DISCLAIMER: Ed Elric, 48 (helmet), Lust, Maria Ross, Denny Brosh, Maes Hughes, Dr. Marcoh, Envy, Gluttony, etc. © Hiromu Arakawa

Key:

Normal text - speaking/narration

Italics - thoughts

Ch 24: A Question of Lust

"Hey Edward! I heard that you'd be over here."

Ed and Lust simultaneously shushed the Lieutenant Colonel. The blond nodded in my direction. "She's catching up on some much-needed rest. Is it all right to sneak away from work?"

Hughes lowered his voice accordingly. "Sorry about that. No need to worry, I left the work for Sheska to do."

Ed's mind supplied him with an image of a passed out bookworm amid stacks of books and papers, and he sweat-dropped. "You're a monster."

By now, the Lieutenant Colonel and Ed were in the state alchemist's hospital room. "Oh I forgot, I haven't had a chance to eat lunch today," the Lieutenant mentioned casually.

Putting his reading material next to Slicer, Brosh offered, "Oh. Well, I'll go get you some food sir."

"Yeah.......Lieutenant Ross, why don't you go with him?"

She read between the lines. "Understood, sir."

"Thanks. I'm real hungry! I've just been so busy." Hughes laughed awkwardly, trailing off as soon as the escorts were out of earshot. He sat down on a stool next to Ed's bed, now one hundred percent serious.

"Ed, what the hell happened at Lab 5?" When said alchemist didn't respond, Hughes pressed, "Ed?"

"...........Marina knows more about it than I do."

"Don't give me that! Just tell me what you saw, will ya?" After a few select moments of silence Ed uttered one word: homunculi. Hughes' eyes widened. "You're kidding me! Artificial people?! That's hard to believe."

"Even if the evidence is right in front of you?" Lust stepped into the room, nails lengthening to prove her point. Hughes' eyes widened even more, if that was possible.

"Wait a minute, if you're in here, who's watching Marina-chan?" Ed wanted to know.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist; your escorts swapped places with me. She's still sleeping, so I doubt a guard change will matter to her."

"Hughes, this is Lust." Slicer's helmet––who now resided on Ed's bedside table––cleared his invisible throat, not about to be ignored a second time. "Oh, and the helmet is Slicer. Lust and Slicer, this is Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes." Lust nodded her head and Slicer gave an obligatory hello.

Ed somehow got hold of a pencil as well as a few pieces of paper. Five-ish minutes later, Lust, Hughes, Slicer, and Ed were looking at various sketches of Envy, what Slicer looked like before I rasenshurikened him, and the transmutation circle Ed and I found on the floor of the Lab when we fought the aforementioned guard. "A psychopath named Envy, a guardian whose soul was attached to armor,"

"Hey, I'm right here. Don't talk about me as if I was dea––"

"And the arrays to make a philosopher's stone." Ed interrupted the talking helmet so that he could finish his train of thought. "Those are the things I saw in there, Hughes."

"This is turning into an awfully serious matter, and the whole thing is about a little red stone."

Looking directly at the Lieutenant Colonel, Ed remarked. "It's been serious for years now. Dr. Marcoh said that the stone was used as a weapon in the Eastern Rebellion."

"So you guys are connected to the philosopher's stone?" Hughes asked Lust.

"Indeed we are. Ideally, my former superior would have Ed––or any competent alchemist, really––make the stone, and she would use it to make us homunculi human. But, of course, that wasn't going to happen any time soon.............if at all."

"I see. So why are you on our side now?"

"I figure that if I join you guys, the probability of me becoming human is far greater than the slim-to-none odds I had before I defected." Lust shrugged her shoulders in a nonchalant manner.

Hughes nodded his head, finding her answer to be satisfactory. "And how can one tell humans and homunculi apart?"

"The difference is that we homunculi have tattoos of Ouroborous on various parts of our bodies. You can see where mine is, and I know that Envy has one on his left forearm. There's also a short, fat homunculus named Gluttony, and his is in the middle of his tongue."

"Thanks for the information. Ed, I'll take it from here. Now why don't you, Al, and Marina just worry about yourselves for a while?"

Lust crossed her arms. "You're going to get killed if you sniff around places you shouldn't."

"What's with the notification?" Ed inquired, curious.

The homunculus in question sighed, walking towards the door. "I just don't want people to die unnecessary deaths."

"Lust, was it? I appreciate your concern, but I think I'll be OK."

"................Fine. Just don't expect me to come to your rescue when my prediction comes true. You can't say you haven't been warned, Lieutenant Colonel."

"Duly noted."

Lust was about to leave, but Ed called out, "Where are you going?"

The homunculus stopped and looked at the alchemist over her shoulder. "To get food." With that, she exited the room.

Brosh scooted to the side as soon as the door opened, trying to pretend that he totally wasn't eavesdropping in any way, shape, or form. The homunculus lengthened her nails, and the Sergeant found himself on the receiving end of an I-know-you-were-listening-so-don't-even-try-to-B-S-me look.

"Sounds like you guys were discussing something complicated."

"Eh, not really. We were just talking about the whole Lab 5 incident, and the difference between huma––"

Ross jammed her index fingers in her ears, closing her eyes. "I don't want to get involved in any more dangerous business, so I refuse to listen!"

Brosh continued with the questioning, despite his partner's declaration. "Are you guys done talking?"

"More or less." I wish people would stop bombarding me with questions and leave me alone!

"Where are you headed now?"

"...........I'm going to the cafeteria to get some food. I'll be back in a couple minutes. Thanks for watching Marina for me." Lust smiled and walked down the hallway.

"No problem!" Brosh called after the homunculus.

Two seconds after Lust departed, another person approached the two military officers. "Hey you two, is this the Fullmetal Alchemist's recovery room?"

The Lieutenant took her fingers out of her ears and slowly opened her eyes. "Yes, he's in he––" Ross freaked out as soon as she realized who had asked the question, while said person proceeded to enter Ed's room, giving my sleeping form a passing glance.