Chapter 2: Converging Paths
Everything had happened very quickly. Colonel Mustang offered to buy Alice some tea, and she soon found herself sitting in a café with the intimidating officer. He explained that the army needed more alchemists and offered her the chance to take the State Alchemist Qualification exam. She listened intently, absorbing everything he told her.
"I've only seen one other who can transmute without an alchemy circle…the youngest ever to pass the state exam. And only one thing can enable you to do so…" He began.
"Yes. You're right." Alice explained. "I'm sure you know what that is."
"Human Transmutation. So you've…" He trailed off.
"Yes. I did. You see, my father died in the military when I was very young, and my mother killed herself soon after. That left my older brother and I alone. Shortly after I turned sixteen, he came down with pneumonia. He was sick for seven months, and then he died; he left me all alone. I had heard of bringing a human back to life through alchemy, which I had already been studying. I knew it was forbidden, but I just couldn't bear the thought of another person I loved leaving me. I gathered the materials and set to work." Alice was trembling as she took a sip of her tea. She struggled to continue, looking for the right words. "I didn't know…I never could've guessed what would happen…There was so much electricity, and pain. Then everything went black and I woke up at the gate. There were so many faces, so many eyes." She shook her head. "They took something of me, and the doors closed. I woke up on the floor of my living room, with a mangled, bloody mess on the floor. It was already dead. I fainted there, and woke up in the hospital. They told me that I was alright, but could never have children. That's when the matron of the orphanage found me, and I've been there ever since." She stared into her teacup, a few tears plopping onto the table.
Colonel Mustang remained silent, staring at Alice. For the first time in a long time, words had failed him. They remained that way for some time, sitting in silence, sipping their tea. Thoughts buzzed in Roy's head, and Alice was trying to re-close the door on her past.
"Sounds to me as if you have nothing holding you back." Roy finally said.
"…" Alice struggled for words. "But, what can I do?"
"You can become a State Alchemist. Join the army."
"What will happen to me if I do?"
"You will come to Central City, and follow orders from the army. Complete assignments, take on missions…go to war if they tell you to."
"War? I can't possibly fight in a war…"
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that. But, you'll have a better life as a State Alchemist."
"I see…May I think for a while?" Alice asked after a short pause.
"You may. I leave for Central in three days. I'll come for your decision in two. Will that be enough?"
"Alright. I'll have a decision for you then." She shook Roy's hand, and headed out of the café. She walked up the road to the orphanage, not really seeing the road in front of her. Her mind was buzzing with thoughts. Should she become a State Alchemist? What would happen to her? What would it bring? She suddenly remembered her dream from that morning. The young boy with the blonde hair, wearing a red coat. All at once she understood where her destiny would lead her. She knew then what she must do.
Three days later, she stepped onto the platform of the train station with Colonel Mustang, her meager belongings in a shabby trunk at her feet. She remembered the warm good-bye everyone from the orphanage gave her. Eva had given her a crown of daisies; David had drawn her a picture of the pond. Even the matron had come to wish her well. Big Mama gave her a bone-crushing hug, and gave Alice a small package of butter cookies to take with her. She brushed away a tear and said good-bye, and followed Roy up the road to town, where a car waited. Once she was on the train, she stowed her trunk away and sat down.
"Did you have much to pack?" Roy asked, attempting to make small-talk.
"Not really." Alice replied. "Just a few pictures and hand-me-downs."
The rest of the ride passed in silence. Alice stared out the window, with a mixture of jubilation and sadness. This was the furthest she had ever been from her home, and she was excited to be seeing new places, but sad to leave the old behind. Once they reached Central, Roy got Alice to an inn.
"It's only two days until the exam," he said. "You don't have much time to study."
"What should I be studying?" Alice asked.
"First you'll have to pass a written test, then you'll be interviewed. So start thinking about what you might like to do and what you might need. If you pass the first two parts, you'll have to display your skills. I'll come check on you tomorrow, but right now I have an assignment to finish." Mustang bid her good-bye and left. Alice wondered about what she would do for the exam, began reading some alchemy books Mustang had left for her. She finally decided on a rough idea of a robotic figure she could control, and practiced with small bits of lead and iron. Once she was able to get it moving using her alchemy, she decided to call it quits for the night. She went to bed, and again dreamed of the blonde boy in the red coat. She awoke the next morning, feeling refreshed. Mustang came to see her after breakfast, and she briefly told him of her idea for the exam.
"Sounds very interesting." He mumbled before staring at her earlier attempts quizzically. "It seems too simple though. They might have seen something like this already…" He mumbled to himself for a few more minutes.
"I guess I'll have to make my robot more interesting…I'm sure I'll come up with something."
"Don't forget to prepare for the written part, and the interview as well." Mustang reminded her.
"I won't." She promised. Mustang headed out, and she went back to work. The rest of the afternoon and evening passed quickly, with Alice hard at work. The next morning, Alice was nervous about the exam. Mustang picked her up in the morning, and they made their way to the exam site. Alice sat down, took a deep breath, and began the exam. When she had finished, she felt confident that she had passed. The next day, she waited for her name to be called for her interview. She walked into the room, and faced a panel of military officers.
"Sit." They commanded her. She looked at the chair in the center of the room. It was gold, glinting in the light of a harsh spotlight trained upon it.
"It has only three legs?" She thought to herself.
"Alchemy is the science of balance. If you posses the gift, it cannot refuse you." The head of the panel stated. Alice sat, and the chair did not budge. "Why do you wish to be an Alchemist of the State?"
"I have no other choice." Alice stated. "I have lost everyone and everything. I wish to find a purpose and a place where I'm needed."
The day after, she was called upon to perform the practical portion of the exam. When she reached the site, the Fuehrer, King Bradley of the State Alchemists was waiting to address the participants.
"We have provided some raw materials which you may use to perform your alchemy. Use anything here you wish, to create anything you like." He stepped aside and the first examinee stepped forward. He used ice to create a beautiful and complex sculpture, twisting around a nearby tree. Others followed and they created many different things using alchemy. Alice stepped up after another woman, and began to arrange the materials for her robotics. She gathered some of the metals provided, Silver, Bronze, and a little Gold. She was about to begin her transmutation when the first participant's sculpture began to crack and break nearby. A large piece of ice broke off the top and took the top of the large Spruce with it. It fell through the air, straight towards Alice. Thinking quickly, she clapped and slammed her hands down onto the metals. Light exploded from the pile, and a pair of metal wings had been affixed to Alice's back. She sprang backwards lightly, out of the path of the ice. She hovered a few feet above the ground, and touched down on top of the large piece of ice, turning to face the crowd of onlookers. Many stared up in amazement, others sank to the ground. She looked behind her, staring at the web of gold and bronze she now had on her back. The wings were delicate; a thin frame of gold and bronze with silver feather-like pieces attached by silver rods. She reached to touch them, and one of the feather pieces came off into her hand. It was sharp on the bottom edge, like a knife. She held it back up to where it had been and it pulled itself back into place. She hopped down from the ice and marveled at what she had created. Everyone from the exam was dismissed, and Alice tried to remove the wings. She began to transmute them, but felt a sharp pain between her shoulder blades.
"I guess I'll remove them later," she thought to herself, wincing. "I don't want to try to figure this out here." She instead shrank the wings so that they were a sixth of the size they had been, barely noticeable on her back. She made her way back to the inn, wondering about the results of the exam.
Back at the army headquarters, the Fuehrer had finished signing the last paper about the exam. He handed a manila folder to Roy Mustang. Mustang opened the folder to find Alice's picture and her information from the exam.
"Does this mean…?" Roy asked.
"Yes." Bradley replied. "We shall call her, 'The Angel Wing Alchemist.' "