Ch.12

"C… Christain…!?" Edward stammered as he stared at the pained chimera before him. The chimera winced from pain but nodded weakly in response. "S…Sir…" Edward looked frantically at Roy before running forward towards his soldier, but Roy grabbed his arm. "Colonel, get off of me!" Roy did not release Ed's arm, but instead pulled him back.

Don't.

Edward hissed as he yanked his arm away from Roy's talon, "I said get off, you stupid bastard!" Roy opened his mouth for retort but only turned his head away. Riza stepped in front of Edward before he could bolt for Christain, her hands up in a blocking manner. "Edward, you can't—" "HELL IF I CAN'T! THAT'S MY—"

"EDWARD!" Riza shouted, silencing the room save for the chimera-soldier's whimpering. "You can't go closer to him—not yet. He is too heavily injured and he needs space. But I assume that's what you were trying to get across, Colonel?" Riza said, looking up at Roy who nodded slowly. Edward clenched his fists, his automail jerking with a squeak. "I DON'T GIVE A DAMN! MUSTANG WAS HURT BUT I STILL HELPED HIM, SO WHY CAN'T I HELP MACHE!?"

You stupid, idiotic child! You never listen do you?!

Roy growled deeply, causing the boy to turn around, but his expression was still full of fury. Roy's growl jumped to a yelp at the sight of the boy's rage. His tail pulled under his legs a bit as he backed away, his head cowering. Edward's brows met in confusion at his commander slinking back. "W-what?" he asked worriedly. Roy turned away from Ed's eyes, swallowing nervously. Edward's heart grew heavy as he remembered that, even if Roy seemed healthy and fine now, he was recovering from some sort of pain put upon him during his escape. Christain it seemed was lucky enough to get away and get help immediately, but there was no telling how long Roy had been trapped in the ropes in the sewer. Roy's life had been left to the winds of chance until Edward had shown up and rescued him, but Christain had found his way back and would receive near immediate treatment for his wounds. Edward's expression softened at another realization.

Christain could still apparently talk, whereas Roy, no matter how hard he tried, was unable to.

Edward looked over at his subordinate and he sighed. "…Sorry. You're right, Lieutenant." Riza placed her hand on his shoulder and she gave a tiny squeeze before she turned to look at the reptilian chimera.

Christain breathed somewhat unevenly as he lay on the bed, his blood forming red blotches and blurs on the white fabric, and he held on to sheets not unlike a toddler to their parent. His now sharpened teeth clenched together with such force that his gums looked to bleed at any moment. He opened his glaze-like white eyes and he looked up at Edward. He swallowed before he began speaking.

"F…Fullmetal, Sir. I… I'm s… Sorry. The other men… They…!" he choked as horrors flooded back into his mind. He buried his face into the bed sheet as his body rattled with pain, and he cried into the material as Edward stood helplessly watching him. He took in a sharp breath as he tried to recount the events for his commander.

"T-they were turned like me, but Phillips didn't turn out right and he snapped at… At Lincoln! L-lincoln couldn't move due to the chains and-! He… He screamed so loud… So loud…" he muttered fearfully, his eyes wide with dread. Edward looked over at Roy, but the chimera only stared at Mache, his expression seemingly understanding. Ed looked back at the soldier when he started again. "Phillips almost got me but I got a lucky shot… God save his soul… I thought I would've been able to get out of there then and there but… HE came after me…! HE…!"

Christain howled in fear into the sheets, his complexion noticeably paler. Edward and Hawkeye gasped as the chimera seemed to be having a breakdown. Roy whined at the display along with the soldier and when Edward turned to look at him again he saw that Roy's face was pulled into a mask of horror as well. "Wait… Do you know what he's talking about, Colonel?" Ed inquired as he started to piece things together.

Roy stared at the boy and he slowly, agonizingly slowly, nodded. Christain peaked out from beneath his hands and he spotted Roy. "W…Wings…" Roy raised a brow. Edward turned to the reptilian man and he tilted his head. "What was that?" he asked, being confused as well. Christain began to snarl and he pushed himself up onto his wobbling legs.

"WINGS WINGS WINGS WINGS WINGS" he shouted and he leapt off of the bed toward Roy, who promptly squawked in surprise. Christain's head slammed into Roy's chest and the two chimeras were sent rolling into the hallway, snarls and all. "M-MACHE! What are you doing!?" Edward screamed in alarm. He and the other soldiers ran toward the chimeras, hoping to stop their brawl.

Roy pushed against Christain's face with his wings, careful not to slice him with his talons, as the chimera on top of him barked and snarled and snapped to rip out his throat. "WINGS WINGS WINGS WINGS" Mache continued to scream between bites as he fought to kill this feathery demon below him. He felt two strong scaly feet grab him by his middle and he found himself being thrown against the wall a good four meters away. He shook his bleeding head and ran for the black-coated beast again, pushing aside all of the soldiers in his path. Roy scrambled to his feet and he ran across the furniture in the room, the talons on his feet scratching and ripping it as he dashed. The couch tipped as Christain pounced on it after Roy, and the two came falling down.

"I ORDER YOU TO STOP THIS RIGHT NOW, MACHE! MUSTANG, QUIT IT!" Edward shouted as loud as he could, but the cries and screams of the fighting chimeras muted his cry to little more than a whisper. He felt himself shake with anger and fear and he ran beyond the circle of soldiers who were only watching the fight. He fell forward to the floor near the fight and as he turned to stand up he froze.

Roy's teeth were shimmering with saliva and blue cloth, paralleled only by Mache's mouthful of feathers and blood. Mache bit down on Roy's long throat and the feathered chimera howled in agony. His eyes fogged over with pain and Edward could only watch as the animal instincts took over the man. A deep shriek and a blinding howl came from within the avian beast and the hotel itself seemed to tremble. Edward yanked his hands up to his ears to shield them from the deafening dissonance. His vision blurred and he felt his lungs tremble from the sheer volume. Christain yelped and pulled away from Roy, shaking his head frantically as he tried to rid himself of the pain. Roy rolled over himself and rose to his feet. His eyes were empty and he shrieked as he ran forward to attack Mache. Edward furiously got to his feet and he tackled the beast mid-run.

They skid along the marble floor and the teen was thrown into the chimney, sending a plume of ash and charcoal flying into the air. He flung himself forward and clung onto Roy's middle, keeping the chimera from lunging forward for another go. The beast whipped its head around and it hissed deeply. Edward stared into his eyes and watched as they came back into focus, and Roy no longer fought against Ed's vice of a grip.

The man turned all the way around and immediately began searching for injuries or problem areas on the teen, a quiet whimper coming from him. Edward ruffled Roy's hair and he stumbled as he rose to his feet. He stared down at Mache, who was still gasping for breath and seemingly rearing for another pounce.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!? IN WHAT WAY DID MUSTANG PROVOKE AN ATTACK? HUH? ANSWER ME!" Edward fumed. Christain cowered and limped back as he tried to justify his actions, but all he could manage was utter garbage and gibberish. Edward growled as he shook the ash from his hair and he ordered for the soldiers to take the chimeric man back for medical treatment. The soldiers saluted and Mache complied as they led him away. Edward huffed and he crossed his arms.

"Hey, you, can you bring me a small aid kit when you get in there?" Ed asked one of the last soldiers leaving. The man nodded and walked faster to get the kit. Edward turned to Roy and he scowled. "You had no right to provoke him." Roy gawked at the boy. I DID NO SUCH THING, ELRIC! The boy scoffed. "Why did he keep saying 'wings wings wings!' anyway? I mean, it's obvious you have wings but so do a ton of other things." Roy swallowed. He knew why.

"Here you are, sir." The soldier returned with a first aid kit and he saluted as he left. Edward saluted in return and he set the box down. "Come here." Roy blinked in surprise and he scooted closer to the boy. Riza walked out of the make-shift medical ward and she closed the door behind her. She looked up and froze as she watched Edward carefully, kindly, wrapping bandages around Roy's neck and chest. She slowly walked over to the two and she knelt down next to the chimera, who only glanced at her before looking away.

"Sir. We talked to Christain, and what we could make of his gibberish was… Surprising, to say the least." She squinted slightly as the man swallowed lightly. "You are aware of what I'm saying, aren't you, sir?" she inquired further. Edward stopped and looked at her. She was dead serious—more so than usual. "Mustang?" he asked as he felt unease overcome him.

Roy closed his eyes and he turned away from the two. Edward's mouth opened slightly as he saw Roy's jaw tremble. "Colonel…" Roy frowned and he wrapped his wings around himself, trying to shut his subordinates out. He sat still for a few beats before looking down at himself. He pulled his wings away from his chest and he stared at them. His instincts to flex his fingers were met with only the slightest movement in the digits and the rustling of feathers. He trembled and shakily brought his wings up like hands to cup around his head.

He stood up, wings still around his head, and he stumbled off towards the stairs. He laid one of his wings on the handrail as he climbed up, his eyelids drooped low and sad. Edward and Hawkeye stared at the empty stairway as he disappeared behind the wall.

Click.

Riza sighed through her nose and she stood back up. Edward pushed himself to his feet, his left knee buckling only slightly as he stood, and it leveled out immediately after. "…Well, isn't this just a wonderful way to start one's morning?" Ed asked sarcastically. Riza rubbed her eyes as she groaned. "Lieutenant?" Ed asked, somewhat surprised in the lack of professionalism. She shook her head and began to lean forward to tip the couch back upright. Edward followed suit and they worked to get it back in order. The furniture landed on its feet with a loud thud and they sighed.

"I don't think the colonel should be allowed to go back outside until the one behind all of this chaos is safely put away," Riza commented out of the blue. Edward knitted his brows. "And why's that?" She walked around the seat and sat down on the torn and scratched sofa.

"From what Mache told us, there is more to the 'chimera town' than what was previously thought." Edward sat down next to her, careful not to sit on the hole that Roy's feet had made. He looked at the woman and waited for her to continue.

"That chimera that we had to shoot down yesterday had green eyes as you recall, correct?"

"Yeah…?"

"Well, it seems that there is a whole slew of other chimeras that don't live in broad daylight. Nocturnal, violent, and seemingly non-human in any way. But apparently that isn't the case, least not for the latter."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," she sighed slowly. "It seems that the green-eyed chimeras are indeed made from some of the townspeople, but they seem to be of a different form. They act wildly while the townspeople tend to act as they did before, if not only a little more animalistic. But the green-eyed ones… They're like monsters. And something that Mache brought up was… Troubling to say the least.

"It seems that, what we never realized, was that no chimera in the town is of the same body type as the colonel." Edward raised a brow. "Well DUH you can't make identical chimeras, no matter how hard you try. Each animal has different genes and muscles builds. So no chimera would ever look identical to the next." Riza huffed. "Well, yes, I understand, but what I was MEANING was that… Colonel Mustang is the first chimera we've seen who has had wings and not green eyes."

Edward was taken aback. "W-what do you mean? That sentence doesn't make any sense." Riza shut her eyes in subtle annoyance. "Yes, it does. Edward, every chimera that we have seen that can fly has only been seen at night and they all, ALL, have had green eyes. Mustang is the first winged chimera seen in this town who doesn't have the same eye color as the rest." Edward sat back in the couch and rested his finger under his lips. "That's weird…"

"Yes, it is. As is another thing."

"Oh?"

"Yes," Riza continued, "Apparently the colonel is… Well… Special to the person who is orchestrating all of this madness. At least, that's what Mache said."

"What do you mean by 'special?' What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I have no clue. But judging by how he attacked Mustang, I'd say it isn't a good special."

Edward bit his lip as he thought over the new information. "Maybe that's why…" Riza squinted in confusion. "… Ah! Uh, well," Ed stammered, realizing he had spoken rather than thought, "W-when the colonel and I were in the square to try and talk to some of the citizens, they were all boarded up in their homes, watching us. Even the kids who warmed up to us were afraid of the colonel for a long time."

Riza nodded slowly as she listened. This mission was already out of hand, but now it was getting ungodly difficult to understand and manage. She planned to make a few phone calls once the boy left the hotel later in the day. Perhaps some investigators could help in matters.

She never brought this up to the boy.

Edward walked into the now-coined medical ward and he stared at the reptilian chimera all swathed in bandages and cotton. He pulled up a chair next to the bed and he sat down, leaning back as he crossed his arms. "So, Chris, you mind telling me why you attacked the colonel?" he asked, his voice quiet but stern. The monster of a man looked away, clearly ashamed.

"Chris."

"…"

"Mache, why did you attack Mustang?" Ed asked again, with more growl to his voice than not. Christain winced as he tried to shrug. "… I'm sorry… Sir…" he mumbled under his breath. Edward leaned back farther in his chair. "Yeah, well, 'sorry' doesn't explain why you hurt him. You really did a number, you know?" Christain frowned and he shut his eyes.

"Sir, I was acting on instinct… But… Not m…" he trailed off, troubled by his statement. Edward blinked. "Animal instincts?" Christain's head jerked up and he stared at the teenage commander. "Y-yes sir, yes, that's right."

"Figures…" Ed grumbled quietly. "What did your animals say or think when you attacked?" "Uh… I think it was 'wings bad wings kill kill wings' but many times over." Edward nodded as he contemplated. "So, you said to the other soldiers earlier that you found out that the only winged chimeras were found in the mansion, right?" "Yes, sir." "And that they all had roughly the same colored eyes?" "They were all green, yeah."

"Hmm…" Ed hummed to himself. "Sir?" Edward looked at Christain and raised a brow. "Uh… The reason the animals wanted to… To get Sir Colonel Mustang, was that he had wings like the others." Edward tilted his head and raised his eyebrow higher. "Yeah, I'm aware. What about it?" Christain swallowed nervously. "Well, sir, all of the chimeras with wings… H… HE said that they're his… His soldiers."

Edward lowered his hand from his chin and he stared blankly at his chimeric subordinate. "… What?" he asked quietly with a whisper to his breath. Christain nodded. "Th-they're his soldiers. Like cadets—he can control them—force them to do things no human would ever obey. They stare so… Emotionless. A-and he sends them out at night to do his bidding! That's why the other soldiers have only encountered grounded chimeras during the day; his soldiers fly in the dark and can get away fast enough for no one to see them!"

Edward stared at his hands, sweat starting to form on his upper lip. Mustang would never do that—it's just Mache's paranoia! But… No! No, he couldn't even fly until I helped him learn! There's no way that he could… Then again… His mind swirled in debate, leaving his face in a scowl of frustration. "Mache, thank you so, so much for your help. I promise," Edward rested his hand on Christain's and he gave a tight squeeze. "I promise, I'm going to find a way to fix all of this and you. I swear on my life." Mache gave a weak, false smile and nodded. Edward stood up and left the room, closing the door behind himself.

He walked over to the stairs and sat down on one of the lower steps. He rubbed his face with his hands and he groaned, doubling over. He rested his forehead on his arms and he found himself still lost in thought. Even if the colonel was to be one of that bastard's "army" he's been here the whole time and would never attack us. Not willingly any…wa… Wait… He opened his eyes and stared at his feet. Not once has Mustang attacked willingly. Every time it's been his animal side, not him. If the animals were trained… Then that means he could…

"Mroor?"

Edward gasped and jerked his head back to look at the black feathered chimera atop of the stairs. He sighed loudly. "GOD, Colonel, you scared me!" he hissed, a hand over his chest as he tried to steady his heart rate. Roy chuckled awkwardly and proceeded in trying to walk down the stairs. He shuffled awkwardly as he sat down next to the boy. Edward eyed the chimera suspiciously, trying to dig deep into the case that had been so forcibly thrown into his hands. "Colonel…" Roy looked up with a raised brow.

Edward turned away, trying to fish out what words to say. How, why, what, where, who, when, but, are you, please, soldier, trained—no words seemed to come together properly. He closed his eyes and sighed. "N-nevermind. How, uh, how're you feeling?" Roy squinted as he read through the boy's denial. "I mean, physically? Hurting anywhere or…?" Ed clarified, believing that to be the source of Roy's confusion. Roy blinked and turned away. He huffed a lengthy sigh and shook his head. "Oh, well that's good," Edward chuckled with relief. Roy blinked again. He did hurt.

Edward and Roy sat in silence for quite a while, the soft humming of far-off thunder looming ever closer with each breath. The teen sat anxiously, trying to find the right words to ask his superior and to confirm or disprove the newly conceived worries he now had. All words failed him however and he grew more and more angry with himself. Ed stood up after the uncomfortable quiet and walked off down the hallway, leaving the chimera alone.

Roy hung his head low and listened as the rain began to beat kindly on the awnings and roof of the hotel. He stared at his clawed feet and blinked slowly. The world was calm in the beginnings of the storm and Roy felt himself strangely misplaced. He blinked again. Something… Something's not right, he thought to himself. He looked up and out into the windows on the den wall. The curtains were closed over the glass and only faint shadows of rain droplets moved against them. Roy's jaw tightened. He could sense something was out there.

"But what?" he asked.

"Other self is outside," the black animal inside him answered.

"There are lots of 'other selves' out there, genius," Roy growled with annoyance.

"No," the animal tried to clarify, "Other self is outside."

"You just said the same thing—" Roy started to argue but his thought was cut short by the large shadow moving slowly outside the window. His feathers rose up as his heartrate began to climb. All the animals were silent. The chimera's collective consciousness focused every sense into identifying the shadow. The form moved at a snail's pace across the window, even so Roy struggled to recognize the shape. He scowled as he gave into the animalistic instinct to sniff it out. He flicked out his tongue and sat watching the form move closer and closer to the door.

The smells of the hotel swam around him with such strength that they almost hid the stranger completely, but Roy quietly rose to his feet and over to the door, mindful of his clicking talons. The stranger's smell grew stronger and stronger, becoming a clear tag. Roy froze.

Blood.

Blood and dust and wine.

He took a shaky step backwards. No… No… He stood frozen in fear as the form stood still outside the door. Roy turned around quickly and ran down the hallway with the animals inside him—including himself—screaming to run. He ran frantically into the dining hall and slammed the door shut behind him.

Edward jumped in his seat at one of the tables, of which he had turned into his makeshift office desk. He watched with confusion as the chimera rushed to close all the window blinds and then ran to hide under a table. He got up and lifted the tablecloth to look at the beast. "What on earth are you doing, Mustang?" he asked jokingly. Roy's clear fear ceased his laughter nearly immediately and Edward looked at the door. There was nothing but the sound of rain and soft thunder. He turned back to the colonel, but didn't take his eyes off the door. "Colonel… C'mon out. There's nothing there."

Roy swallowed, his increasingly dry throat stinging. He tugged at the wrappings on his neck as he scooted out from under the table and close to his subordinate. Edward lowered the cloth. "What did you see?" Roy stared at the carpet underfoot and shook his head. Lightning flashed faintly, lighting the room ever so slightly in silver. Edward helped the chimera to his feet and tried to brush it off as Roy's usual paranoia. Roy's head snapped upward and he widened his eyes. Edward turned to look at where Roy was staring but saw only curtains.

He looked back at Roy expectedly but slackened his jaw when we saw the chimeric man flick his tongue like a snake. His feathers bristled and shook, creating a quiet rustling sound against the rain, but no growl came from the creature as Ed expected there to be. He looked back at the curtains and stood still. The rain and the hum of Roy's feathers mixed with his own loudening heartbeat and he felt as though he were in some hellborn drumline. A deafening crack of lightening burst outside, consuming everything in the ballroom in white and black. A large shadow, about the size of a hippopotamus stood strikingly black against the white curtains, with a long neck, large spinal spikes, and an open mouth filled with pointed teeth.

Edward and Roy both stood still and held their breath as the shadow disappeared with the lightning. Edward sized himself up and with an oddly loud squeak from his left leg began to walk towards the windows. Roy shook tremendously and ran forward, grabbing Edward by the ponytail with his teeth.

"C-colonel—stop it! Let go of me!" Roy tugged the boy back and the teen struggled against the strain, hissing curse after curse at the man before finally being overpowered and flung backward into the chimera's chest. "DAMMIT, MUSTANG, QUIT IT!" he shouted.

A deep, distorted growl came from outside and both alchemists locked their eyes on the curtains. Roy slowly wrapped his wings around the boy and he began walking backwards away from the monstrous creature outside. Another lightning flash showed them that it was apparently staring in their direction. Edward took in his air sharply as he tried to process what the thing was. The thunder following the lightning was seemingly a death toll to the two as Roy's tail was just brushing against the wooden doorframe.

A weaker series of electrical flashes showed them, much to Edward's surprise, the beast's arms extending into great skinned wings and it leapt off the ground, splattering mud all over the windows. He could hear the beats of the wings fade away into nothing but rain as he and his commander stood watching the now shadowless curtains.

"What… What the hell was that…!?" Ed reflected under a whispered breath. Roy hardened his grip on the boy, as he tried to find the familiar scent again.

It was to no avail.

It was gone.

He let go of the boy and let him run towards the windows and watched tiredly as his adrenaline came back down to normal levels. He slid quietly to the floor and tried to catch the breath he had been holding. Edward pulled against the heavy curtains to reveal the mud-splattered windows and the rain that was beginning to wash the muck away. He got on his toes to look down at the ground and knitted his brows as he saw rainwater fill large, unidentifiable footprints left in the mud. He got back down to his heels and his eyes almost danced as his mind reeled to try and explain what had just happened.

He looked over at Roy who was now sitting against the ballroom door, his head hanging low and his feathers relaxed. His face scrunched slightly as he stared at the black-feathered beast.

The colonel had known what was outside. How? Why was he so quick to hide the room from its sight? Why did he hide from it even after the fact? Wait… Edward thought coldly. That thing… That thing had wings like Mustang does… So then…?

'That's why the other soldiers have only encountered grounded chimeras during the day; his soldiers fly in the dark and can get away fast enough for no one to see them!'

Edward frowned and he turned away from his superior to stare at the footprints outside.

'Apparently the colonel is… Well… Special to the person who is orchestrating all of this madness.'

"Please let them be wrong…" he said under his breath, almost unable to hear himself. "Please…"

He slowly drew the curtains closed again and stared at his automail hand, a faint orange around the screws and trimmings.

Please…