"This shit smells" Ed spat into the quickly flowing muddy water they were walking along. The sewage system turned out to be both a blessing and a curse. He once again checked the map he was holding. Al walked meekly beside him.
"What shit are you referring to niisan?" He poked Ed on the back of the head. "The one you're getting yourself into again or the one that's flowing here?"
"Both" Ed murmured, nose in paper. They had taken a single lantern with them to see, and Ed was sorry that they did. He wasn't sure how long the thing was going to hold out if they were underground long enough. He was sure they were going the right way, but the fact that it was long in coming didn't sit well with the young man.
His only comfort was that soon, so very soon, he'd have Al back in a body, his own arm and leg were of little importance now, he could live with them, had gotten used to them in fact, and he was driven by just that one need.
The map he'd gotten from the dream creature led right to the ruins of Xerxes. Right where he was instructed to go. In reality, this whole thing made little sense even to himself, but it was most probably the only option left to him. He had no hopes of ever creating a stone without using humans, and there was virtually no other option where they would come out both alive. He'd take a fucking dream then, especially since it proved quite possible.
He had dreamed of being in the nothingness between the gates, facing the little white man, who was cackling happily away. He had come up to him then, and shook him in hop[es of retrieving some sort of information, any hope at all. "Tell me!" He finally broke apart, letting go of the white, surprisingly warm arms and falling to the floor.
"You do as I say and perhaps there is something." The mirage smiled wickedly, hanging upsideown facing him. Ed didn't try to reason out how that position was physically possible, he had long ago lost hope in physics, they proved too irrelevant in his field, which, ironically, should have been based on mostly that, and alchemy. He listened to the little man because there wasn't much to do besides that, since he couldn't wake up yet. He hoped subconsciously that these dreams would help him come up with a new idea, a plan.
And then the letter came…
And then his dream came…
There again was the little man. "Have you gotten my letter?" He asked sweetly. Tilting his head in question. "You will need it to be able to pass through the military you know? Dog of the military cant just run off like that."
Ed had kept the letter, not showing it to anyone, not really knowing what to do with it. Al didn't have to know.
"No." he answered, what if it's a scam, this is my fucking dream for christsakes, you're not even real."
"Another letter then, tonight" The mirage answered, frowning, "You don't move and do something boy, your chance is gone."
Ed woke up in cold sweat. The room was dark, Al was not in the room. The faint squeal of metal caught his perked ears right away. He had sprinted to the door, grabbing the small envelope again. There was the map. His eyes were wide, the dream as vivid as ever.
He had bulleted into central headquarters and into Mustang's office right away. He decided then that the map would be hidden, as would be his dream. There was no need, since he still could not comprehend it all completely, to spill everything. All Mustang needed to know was that he was leaving whether he was allowed to or not.
Indeed, Roy had taken considerable amounts of influence to make the feat nearly impossible. Nearly that is, because there they were, scurrying besides a river full of literally, shit. Ed scowled at the dirty grime floating in the brown gunk. He'd pay back Roy for making it that pleasant a trip for them.
"It's all that bastard Colonel's fault!' he sneered, stomping away. Al was quick to argue. "But Niisan, how is it his fault? You broke into the sewers and decided to run off without permission. And you still haven't told me why we're doing this!"
"I just have an idea that's all." Ed hid his face in the shadows. Al would be able to tell right away if he'd been lying. "There's still something we haven't seen and I feel like this could really be it bro!" He grinned as hard as he could at his younger brother. Al looked at him and said nothing. Ed wasn't sure what that meant, but hurried his steps, the light flickered.
Soon.
xXx
"Only Fullmetal would do shit like this." Roy hissed to Hawkeye, who looked slightly amused and nevertheless quite understanding. "You could've let him pass and then just followed him." She noted, earning herself a dark glare from Mustang.
"What? It's true, and you wouldn't have ended up with that." She looked pointedly at the Colonels right foot.
When they jumped in Roy had been overzealous, he jumped out of the pipe and almost landed face first in the slime flowing quickly onwards. The result? Only his foot managed to sink in before he was grabbed by the woman beside him.
"I'm going to take this thing off when I can and shove it up the brat's ass." He mumbled as he made his way forward. The plus of this was that his flame alchemy did well in providing light, which this place had not. They marched quickly, fueled by Roy's anger.
The smell here was disgusting, and had Roy not been used to much worse, he'd have gagged by now. As was, both he and Riza seemed rather unbothered beyond the obvious disgust.
"They're rather quick, aren't they?" She asked, trying to make light conversation. "I cant hear anything, forget seeing any sign of this used before us."
Roy nodded in agreement, Fullmetal was indeed in a great hurry, and Roy felt like there was something missing in his story, now that he thought about it. "Why would a kid as cautious as Fullmetal, ok so maybe not cautious, but well acquainted with all the crazy shits out there, go off just like that?"
"Doesn't really seem like regular Edward behaviour." Riza agreed. "he'd usually burrow into the library if he finds new info, and makes sure to check stuff out in case there's any well, you know, human involvement." She shook her head. "This is definitely strange."
"His eyes…" Roy noted quietly, "when he came to ask me for permission his eyes were set, he had already made his decision and Riza, I'm afraid the kid will try anything now, absolutely everything if it means getting Al's body back."
"Naturally." The blonde agreed, "It's a fact that Ed blames himself, I wouldn't be surprised if he got coerced into some plan that promised a solution."
Roy's stomach sunk a notch lower as he broke into a jog. "Shit, shit, SHIT!"
xXx
Ed ran up to the grimy steps that led upwards out of the systems. "Come on Al! No time to waste!" he whooped cheerily and clapped his hands to break the obviously sealed door. The blinding light of the desert sun, the hot, dry air and the cloud of fine sand itself assaulted their eyes and noses. Ed sneezed and made Al laugh.
"Let's see where we are…." He trailed off as he poked his head out cautiously. "butt fuck nowhere, as expected." He siged and wggled out, holding out his hand to Al and hauling up. They both squinted, covering their eyes with hands. Where next. Ed peeked at the map. This was getting too weird, and ed was beginning to have doubts, what if he was going mental? He wouldn't be surprised.
The sun was making its way to the horizon, turning redder as it went. This allowed ed's eyes to get used to the blaze. "Fucking lucky you cant feel the heat here bro, its horrible." He wheezed, realizing they hadn't brought any provisions. Well, fuck all that, if he could get Al human again, he'd worry about water.
He pointed to some darkening silhouettes now visible. Lets make our way to that and then see what we can do. He motioned for Al to follow as they trudged through the white sand.
The silhouette turned out to be some natural rocks, and Ed cursed his luck, hopping he'd have an easier way of locating the city.
The sun had set thoroughly now, and the not short trek left him overheated and thirsty with a blazing headache. "Beautiful" he wheezed, flopping down beside Al in the growing shadow. He held up his metal arm to his pulsing forehead and cursed softly as the metal proved to be just a shot as the sand they were sitting on.
"Take a rest Niisan, I'll stand watch" Al patted Ed lightly, Ed nodding thankfully for the small bit of soothing provided. He was feeling strangely drained. He was also hoping that he would be guided again.
Indeed, it was exactly what the little man had in mind. "You must get up and walk weakling, how else will you save yourself and your brother?" It hissed at him. Ed wanted to explain, but it gave him no chance. "get up! Get up now!" He jerked awake, startling Al, who had his arm around him. "Niisan?' he asked tentatively.
Its all good Al, we gotta get going now, hol long was I out for?" he asked, dusting himself up, ready to go.
"No idea, but it managed to get dark by now, I'd say about an hour or two?" Al wa sup and moving with Ed. The blonde had his eyes on the direction the little man had pointed out to him. "We gotta make it there quickly ok Al? There's too much time wasted already."
"Niisan,. Mind telling me what you're so on about? You didn't tell me anything!" Al pointed out, dutifully keeping in step with Ed.
"I found some old research that was left in Xerxes, and I think it might be able to get your body back." He managed that much truth, he couldn't tell Al everything, his reaction, he supposed, would be akin to that of Mustang.
"Why didn't you show me the research?" Al sounded hurt. "You always share."
"I just didn't want to waste time," Ed lied again, feeling a brotherhood with the shit that was flowing in the sewers. "I'll show you when we get back to central." He smiled.
"The colonel will chew your ass out." Al joked, but Ed was sure that it was exactly what the man would do, and he'd have ever right to do it too, Ed thought. Breaking out of central was a bit too much, even in his standards.
"Ill even let him." Here was some truth at last, "but right now lets hurry up ahead, I think I see something that looks like a crumbling wall!" His steps became irregular as his alms began to sweat.
xXx
They were running all out now, it scared Roy to not have caught up to them now, there was no way in hell that they were that far ahead!
Riza's heavy breathing was mixed with his own, they were getting nearer, he could tell by the sudden wind flowing at them. It was certain that they boys had already broken through the sewage system and were that much closer to harm. "Fucking Fullmetal, I'm going to leash him up I swear!" he growled, his pulse quickening with his new wave of anger. He was angry that he was helpless, that there was nothing he could do and was virtually unarmed and unaware what waited on the other side of the heavily bunched earth that was the sewage ceiling.
The stairs at last, those already covered by a hefty amount of sand. "Riza, I want you to radio in to Maes, give him these coordinates and send for backup. Everything, an ambulance, troops and provisions. I have absolutely no idea what is going to happen, but I want you here, in this spot and in contact with Maes at all times you understand?"
She looked like she was going to argue with him. "I can take care of myself, and if it is a false alarm then Fullmetal is going to pay dearly for the mess he's caused. For now, youdont move understood?" the last wa san order, not a friendly question.
"Sir." She nodded, already pulling out the radio and dialing in to central. It was the only thing they had brought; Roy had also grabbed a compass and an old map of the desert. That should be sufficient aid.
He ran across the sand, knowing full well how tiring running on it was. There was no time to be reserving this now, every second wasted could mean the brothers' that much closer to danger. He was sweating hard, the sweat vaporizing from his skin that quickly. Night had fallen quickly, and still he hurried on, guided by the starts and the compass that he was holding tightly.