around like a nutcase, Ed didn't know, but he was pretty sure neither helped. Outside the room, Ed could hear allot of gunfire, and the Bug screeching. There seemed to be a raging battle, but it hadn't tried to get in the room yet. It probably didn't know where he was.
" Let me see your arm! " Hohenheim uttered, grabbing Edward's left arm, trying to pull his hand away from the scratch.
" Knock it off! " Edward huffed. " I'll be fine! "
" Ed, let me help you! " Hohenheim snapped. He sounded extremely worried, his voice even quivering slightly, like... like a father whose eldest son was bleeding severely right in front of him... Like a father who was really, really scared...
Don't be scared...
" I said knock it off! " Edward shouted, whacking Hohenheim's hand away.
" Ed- " Hohenheim began, but Edward interrupted him.
" I don't need help! " Ed continued, glaring. " I lasted four years without help, and I'm not stopping now! " Mustering as much strength as he could, he pushed Hohenheim away, and again began to climb to his feet.
" Why are you so aggressive? " Hohenheim asked suddenly. " You were always a pain, but.. " His voice drifted off.
" Sh.. Shut-... " Ed began, but he couldn't finish his sentence, as just then, barely off the ground, he fell again to his knees and puked. Blood splattered the floor. Edward felt Hohenheim grab him by the shoulders again, like a hug, holding him up as he coughed, the metallic taste of blood strong in his mouth. He was so tired...
" Ed... " Hohenheim muttered after a moment. Edward hung his head.
" I don't.. need help... " He mumbled eventually, talking more to himself. " I'm fine... on my own... " Hohenheim's grip on him tightened.
" You've been on your own for so long, haven't you..? " He asked softly. " Depending on yourself... " Edward didn't respond. He didn't try to support his own body, just letting Hohenheim take all his weight. It disturbed him, how uncomfortable it made him feel, but... it was also nice...
" Four years depending on yourself. " Hohenheim continued. " Being suddenly thrown back into a world where you need to depend on others mustn't be easy... I only now realise that... " Outside, the walls shuddered as the Bug slammed against them. It sounded like a real battle out there. It must've taken out at least half of them by now.
" Ed, " Hohenheim uttered, " How do you stop this thing? Ed! " He said again when Edward didn't respond. " You need to let me help you. You're not on your own anymore. "
Not on your own...
" Aru. " Ed stated. He moved his left arm, holding it out in front of him.
" Bite. "
Aru jumped down from the console, passed Hohenheim, landing on Ed's extended arm. It opened it's mouth, and it's long teeth appeared. A moment later, it sank them into Edward's flesh. Hohenheim gasped in surprise as Edward flinched from the pain.
" Ed.. What the hell?.! " He uttered. Aru let go, jumping away again.
" The Bug carries a poison that stops the blood from clotting. " Ed explained, rubbing the new bite with his automail hand. He lifted his head enough so that he could see Hohenheim's face. " Even just a scratch will make you bleed out if you don't do anything. That's how they eat. But Aru has a poison that completely dries the blood, that's how he eats. Mix them together, and they cancel each other out. "
" That.. explains allot. " Hohenheim replied with a sigh.
" That thing... " Ed muttered, turning to look out through the doorway of the room to the chaos outside. " It's armour-like exoskeleton is impenetrable, you need to remove it with alchemy. I've uncovered it's underside, so if you pierced it from that angle, you should kill it. But it's fast, it usually sees the attack coming and dodges, you gotta take it by surprise. "
" That shouldn't be hard. " Hohenheim smiled weakly.
" Get it to come after me. " Ed stated. Hohenheim dropped the smile.
" Are you mad?.! " He huffed.
" That thing hates me, " Ed argued, " The moment it spots me it'll see nothing else, that's when you send a spike through it's guts, understand? "
" Ahh..! " Hohenheim uttered, obviously trying to think up a better course of action, but he must have failed, for he then sadly nodded his head. " Ok, you win. " He sighed, pulling Edward to his feet, who leaned heavily on the console next to him. Aru leaped onto his shoulder as Hohenheim stepped aside, resting on his automail, chittering quietly.
" You said it, Aru... " Ed mumbled. He watched as Hohenheim knelt down, pressing his hand against the ground. He was a better alchemist even than Edward. Ed had no doubt this plan would work.
Now or never.
Ed spotted the Bug move passed the doorway. The sound of gunfire had stopped. Had it killed them all..? Ed clapped his hands and transmuted the consol, turning it into a spike and sending it through the doorway towards the Bug. It spotted the attack, and leaped sideways, dodging it. It seemed to spot him.
" IIIIIDUAAAARRD IIIILRRIIIC. " It screeched again before charging towards him. In moments it was in the room. A bright blue flash, and another spike, this one made of metal from the floor, sprang up. But the Bug saw it. It easily dodged to the side. Unfortunately for Edward, though, this time it didn't lose focus of him. Without pause, it charged at him again. Aru jumped away as Ed lifted his automail arm and held it in front of him, just in time to block the Bug's leg from hitting his body, but the force still knocked him back into a stack of boxes which he then realised were full, and rather solid. The Bug raised it's tail, ready to strike.
" Edward! " Hohenheim cried out. Suddenly Edward's father was right in front of him. The next thing he knew, he was on the ground, knocked to the side. He watched helplessly as the Bug struck, piercing his father in the chest, near the shoulder. He watched as Hohenheim fell to the ground, as the Bug screeched.
" Damnit! " Edward shouted, sitting up. He clapped his hands, and slapped the ground, and a new spike rose out of the ground. This one the Bug didn't notice. It went right through the creature with a sickening squish. It screeched loudly, squirming, it's legs running in thin air. It's movements slowed, and it's legs curled up, like a dead spider. Moments later, the screeching stopped. Ed could hear running feet, getting closer. But he ignored it. He struggled to get up, but he couldn't, his legs refusing to work. He stared at Hohenheim, still collapsed on the ground.
" Damnit, Old Man..! " He huffed, panic in his voice. " Father! " People poured into the room, and once they piled around Hohenheim, Edward lost sight of him. He could see Aru trying to get to him, but someone kept shoving it back.
" He'll bleed out...! " Ed tried to yell, but he wasn't loud enough, everyone else was shouting, no one heard him... " Aru, bite him! "
" Ed! " He heard Mustang's voice. Mustang was next to him, pulling him up, but Ed fought him off.
" Damnit, Aru needs to bite him! " Ed cried. " He'll bleed out! Father! "
Mustang heard him.
Four years ago, when the meteor storm hit, I was dragged off, out into deep space... The meteor that hit me was moving fast. In just two days, I was far from Amestris. For our limits in travel, anyway. Funnily enough, the meteor wasn't the only thing that hit me. A ship smashed into my 'craft', moving faster than the meteors, and dragged me further away... All the way to a planet circling a distant star, too far to see clearly from Amestris. The planet was like home. Jungle... a wide variety of animals, strange as they were... But it's sentient species were nothing like Humans... I call them 'Bugs'.
They were cold. No empathy. They ate anything that was alive. Which is fair, I suppose, everything needs to eat. But these things had mastered space travel... They were capable of speech, in their own tongue, at least... Yet they still ate anything... Anything alive... For four years, I lived to avoid them. I met Aru, and learned that he could counter their poison. They attacked me often, especially after I discovered how to kill them. I learned to kill them. I learned to fight. I learned to take care of myself, with Aru as my only companion.
Then one day, one of their ships crashed. I knew they had smaller crafts stored on these ships. I snuck in. They caught me. I made it to one of the ships, but not before they got me. Aru saved me. Then, off I went, through the atmosphere and out into space, at remarkable speed. I don't know how it went for home. I don't know why. It was like it was set to go that way.
Is that good?
Ed had told his story a dozen times. Now, as he walked down a newly repaired corridor, he couldn't get it out of his head. Just wait until he tells Al! Al would love to hear it. His mother, though... He could guess her reaction. She'd be so worried for him. She'd always worry for him. Him and Hohenheim. It was the day after the Bug incident. Both he and Hohenheim needed rest, so Al was told to wait another day. Poor Al... Ed thought. Aru clutched his automail shoulder tightly as he walked. Wait until Al see's him. What will he think? Ed couldn't guess. But Ed couldn't wait to find out. He couldn't wait to see his little brother...
Soon he reached a door. He pushed it open, and about a dozen smiling faces greeted him.
" Ed, there you are! " Hohenheim waved to him. He sat in the chair, his upper body heavily bandaged, but it didn't stop him from moving around. Just like the stomach wound didn't stop Ed. He could also see Mustang, bandages on his arms and hands from Aru. Hawkeye stood beside him. Beside her was Hughes, whose head was bandaged. He'd apparently returned to the scene, saved a few people, and then slipped in blood and conked his head. Ed couldn't stop laughing about it. There was also Falman, Fuery, Breda, Havoc, all smiling at him. They all sat around a large camera and a screen.
" I thought that think didn't send images this way? " Ed asked as he walked over.
" It didn't, " Hohenheim replied, " But good old Falman and Fuery here stayed up all day and night setting it up so it will. "
" Only that long? " Ed marvelled.
" It was simple, really. " Falman replied sternly. " I, myself instructed a fellow scientist down on the planet on how to connect another camera to the audio function on the consol to send the compressed image here. Then some modifications to this one, and it can now show the image on the screen. !
" There, what he said. " Hohenheim finished.
" Though I must add, " Falman continued, " Getting it working required the use of some very expensive items we were saving for something else. "
" Now we have to go back to Amestris and get more. " Fuery added.
" Is that so? " Edward smiled.
" Enough chit chat, " Hohenheim stated, " Al and Trish are waiting. We all set, Falman? "
" Yes, Sir! " Falman saluted.
" Chill, Falman. " Hohenheim replied as he pressed a button. A light on the camera blinked on, and a moment later the screen flicked to a very hazy image that Ed could barely make out.
" Woops. " Falman muttered. He opened a panel on the side and began messing with something.
" ... Ed...? " A voice came out of the camera. Ed could only stare at the screen. Slowly the haze faded away, an the image became clearer. It was his mother, and Al, standing next to each other.
" Al... " Ed uttered in awe. Slowly a grin spread across his face, and his eyes filled with held back tears. " Al..! "
" Brother! " Al exclaimed, wearing the same expression as him, though he didn't hold back. " Brother, it's you, it's you! "
" Edward, sweetheart! " Trisha openly sobbed. " I hope you've been looking after yourself.. "
" Yeah.. " Ed replied, trying to keep his voice steady. They only now seemed to spot Aru.
" Brother, what is that thing on your shoulder?.! " Al gasped. Ed reached up to scratch it's chin.
" This is a friend of mine. " He replied. " It's name is Aru. "
" Aru? " Al repeated. " Brother, you're so bad at naming things. " He laughed.
" I am not! " Ed argued, his grin unwavering.
" Yes you are! " Al argued back. " Remember when you tried to name my new kitten 'It'? "
" Well you're the one who couldn't work out the gender! " Ed retorted. Al laughed. Soon he stopped, and then there was just silence.
" When are you coming home, Edward? " His mother asked. Ed looked over at Hohenheim.
" We'll be leaving this afternoon. " He replied. " So we should be there tomorrow night. "
" Really?.! " Al exclaimed. " Yay! "
" I hope my rooms still there. " Ed chuckled.
" Al wouldn't let anyone do otherwise. " Trisha replied, smiling. " Your brother never gave up hope that you'd come home.. "
" That so? " Ed asked, looking over at Al.
" You promised you would, that's why. " Al stated. " You always keep your promises. "
" I sure do. " Ed nodded. He couldn't get over seeing his mother and brother's faces again... They looked so happy. And he felt so happy. Tomorrow he'd be back home.. with his family.. with his brother...
Just like he promised.
END.
I hope the ending wasn't lame. It's 5am. I think I covered everything. Let me know what you think! (grins)
I've already got a few plots in my head for future FMA stories, though I dunno when I'm gonna get around to writing them. Hopefully not at a time when I only get motivation to post a chapter every 6 months like this one.
Until next Fanfic!