CHAPTER TWO
"Feeling better sir?" The doctor had come and gone. Edward Elric was declared physically fit save a few scrapes and bruises. The pronouncement didn't help his state of mind at all.
"Just fine Lieutenant," he answered. Sergeant Brosh had already taken his post in the hall. Ross needed personal reassurance of his health.
"Do you remember now?" The woman didn't pull her punches either. While the doctor was satisfied with his positive answer, his body guard knew him better.
"It's better. Just slightly off." It had been bothering him all morning. The facts he observed weren't lining up. He wasn't ready to answer questions about it. Seeing the Lieutenant bite her lip in worry, he tried to find a way to avoid the interrogation. Women were scary when they wanted something. "Maybe you can help."
She straightened to attention. "Of course sir." It was a wonder she didn't salute at the suggestion.
"Can you give me a quick outline from the time you met us?" She looked startled at his request but he didn't care. If this wasn't a dream he needed to know what it was.
"We met you in front of the First Branch Library and took over your protection from Major Armstrong due to Scar targeting you. The library had been destroyed, but thanks to Miss Scieszka's efforts you obtained a copy of Dr. Marco's research notes. You and your brother worked at Central Library until you had deciphered his notes. We then retired to your hotel room and discussed your findings with Major Armstrong. Last night you and your brother snuck out to investigate the abandoned 5th laboratory, despite direct orders to wait for Major Armstrong's investigation due to political issues." The alchemist could hear her displeasure through the professional tone.
"We contacted the Major and planned an immediate investigation and rescue team. He contacted Lt. Colonel Hughes and put together a team for search and rescue of a possible kidnapping. The Fuhrer learned of it and sent a platoon under Major Armstong's command to support us. Both of you were found in one of the basement rooms. The Lt. Colonel and Major are still on site."
Most of what she said, he remembered. The problem was this happened a few months before he went through the gate. Was this his past? It could be a third world. One that was similar but not exact to his Amestris.
No. A stab of pain hit the blonde as he remembered Alfon's death. The crazy lady responsible for the entire ordeal had been shot by German Hughes before he discovered his brother had followed him through the gate.
Wait! Biting his lip, he remembered the surprise seeing his brother crawl out of a suit of armor. The Elrics had started to deactivate the array when the castle collapsed. The image of Alphonse crushed under stone stole the older Elric's breath.
Sliding out of bed, Ed took the two steps to reach the second bed in the room. A trembling hand touched the warm cheek of his sleeping brother. Reassurance lifted the stifling weight of grief even as confusion returned.
"Major Elric?" He waved off the Lieutenant's concern as he returned to his bed. The two years in England and Germany felt real. Small scars on his true hand testified of countless work on a possible rocket design. But even if he had lived it, how was Al whole and well? And why the time change?
Blood was given. Life was given.
The words came unwilling to his mind. The time in darkness was blurred with a few moments of clarity. He had believed his blood and life had been given.
The circle was bent, not broken.
Envy in serpent form falling towards him from the broken upper level of the castle room was his last clear memory of Germany. Had they produced a different alchemic response from the gate rather than deactivate the array?
"You might regret coming back you know. It's your home, but you might not think so."
There were too many variables and not enough facts. No matter how he ended up here, or where here was, he would continue on. It would be far better than a world without Al. "Where's Colonel Mustang?"
"In East City sir," was the prompt reply.
"Is Scar still…" He didn't know how to finish. Killing? Safe? Free? Alive?
"There has been no sighting of Scar since the underground explosion in East City, sir. We suspect he may have been killed, but nothing conclusive had been found." There was a question left unsaid, but Edward declined to answer.
"Before I reached Central, where was I?" That caught her off guard.
"You arrived on the east bound train sir. Major Armstrong could provide more information." Concern had entered her voice again.
"Ah. Don't worry Lieutenant," he flashed a smile. "We came from Riesenbol. It's our hometown and where my mechanic lives." Gesturing at his automail arm, he wondered what he was going to tell Winry. These limbs were new, but he doubted she or Granny Pinako would remember making them.
"I think I'm in the clear," he continued. "Everything I've asked since your timeline were only to confirm my own memories." He chuckled when the ever proper Lieutenant's shoulders slumped in relief. "Any minute now Hughes will storm in with pictures of Elysia and demand a report. I'll be fine until then." It wasn't an order, but Ross understood the dismissal.
"Sir," she saluted. Just before she left the room, she glanced over her shoulder. "It's good to see you safe sir."
The greeting gave the young alchemist a warm feeling. He was back. Timeline and Al's body aside, it felt like home. Europe never did. The pleasant feeling overwrote his worries and lingering confusion. Closing his eyes, he lay down and enjoyed the moment.
"Ed. Ed." Bolting upward, he almost smacked heads with Lt. Colonel Hughes. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, the alchemist apologized. "Don't worry about it. How are you doing Edward?"
He winced at the use of his full name. This man could see lies a mile away and seemed to know the blonde was hiding information. Thanks to his impromptu nap, the blonde hadn't decided what he'd tell him. A timely stomach growl gave him an answer. "Hungry."
Hughes chuckled as he went to the door to request a meal. Watching his once dead friend felt odd. He had seen the man's twin in Germany nearly everyday for the past year. But German Hughes didn't have the same presence of Amestris Hughes. Seeing the dead man's characteristic cheer created a deep ache in his chest.
"You'll never guess what Elysia did the other day! Being stuck in that stuffy library made you miss the most wonderful accomplishment of my darling girl." Photo after photo was shoved in his face. The bombardment left him dazed as he drank in the image of a little girl he didn't think he'd ever see again.
His meal arrived and the photos on his lap were whisked away in favor of a food tray. The stew blurred as he tried to keep tears from falling. He was 18 year old. There was no way he was going to break down just because of a few photos and annoying stories.
A hand tentatively touched his left shoulder. He didn't flinch. "Ed?" Maes Hughes had never sounded so hesitant. Looking up, he blinked a few times only to discover the man's soft gaze, filled with concern. There was no pity or disappointment. Edward broke.
Silent sobs shook his body as he curled up to hide. Only Hughes's quick actions saved his lunch. In no time at all he was engulfed in a warm hug that made his tears fall faster.
"Shh… It's okay Ed. Shh… You'll be fine. Just let it out. Everyone needs a moment sometimes. It's okay," Hughes murmured in his ear. He could only shake his head as he clutched the man's shirt, feeling the solid body beneath it.
It was real.
After the tears dried, Ed stayed still as Hughes rubbed circles on his back. Logic was returning. This couldn't be true; and if it was there had to be a catch. Equivalent exchange, right?
"What happened Ed?" The man made no effort to move, but didn't resist when Ed pulled away. Running his true hand across his face and through his hair, the blonde sighed.
"I don't know whether to tell you or not," he finally conceded. Hughes didn't object right away. He just waited for more information. "It still doesn't make sense in some ways, but there's enough to worry about without adding in the confused bit."
"Why don't you start at the beginning and we can work it out together," the man offered after a moment of thought.
Ed leaned against the headboard and closed his eyes. If he was really in the past, he wasn't even 16 yet. Hughes would never deliberately let Ed know anything dangerous. Heck, the man hadn't even told Mustang last time before he was killed.
"One problem with that," he started, pinning the Lt. Colonel with a serious gaze. "Either you believe me and track the proof down and get killed, or you write me off as crazy and I'll be on the run from everyone I care about – because they think I need help." That last word had more than a little bite to it. Being a crack-pot young scientist in England had not been fun. He had trusted his new friends with the true reason of his study and only Hohenheim's help had kept him from being locked up before he learned to shut up.
"I don't think you're crazy Ed. Even last night, your eyes were clear until the end. There's no glint of madness there." The blonde snorted in amusement. "All I see is a friend that could use some help. No matter what you tell me, trust in that." Those narrow jade eyes never wavered and the young alchemist couldn't help but grin at the invitation.
"I heard no mention of you diving too deep and getting killed."
"Ah," was all Hughes would say.
Shaking his head, Ed thought about everything he could say. The Fuhrer is most likely as homunculus. So is his secretary. Three other homunculi were trying to make him create the philosopher's stone, last night or two years ago. All the wars you bled and cried for were started just to make ingredients for a stone. Everything changed when the Lt. Colonel died.
Somber now, the alchemist couldn't take the chance. "I trust you with my life Hughes." He caught his friend's eyes. "I'd trust you with my brother's life." The man nodded in acknowledgement of that trust.
"I also trust that you'd be careful with your own life, but risk it all the same if I even give you a hint." The older Elric wasn't sure how Hughes would react, but the dark frown that crossed the man's face wasn't surprising.
"If it's that bad, I need to know Ed. Your smart and I know your only trying to protect me. But I've been an investigator longer than you've done alchemy. I don't take unnecessary risks."
"I believe that. But we have different definitions of what's necessary." The man tried to object. "Hughes," Ed cut him off. "I don't want to see Gracia and Elysia cry." Hughes hesitated.
"Right now, these are my enemies, not yours. Not even the military's." That was certainly true. The homunculi either owned the military or were unofficial allies. Except Greed. He had his own agenda. "They'll know if you start looking and they don't like leaving loose ends. Unless you can think of a way that even the Fuhrer couldn't catch wind of your investigation, I won't tell you a thing."
His friend didn't understand, Ed could see that much, but the blond was stubborn. If this was a second chance, the alchemist refused to take it for granted.
"Can you at least tell me why you're the target of these 'enemies'?" Hughes's asked.
"I refused to create the philosopher's stone last night." Wide eyes looked at him and the Fullmetal Alchemist went ahead with his cover story. Details would be worked out later, but Ed doubted the Fuhrer would be upset at the missing information. No one else would know to look for them.
"This will be going into the official report, so take it as you will. You can read the details later. I won't answer your questions unless it's a direct order." His glare promised that official questions would be as suspect as his report.
"Al and I snuck out to the lab – yes I know it was stupid now. Felt right at the time. Patience isn't my strong point." He waved at the forgotten lunch. "Can you pass me that?"
"I know how you eat Ed. Talking at the same time isn't one of your brighter ideas."
The alchemist smirked. "You'd be surprised at what I can do if I'm not trying to annoy people." Europe had strict ideas of proper public conduct and consequences to match. There was no silver watch to make others take him seriously in the other world. Many of his habits had to be subdued or broken to make anyone in the scientific community listen to him. Especially after the disaster in England.
"I snuck in through the air vent while Al stayed outside. His armor wouldn't fit," Ed explained between bites of cold stew. "There were guards inside with orders to kill any intruders. The two I fought were death row prisoners. When I defeated one, the other led me to the research area." He paused to double check how he wanted to present the next event. Hughes stayed silent as he ate.
"I didn't know what I'd find, but Sou Tucker as a human chimera was not it." He took another bite to let that fact set in. "My brother was captured; his armor was nearly destroyed." He looked directly at Hughes. "I would do almost anything to save Al."
Setting down his spoon he took a long drink of water from his bedside stand. He refused to touch the milk. "As we learned in Dr. Marco's notes, the red water and stones were made by human sacrifice. All the tanks in the room I was found in were filled with the stuff. It still wouldn't have been enough."
"The room above was one large tank when Tucker showed me. I modified the array to condense the materials in the room above as well. The sacrifices had already been made and I would take the blame as long as Al was safe." The accepting nod was just as comforting as the first time he confessed to the intelligence officer. He looked over at his brother's bed, wondering what Al would think when he woke.
"Before I could activate the array, the ceiling collapsed in an explosion. There must have been a dozen or more men in shackles and prison garb." He shook off the memory of how close he had come to being a murderer.
"When I demanded an explanation, Tucker stated that stored ingredients alone couldn't make the stone. It was then I refused to continue." He cocked his head at his friend and grinned. "Unfortunately, I stepped in a puddle of red water that spilled in the explosion. Everything's kind of fuzzy until I was out with you guys in the courtyard."
Hughes took several minutes to digest his edited story. The stew, a small loaf of bread and half the pitcher of water filled the blonde's stomach before he was done.
"Ed. There are no tanks."
"What?" It was less shock and more confusion questioning Hughes' comment. What did he mean? What tanks? Why was that his only reaction?
"The tanks you mentioned filled with red water. Even if the water was gone, there would still be tanks left. The place is completely destroyed and we weren't allowed to do more than a basic clean up. There would have been some kind of glass laying around, but all that is left is stone, metal and dead chimera."
Ed scrunched his brow while Hughes leaned back to wait. Various questions and theories raced through his mind: Was his memory really messed up after all? Was everything he remembered a dream or reality? Was this a different reality than the last two? How many realities would that make? If there was a different reality for each decision made by each person the number would be infinite. Could he really get home? Wasn't this home?
Looking over to Al in the next bed, he remembered his little brother's smile when they finally met face to face for the first time since he went through the gate. The memories were missing, but everything about him was real. Even if this was a different reality, as long as Al was there he would call it home.
"Have you realized you're taller than yesterday?" The question caught him completely off guard. Blinking in surprise he watched the wide grin spread across Hughes's face. "There's at least a couple of inches and I'd swear you look older. With the wardrobe switch we thought that Al was the Fullmetal Alchemist for a few minutes. Even without the armor he can still draw more attention."
The blonde glanced at Al for a moment. With his eyes closed and in a hospital gown it could have been Ed lying there if the darker hair and flesh limbs were ignored. "Is that going to be a problem?"
"Not many have seen you in Central for a while so it'll be written off as a growth spurt. Mustang will wonder if you go back in the next month. Ross and Brosh have already guessed it was due to the alchemy or something similar." The humor in the man's voice was almost tangible.
"Ah." He glanced at his hands. He knew he had grown, but forgot it would be startling to others. As his friend went back to babbling about Elysia, the latest gossip, and more Elysia, the blonde wondered just how much this meeting was going to cost him. Once Hughes had a plan of action, his friend was going to rack him across the coals for keeping the information from him. And while he didn't care about the height issue so much, he really didn't want anyone to learn he cried like a baby all over the Lt. Colonel.
Author's Note: Once again very small changes to keep the original posting up to date with new plot line.