The loud screeching made them all shut up and stop fighting. They looked up as it stopped. Black was tucking the small black-board into her apron pocket again. "Thank you, customers, but all fighting is done outside, not in the bar." she said sternly.
"Sorry, Black." they all apologized.
"Yellow, I believe you need to be at work in about negative twenty minutes."
"Oh, shit!" Yellow squealed, running out of the room.
"Purple and Green, get to school. If either of you don't attend, you are banned from this bar!"
The two girls nodded, running out.
"Strawberry, Terios, and Dark, you guys take pee-wee into the safe-room."
Dark hoisted up the knocked out boy and followed the other two through a hidden door in the wall.
"Orange, go find yourself a job other than killing people for butt-loads of money."
Orange stalked out of the room, swearing and grumbling.
Black turned to her. "And you… Still have two whole hours of drinking time before you have to check in with your uncle at his shop. First one on the house."
"You always manage to take control of these situations so well. I just wish you'd find a method other than the nails on chalk-board. That hurts."
"Life hurts. If it didn't, there wouldn't be such a word."
He opened his eyes, groaning. It was just as dark if they were closed, he realized. Where was he? Probably nowhere good.
"He's awake." someone grumbled.
"Why are you whining? You at least fit in this hell-hole!" someone else spat.
"Lay off, Dark! You know he doesn't like to be trapped in cat-form!"
"Great. I'm stuck who-knows-where with my enemy!" Ed groaned.
"You shut it." Dark snapped. "You at least get out of here in about an hour. We three are stuck. So you zip it."
"Lay off, fucker!" hissed Strawberry.
"Bitch!"
"Bastard!"
"Demon!"
"Limp-dick!"
"Both of you shut up! Moronic idiots!" growled Terios.
"Just how long have you three been down here?" Edward asked curiously.
"Almost ever since Strawberry picked up a little package from the military, which was, oh, how long ago? About six hours ago!" Dark snipped.
"Who are you callin' little?" Ed growled.
"You! Pee-wee! Midget! Shrimp! Shorty! Baby!" taunted Dark.
"Why you…!" Ed lunged in the general direction of Dark's voice. His arms wrapped around someone's torso, but from the indignant snarl, it wasn't the ex-soldier. "Yow!" he yelped as Strawberry clobbered him.
"Hands off, short-stuff!"
"He started it!" Ed whined.
"Did not!" Dark retorted hotly.
"Did too!"
"Shut up, both of you!"
"How's about all of you shut up! Before I try and see if it's possible to make a human howl exactly like a coyote!" suggested Terios.
"All of you zip it." someone growled as a door was opened. He barely recognized the character as Black. She looked very different, yet familiar. Then he recognized her as the bar-tender at a bar that was popular among many soldiers. No wonder Dark hung out at that bar so much! He was feeding information to Black! "You can all come out now. No one but the regulars are left, and they're all good and drunk."
"Prob'ly been here since dawn." grumbled Dark, stretching.
"Noon. And if you're gonna be snarky, you don't get anything." Black growled.
"Why did you guys even bring me here?" asked Ed.
"Cousin told you about our predecessors, did he not?" asked Strawberry.
"Falman? Yeah…"
"We're missing one." Strawberry said, tossing him the prism. "And it looks like you're him."
"The Spectrum Alchemist?" he asked, looking down at the clear glass pyramid. "Me?"
"No dick, Sherlock." growled Dark.
"All prices on your drinks just doubled, pal." Black snarled, turning back to Ed. "So you gonna come out, or am I gonna lock you in again?" she asked.
"No thanks!" He'd been in there for barely ten minutes and he felt insane! Imagine being in there all alone!
He placidly followed them to the front room. It was warm, dimly lit, and reeked of alcoholics. He hesitated before entering. "Look kid, if Green and Purple go in here and I don't care, you can come in. You're two years older than them. No one's gonna notice you." Black told him.
"Speaking of those two… Guess who's waitin' at the counter?" yawned Terios.
"Lemme guess—the whole damn troop. Ding! Correct!"
Dark sidled up next to Ed. "Look, I'm sorry I was mean earlier. You can sit with me." he offered.
"Why not." Ed shrugged, following the young man.
Dark sat next to a young woman who Ed was pretty sure was Yellow. She was gaily dressed, and wore a necklace that resembled a sun-flower. She smiled impishly at him as he sat next to Dark.
"Edward, this is the group. You know me, Dark, and Terios. The girl running the counter is 'Black Cat' Catherine Bridges. Daisy Clearwater is the Yellow Alchemist, and also the one trying to steal Dark's mug. Violet Thompson and Karina Ren Suzuki are the not-so-sweet little school-girls. You've met Karina before."
"She's the girl who ran me over in Central HQ." Ed nodded.
"Lyn is the silent one at the end of the line. Cathrine Honeywater is the ex-killer. Heck, still a killer, just doesn't get paid truck-loads of cash for it!" Dark snorted.
"I heard you, Momma's Boy!" snarled the indicated woman.
"Outside, you two. Winner gets free drinks for the rest of tonight!" Black Cat said sternly. Dark and Cathrine bolted outside, and the sounds of a fight soon reached their ears. "That should keep them busy for about an hour. Ed, what do you want?"
Ed blushed, shrugging. "Water, I guess."
Black Cat had a glass of water already waiting and passed it to him. "So what're you gonna do?" she asked.
"What do you mean?" he asked nervously, aware that all of the Rainbow Alchemists' eyes were on him.
"We just trusted you with all of our secrets. Where and who we are. But the Spectrum Alchemist is our leader, so we must follow him and do as he decides. Either you lead us, walk away and forget it, or turn us in. Since you know all of us and where to look, it shouldn't be to hard to find us unless His Royal Highness here decides to go home." Karina explained.
"Never." snapped Terios, slamming his tankard down.
"I don't know… It's all coming too fast… I don't know any more… The original plan had been to find you guys and put you in prison, but it's different now… I don't know…" Ed sighed, putting his head in his hands. He couldn't sort out the turmoil in his mind, it was so confusing. They were trusting him. They weren't attacking him. What should he do? What should he do?