Chapter Thirteen:
Theory of Avarice
"Not even going to try?" the Izumi asked calmly as she stood up. Greed smirked at her from where he was currently standing encased in stone as he gave a shrug as well as he was able to.
"I have no intention of fighting a woman. All I want from Al is the secret of his transmutation, simple as that."
"And if you get it?"
"Why then I'll have the secret to eternal life, and the world will be on a platter."
"This is getting us nowhere," Izumi stated coldly as she dropped down to the floor and slammed both hands down on the ground, transmuting a giant stone hand and ramming it straight into Greed's face. Annora and Al both let out enthusiastic cheers when they saw the massive cloud of dust that came from the collision.
"You did it!" Al enthused, only to freeze when he, Izumi, and Annora all caught sight of Greed still standing where he had been, smirking triumphantly at them with his amethyst eyes shining in unbound satisfaction.
"Don't look so surprised," he stated with a leer. "I told you before I don't bruise easily. Don't you listen, doll?"
Annora went pale and swallowed nervously as she watched the chimeras that Izumi had knocked out earlier get up and surround her and Sig. The sixteen-year old muttered a foul curse under her breath as Greed effortlessly broke the stone that surrounded him, and Sig immediately stepped in front of Izumi protectively.
"Sig, no," the female alchemist insisted softly. The gigantic man glanced back at her and frowned, his expression stern.
"Yes. I've had my fill of doing nothing."
"It's just I-I can't watch… as more babies are taken from me," Izumi stated in anguish before her expression hardened. "I can't!"
"No."
Greed stared at the two people in front of him disbelievingly while Al and Annora looked on anxiously.
"Gimmie a break," the homunculus said in obvious exasperation. "Are you still up for more?"
Greed received his answer in the form of Sig lunging forward and grabbing two of the chimera guards while Izumi rushed straight for the homunculus. The female alchemist quickly transmuted a spear from the ground and started jabbing wildly at Greed, although the man was able to easily avoid it. Suddenly, the spear fell to the ground with a loud clatter as Izumi doubled over in a coughing fit, blood splattering the ground as the woman fell to her knees retching.
Alphonse and Sig's cries mingled together as they looked over at the fallen woman.
"IZUMI!!"
"Teacher!!"
Greed smirked as he stepped in front of the wheezing alchemist, an unreadable expression evident in his amethyst eyes.
"Oh, I guess you've been pushing yourself a little too hard there, huh?" he asked as he grabbed Izumi by the front of her white shirt and pulled her up to eye level. Sig stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes wide as he stared at Greed.
"Well, are we done playing games now?" the homunculus demanded as he fixed Sig, Alphonse, and Annora with a searching look. "This sort of business isn't my style, but if you don't cooperate, I won't have a choice."
"GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF HER!!" a familiar voice raged from the doorway, and Annora looked over to see Ed standing in the doorway while breathing heavily, as though he had just finished running a long distance. A slow grin broke out across the girl's face as she stared in relief at her friend.
"Ed!"
Greed smirked as he looked at the irate alchemist appraisingly.
"Now it's the older brother, huh?" he remarked. "Looks like everyone's here then."
"You messed up," Ed growled angrily, his golden eyes flashing with barely restrained fury. "First you take my brother and friend, now you hurt my teacher too!!"
"Friend or girlfriend?" Greed asked knowingly, and leered in response when the teenage alchemist didn't say anything. "I thought so. Come on. All you have to do is tell me how to transmute a soul into an object and-"
"SHUT UP!!" Ed raged. "Put my teacher down and let Al and Annora go!! Now!!"
"Careful Brother!" Al warned. "He's a homunculus like the others!"
"Hey listen, I've got a hostage here. Is anyone forgetting about that?" Greed demanded.
"I see, no wonder," the teenage alchemist muttered, ignoring the homunculus before he let out a loud yell and lunged at the group of recovered chimeras, getting into a massive fistfight.
"Come on!!" Greed protested in obvious exasperation. "Is anyone paying attention here? Helloo?"
Izumi suddenly stopped playing dead as she straightened up and seized Greed by the front of his jacket before she threw him forcefully into an unyielding cement wall. Annora winced at the unmistakable sound of skull meeting concrete just as the teenage state alchemist yelled at his former alchemy instructor.
"Teacher!"
"Edward!!"
Ed immediately flung himself out of the fray and landed next to her, his expression grim.
"Here!"
Teacher and apprentice both simultaneously clapped their hands together and slammed them down on the ground, creating a barrage of spikes that surged towards Greed in an unyielding wave. The homunculus just smirked evilly at them as the shiny black substance coated his arms and he effortlessly broke all of the stone spikes before they even touched his chest.
"You just don't get it, do you?" he sneered. "I told you both I am the Ultimate Shield!"
Annora hastily sketched a transmutation circle on the cement floor and pressed her bound hands down on it, her eyes riveted onto the scene before her. In a flurry of electric blue light, a large stone block shot up from the ground and nailed Greed right between the legs. The homunculi's eyes bugged out as he gave a strangled grunt at an abnormally high pitch before he collapsed on the ground, his entire body tense.
"Somehow, I doubt that," the teenager remarked as she glared at the fallen homunculus. Ed gave her a relieved smile just as Izumi started coughing once again, and blood splattered the floor as she hacked up the crimson liquid.
"Teacher!!" Ed and Al both yelped panickedly. Sig immediately took control of the situation as he ran up to his wife and held her, his dark eyes worried. Annora looked around them and frowned, her chocolate eyes slightly wide.
"Uh oh," she muttered warningly as all of the chimeras surrounded them. Ed frowned as he glared at the chimeras, only to have them be stopped by Greed.
"Hold it," the homunculus ordered as he stood up, wincing slightly from Annora's assault before he straightened up and cracked his neck. "Let's do this man-to-man."
Ed stared intently at the artificial human in front of him before he strode over towards him, his golden eyes hard. Greed smirked as he watched the silent teenager in front of him.
"I hope you're ready for me to fight back this time, Mister Elric!" he declared. Ed gave the homunculus a dirty look in response.
"Don't worry. I'm always ready when I'm pissed!!" he growled as he lunged forward and transmuted part of his automail into a blade. The teenage alchemist then proceeded to clap his hands together and slam them down onto the ground, creating a series of stone blocks that shot up at random intervals to keep Greed moving while Ed used them to launch himself into the air. The boy swung down forcefully with his sword-arm with a loud cry, causing Greed to jump back to avoid being hit.
"Not good enough!" the homunculus hissed as he lashed out and knocked Ed backwards. The alchemist hopped out of range as he directed a venomous glare at Greed. The homunculus let out a sigh as he stared at the boy.
"You know, you and your brother are being completely dense here," he stated calmly. Ed scowled as he stared at the man in front of him.
"How's that?" he muttered defiantly.
"Well, as two cunning boys who have so diligently pursued their goal, how can you not be understanding when somebody like me simply wants to pursue his own?" Greed asked rhetorically. Annora pulled a face at this comment as she made a gagging gesture.
"Because you're a narcissistic jackass?" she muttered under her breath to no one in particular. Al didn't notice her comment, seeing as he was too focused on the battle taking place in front of him. Ed glared at the homunculus in response, his entire body shaking from fury.
"Our goals are completely different from yours!!" he shouted out, venom practically dripping from his words. Greed arched an eyebrow as he smirked at the irate teenager, displaying every single one of his pointed teeth.
"You think so?" the homunculus inquired in a baiting manner. "Homunculus or human, we're all really the same, wouldn't you say? We all live to chase after our own goals and to hell with everyone else."
"Not us!!" Ed shouted as he clenched his fists tightly.
"Oh come on," Greed said as he raised an eyebrow disbelievingly. "You're looking for the Philosopher's Stone, right? Do you even know what it takes to make one of those things?"
Annora noticed the sudden look of panic that crossed her friend's face for one brief moment before he exploded into a towering rage.
"I don't care about the Philosopher's Stone!!" Ed snarled, his golden eyes practically blazing with fury. "All I care about is returning my little brother to the body that he was born with!!"
"But he's far better off staying in the body he's got now," Greed suggested nonchalantly. Annora's breath hitched in her throat as she stared in disbelief at the homunculus. Did he have a death wish?
Ed's entire body was shaking by this point as he shot a heated glare at Greed that would have reduced his entire body to ash if looks could kill.
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU KNOW?!" he shrieked. "Not everyone's like you!!"
"B-Brother…" Al stammered nervously, his armor rattling as he quivered in the corner. Annora looked over at him and shook her head.
"I don't think that he'll hear anything we say, Al," she admitted hesitantly. "Ed looks like he's about ready to do something stupid, and we're probably going to have a mass homicide here on our hands soon."
"What do you mean?"
"Your brother's going to kill Greed, dummy," Marta interjected suddenly. "Well, he's going to try."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, we already know about the whole regeneration bit," Annora grumbled sarcastically. "Just in case you've forgotten, part of your boss's brain landed right by my feet."
"Greed has more than that under his sleeve," the snake chimera countered testily. Annora gave a disbelieving snort in response.
"What are you talking about? He doesn't even have sleeves. All he's got on right now is a tank top and that weird fuzzy male stripper vest."
"I meant metaphorically!" Marta snapped irritably as Annora allowed a brief smirk to cross over her face.
"Then you should have said so in the first place," she quipped sarcastically.
"ARRGGHHHHHH!" Marta growled in obvious frustration, and Annora and Al were soon rewarded with the sound of the older woman banging her head against the inside of Alphonse's armor. The fifteen-year old gave the older girl a scolding look.
"Annora, that wasn't very nice," Al admonished sternly, and the sixteen-year old shrugged carelessly in response.
"Since when am I ever nice?" she asked before she jerked a thumb over in Greed's direction. "Especially when some loser drags us into one of his schemes?"
Al sighed just as a comment that Ed made caught both of their attentions.
"If all you homunculi are mistakes created by alchemists, the results of their sins…" Ed began angrily as he attempted to get a better grip on his temper. "Well then an alchemist should be responsible for the correcting of those mistakes, starting right now!!"
Annora's breath caught in her throat as she stared incredulously at her friend; the homunculi were created by alchemists? She almost didn't notice the faint look of irritation that crossed Greed's face before he removed his vest and dropped it down on the floor.
"Alright," he stated calmly as he gave the already irate alchemist a knowing smirk. "I didn't want to show this to you since it does get a bit ugly… but since you're getting all serious on me, then I'll get serious too."
I want a normal life, just like a newborn child
I am a lover hater; I am an instigator
The sarcastic remark that Annora had just been about to make died a cold uncaring death in her throat as the shiny black coating that Greed had used earlier appeared on the homunculi's skin and spread until it had covered him from head to toe. Huge white fangs jutted out from Greed's mouth, and the whites of his lavender eyes disappeared entirely, leaving behind only violet slits in an unnerving abyss of black.
"Holy crap," the sixteen-year old finally managed to whisper hoarsely, her chocolate eyes wide in fear. "We are so screwed."
"What the-?" Ed hissed, just as startled as Annora and Al were. If he could have Greed would have smirked.
You are an oversight; don't try to compromise
I learn to love, to hate it
I am not integrated
"This is my real form," he stated as he motioned Ed forward, his voice somewhat muffled and guttural. "Come and get it."
Ed stared at the homunculus for a few moments before he lunged forward and leapt into the air, skillfully wrapping his legs around Greed's neck and slamming him head-first down into the ground. The homunculus was still for a moment before he looked over at Ed and pushed himself up into a squatting position.
"Didn't even hurt," he stated calmly, the large white fangs jutting out of his mouth giving him the appearance of a perpetual smirk.
"You're lying!" Ed accused, shock evident in his wide golden eyes. Greed stared at him for a moment before he stood up.
"My body's structure and composition are completely unaltered."
Just call my name, you'll be okay
Your scream is burning through my veins
"We are seriously screwed here," Annora muttered nervously to Al. "That should have at least rattled Greed's brain about a bit, and he's not even affected."
"I know," the fifteen-year old admitted. "This looks really bad."
"So you are the… Ultimate Shield…" Ed stated uncertainly, almost as though he couldn't believe that he was stating the fact out loud. Greed made a scoffing noise in the back of his throat as he looked intently at the teenage State Alchemist in front of him.
"You've never killed anyone before, have you, kid?" he asked suddenly. Shock flickered across the teen's face momentarily before he immediately became defensive.
"What's that got to do with it?" he growled darkly, and Greed made a disbelieving sound.
"I'm saying that you lack the guts to kill," he pointed out in an almost mocking manner. "You'll never beat me like that, and you'll never beat the other homunculi like that either."
"Okay, I've had enough of this!" Annora hissed angrily as she drew a transmutation circle in the dust in front of her and placed her hands down on it, shredding the ropes that bound her wrists together before she did the same to the fiber around her ankles. "I'm tired of just sitting here and doing nothing!"
Sooner or later, you're going to hate it
Go ahead and throw your life away
Ed didn't notice Annora's sudden freedom as he shot a poisonous glare at the homunculus as he gritted his teeth together, his left hand clenching together into a tight fist. Greed grinned at the teenager before he continued.
"So I'll help you find the guts now… by showing you some of your own!" he declared as he lunged towards Ed.
"Al, now!" Annora shouted as she placed her hands on the chains restraining her friend and stopped the transmutation halfway through, effectively shattering them.
"What the-?" Greed began as he turned around to look at the teenagers, his eyes widening in realization as Annora hastily got to her feet and bolted for the door. "Stop her you idiots!"
The sixteen-year old swore as she saw one of the chimeras lunging for her, and managed to dodge it as she hooked her foot underneath the spear that Izumi had used earlier and kicked it up into the air. Annora smirked at her opponents as she caught the pole arm with her right hand and spun it around, smacking Bido full in the face with the butt of the spear.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't just wait for someone to rescue me," she spat as she used the spear like a bat and hit another chimera in the side of the face. "You're gonna have to do a hell of a lot better than that."
Having said this, Annora spun around and bolted towards the doors that Izumi had transmuted earlier. Just as she reached for one of the handles, the doors flew open, and a man from the bar area of the Devil's Nest stood framed in the doorway, his expression one of pure and total panic.
"Greed, the military, they're here-!"
BLAM!!
Driving me under, leaving me out there
Go ahead and throw your life away
Annora flinched at the sound of the gunfire as the man was cut off by the bullet that punched through his brain, blood spraying onto her face and chest, before he crumpled to the ground in a heap, dead. The teenager stood there, pale-faced and stunned as Dorochet and another chimera immediately got up and slammed the doors shut before barring them. The dog chimera made sure that the thick timber in front of the door would hold before he turned around to look uneasily at Greed as he grabbed Annora's hands and bound her wrists together with some spare rope. The teen didn't struggle against him as she stared fearfully at the door, her thin frame trembling slightly.
"So what now?" the chimera asked as he shoved Annora back towards Alphonse, who had been tackled by Law the moment he had tried to run, and tied up with chains once again. The homunculus scowled in response as he glared at the door.
"Well damn it, those bastards went and ruined out fight," he stated in obvious disappointment, and Annora and everyone else in the room sweatdropped in response.
"Well hell boss, don't sound worried or anything," Dorochet remarked somewhat sarcastically just as the soldiers on the other side of the door started to pound on it. Dorochet and the other chimeras immediately pushed several other things against the door to block it before they stepped away.
"Play it cool," Greed stated calmly as he looked at the door. "There's no one in the military that can do us any harm."
You're like an infantile; I knew it all the while
You sit and try to play me, just like you see on TV
The wall opposite to the homunculus exploding contradicted his previous statement, and when the dust cleared away, Kimbly stood there in the hole, smirking knowingly at Greed.
"Kimbly," Greed growled, and suddenly gasped as he caught sight of Lt. Colonel Archer standing right behind the insane State Alchemist. Without warning, the carbon shell covering the homunculus vanished, leaving behind a somewhat wane-looking Greed.
"Bastard; you've betrayed us, haven't you?!" he demanded, and Kimbly merely smirked in response. Law interrupted their silent stand-off by breaking down the wall behind them with his hammer.
"It's time to move!" he stated urgently as another chimera came up behind Greed and pulled him away.
"C'mon Greed, lets go," he insisted. The homunculus reluctantly followed him, stopping only to pick Annora up and throw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"Hey!" the teen yelped in protest as she started to squirm about in an attempt to get the man to release her. "What gives?!"
I am an oversight, just like a parasite
Why am I so pathetic?
I know you won't forget it
"No, wait!" Ed cried out as he tried to go after them, only to be punched full in the face by Dorochet as Law hoisted Al over his shoulder.
"See ya, kid. It's been fun," the ninja replied as he turned around to leave. Ed scowled as he stood up and prepared to go after the dog chimera.
"You're not going anywhere!" he growled just as several soldiers got in front of him and aimed their guns at him. "What is this?!"
"Please don't resist, Mr. Elric."
"Resist?" Ed asked incredulously. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Annora started to panic as the sounds of Ed's furious shouts faded as Greed and the other chimeras bolted down the sewers, some of the other chimeras being picked off one by one by soldiers ambushing them in the tunnels.
Just call my name, you'll be okay
Your scream is burning through my veins
"Put me down!" she screeched as a bullet whizzed past her and plowed into the last chimera besides Marta, Dorochet, or Law. "I wanna live, not get shot in the ass by some greenhorn soldier that's trigger-happy! Dammit Ethan, where are you when I need you?!"
"Shut up, kid!" Greed snarled as he purposely jostled the teen. "You're not gonna die."
"Oh, that's easy for you to say. You can't die!" Annora snapped, her temper rapidly fraying from sheer terror. "I, on the other hand, am human, and have very healthy fear of being shot! If I get shot in the right spot, I will die!!"
"Oh put a sock in it," Greed growled before he glanced over at Dorochet, who was growing increasingly more agitated. "Be smart."
"Like hell!!" the chimera snapped as he lunged at the approaching soldiers with his katana drawn. Law and Greed watched Dorochet attack the soldiers following them for a few seconds before they turned around and started to run down the sewer walkway again, each carrying their respective hostages. This came to an abrupt halt when a portion of the wall just in front of them exploded outward.
Sooner or later, you're going to hate it
Go ahead and throw your life away
Annora and Al both looked up to see their possible rescuer, but only the latter actually succeeded in seeing the individual as the cloud of choking dust cleared. It was Major Armstrong, and Al was incredibly happy to see him.
"My name is Alex Louis Armstrong, heir to the family trade," the massive man stated calmly as he flexed the muscles of his left arm expertly before he adopted a fighting stance. "But you can call me the Strong Arm Alchemist."
"Huh? Major?" Al asked incredulously as he looked up at the man. Annora attempted to look over her shoulder to see Armstrong, but failed miserably. After struggling and squirming about on Greed's shoulder for a few moments, she finally gave up and let her body go limp. It really sucked to be slung over someone's shoulder like a sack of potatoes and be facing in backwards, especially if that individual was Greed.
Someone was going to die for this.
"My demands are simple," Armstrong told the homunculus seriously. "You give Alphonse Elric and his friend to me."
Law gave a disbelieving snort as he set Al down and lunged at Armstrong, swinging his hammer towards the muscular man. Armstrong easily countered the chimera's attack by hitting the hammer with his metal gauntlet and transmuting the hammer head into a small statue of himself.
Driving me under, leaving me out there
Go ahead and throw your life away
"Hmm?" Law muttered in shock as he stared down at the mini-Armstrong that had replaced the business end of his hammer. "Damn."
"Behold, a little example of the artistic alchemy that has been passed down the Armstrong lines for generations!" Armstrong declared proudly, and Annora immediately let out a heartfelt groan.
"Oh god, if he starts up with the muscle flexing and those freaky pink sparkles, I'm gonna kill myself right now," she muttered. "That is one thing that I just do not need to see, especially if I die by getting shot in the butt."
"Quit your whining kid," Greed grumbled. "Nobody's going to get shot in the ass."
"That's what you think."
This… informative conversation was soon interrupted by the sound of Law letting out a feral roar, soon followed by the obvious sounds of him and Armstrong getting into it before there was a loud crashing noise, followed by a chuckle.
"It's been too long since I've had this good of a battle," Armstrong stated with grim amusement. Law looked back at him steadily before he responded.
Sooner or later, you're going to hate it
Go ahead and throw your life away
"I'd expect nothing less, Armstrong. Your strength hasn't changed at all from back then. I served as a soldier on assignment in Ishbal during the campaign. I know your talents well."
"A former comrade…?" Armstrong muttered faintly in shock, his blue eyes wide as he stared at the chimera in front of him incredulously. "Well then I certainly don't want to kill you. Surrender now and live."
Law gave the Strong-Arm Alchemist a knowing grin, baring his slightly pointed teeth in the process.
"An impossible request."
Almost immediately after Law said this, a small platoon of soldiers ran up behind Major Armstrong and aimed their guns at Greed and everyone else, including Al and Annora.
"I knew it, we're gonna get shot," the girl groaned as she eyed the obviously determined young soldiers, having finally managed to shift herself into a position so that she could actually see what was going on. Greed ignored her nervous statement as he warily watched the young men standing behind the Major.
"It's us, Major!" one of the newly-arrived soldiers called out, cocking his gun. "Step aside. We'll take 'em!"
Driving me under, leaving me out there
Go ahead and throw your life away
Annora and Al both cringed visibly at this statement.
"Over my dead body," Greed growled in a low tone, almost too low for Annora to actually hear. Almost.
"Wait a sec, why are you helping us?" the sixteen-year old asked hesitantly. "You're the one who kidnapped us. Why do you care?"
"Because you're no use to me dead," the homunculus replied bluntly. "I may be greedy as hell, but I'm not about to let a couple of kids get killed just because some heartless military bastards showed up."
"Umm… thanks, I think."
"Don't mention it."
"Come on now," Armstrong stated sternly. "Don't waste your lives."
Greed gave the State Alchemist a dark smirk as he redirected his attention back towards the blonde man.
Throw your life away
"Alright, I'll gladly take that advice," he said knowingly. "But pass a message to Kimbly and Tucker, will ya? Tell them both they've just wasted theirs."
At this statement, Law immediately drove his fist into the sewer wall next to them, causing it to crumble like wet chalk. Unfortunately, this reaction was not limited to the wall, and a section of the ceiling of the sewer tunnel crumbled and crashed down in front of the group, completely blocking off the military in front of them. By the time that Armstrong and the others had managed to clear away the debris, the chimeras used this opportunity to escape with their hostages, seeing as the military had been able to come after them.
Major Armstrong was later heard by several other members of the military using words that are unprintable due to their meaning for the first time in existence. Many of the younger soldiers expressed the opinion that Hell had frozen over, but none of them cared to go and check out the validity of this statement.
Throw your life away
--
Three hours later
--
Annora let out an exhausted groan as she leaned up against a wall and stared up at the ceiling of the small run-down hut that Greed and the remaining chimeras the followed him, Marta, Dorochet, and Law, were hiding out in with her and Alphonse. It had only been less than a day since she and Al had been kidnapped, but the entire ordeal had been draining nonetheless.
Night had already started to fall, and the teen was more than ready to just fall asleep sitting up, but Dorochet and Marta's anxious whispered conversation, as well as Greed's endless pacing, was keeping her awake.
"So, we're the only ones who got away," Greed stated suddenly as he stared out one of the filthy windows, puffing away at a cigarette and looking mad enough to kill someone. Annora shot the homunculus a classic 'no shit' look as she stared intently at him, her chocolate eyes narrowed slightly.
"No, you think?" she asked, her tone slightly sarcastic, but with an underlying note of fear in it as well. "I just thought that they all ditched us for kicks."
"Yeah, well that little escape attempt of yours earlier was pathetic," Dorochet remarked caustically, and Annora shot him a filthy look in response.
"Oh, you can kiss my lily white ass, you stuck-up prick," she snapped before she gave the chimera a scrutinizing look. "Never mind; I don't want your lips anywhere near my ass."
"Annora," Al said reprovingly, and the teen just sighed and shook her head in response.
"Sorry," she muttered. "I'm just really tired and all I want to do is sleep. That, and maybe be let go."
"Not happening," Law stated bluntly. This time, both Al and Annora sighed.
"Well, it was worth a shot," the girl admitted as she leaned back up against the wall. "You can't exactly blame me for trying."
"Then stop trying," Dorochet remarked from where he was sitting. "It's not gonna happen right now, so stop being such a pest."
"I am not a pest!" Annora snapped, glaring angrily at the dog chimera. Dorochet shot the girl a knowing smirk as he yawned loudly, showing that he was obviously enjoying the fact that he was getting on the teenager's nerves.
"You could have fooled me."
"Shut up, dog breath!"
"Make me, brat!"
"Mangy mutt!!"
"Stupid girl!"
"Put a sock in it, you overgrown piece of flea bait!!"
"I'll put a sock in you if you don't shut the hell up!!"
"You and what army?!"
"I'll find one! I'm pretty sure that there are a lot of people out there that would pay me to make you shut up!"
"What, your friends in the vet's office?!"
"No, yours in the morgue!!"
Greed, Marta, Law, and Al all watched the rapidly escalating argument in stunned disbelief as Annora and Dorochet went at it full force, both of them ignoring their observers and any attempts made to stop them.
"You're asking for a toothless mouth, buster!"
"Oh yeah? You couldn't knock the teeth out of a mosquito!"
"Mosquitoes don't even have teeth, dumbass!"
"Compared to you, I'm a genius!"
"Then why don't you go play in the food processor, bozo!!"
"It takes one to know one, wench!!"
"Walking flea condo!"
"Bitch!"
Annora smirked as she looked steadily at the older men, her eyes glinting with wry humor.
"Coming from you, that's a compliment," she quipped, and Dorochet growled low in his throat as he glared balefully at the teen.
"Go to hell!!"
"You first."
"Arrgh!!" the dog chimera snarled as he grabbed a fistful of his hair and gritted his teeth, obviously trying to restrain himself from committing murder.
"Alright you two, knock it off," Greed said seriously. "The rest of us are trying to think here."
Annora smirked as she mouthed 'busted' at Dorochet before she closed her eyes and leaned back up against the wall. Dorochet let out a low growl as he glared at the teen for a few moments before he decided that it wasn't worth it, and pulled out his pipe and lit it. Greed just rolled his eyes and sighed as he returned his attention to the window, his mind racing.
'What the hell am I gonna do now?' he wondered silently as he inhaled a lungful of cigarette smoke. A sudden noise behind him caught his attention, and the homunculus turned around to see two people standing in the doorway.
"How long did you think you could last?" the woman, clad in a low-cut black dress that revealed the top of her chest and the Ouroboros tattoo on it, asked as she and the short, fat man accompanying her walked into the room. "It's been a thrill, but time's up."
"And you are?" Greed asked testily as Dorochet and Law both stood up and placed their hands on their weapons.
"From what I've been told, you've already met Gluttony," the woman stated as she cast a sideways glance at the fat man. "As for me… well can't you tell? I'm the new Lust."
Annora drew in a sharp breath as she stared wide-eyed in terror at the woman, realization dawning upon her. They were homunculi, both of them. Greed didn't as much as twitch as he stared steadily at Lust and Gluttony.
"You don't say," he stated simply, his amethyst eyes narrowed dangerously. Lust smiled knowingly at him as she continued her little narrative.
"I don't usually like to be so quick about things, but you have two options, Greed. You can either be sealed again, or you can die right here," she told the other homunculus, a small smile twitching about her lips.
"Who's gonna pull that one off?" he growled angrily, both of his hands automatically clenching into fists. "Don't tell me that it's going to be you."
Lust smiled condescendingly at him before she spoke once again.
"Here's a story; a lowly homunculus tries to defy the person who pulls all the strings us… and is locked in a cell for 140 years," the woman stated, and Greed scowled as he glared darkly at her. "When he escapes, that person gets angry… and gives us everything we need to end it."
"End it, end it!!" Gluttony cried out in a surprisingly high-pitched voice, a stupid smile plastered on his face. Annora stared nervously at the two homunculi in front of her and backed away from them as far as she could, several beads of sweat appearing on her face.
"I'm thinking that we should run right now," she said uneasily to Greed and Al, her attention riveted to Lust and Gluttony.
"Why? 'Cause you're scared of some anorexic chick and a fat dude?" Dorochet asked snarkily. The teenager cast him a nervous glance from the corner of her eye before she even dared to respond.
"That would depend solely on your meaning of F.E.A.R."
"Then please enlighten us," Greed growled, slightly irritated by the teen's interruption.
"F.E.A.R. stands for "Fuck Everything And Run", and I'm starting to think that might be a really good idea right now," Annora volunteered shakily. "I'm only sixteen; I want to live long enough to get my drivers license and maybe even vote, not get skewered by some psycho chick that dresses like a whore on Van Buren."
"Well you definitely got the 'whore' part right," Dorochet stated grimly as he drew his katana and deftly sliced apart Al's bonds, ignoring the sound of disbelief coming from the fifteen-year old before he did the same for Annora. "There's no more time to talk kid. Just cooperate."
"Make sure that Marta's safe," Law ordered gruffly as he placed himself in front of the two teenagers. Annora blinked in surprise as she pulled apart the now-loose ropes that had bound her wrists and ankles together before she stood up, eyeing the two homunculi that stood by the front doorway apprehensively.
"But what about you?" she asked softly. "I'm not someone that just leaves a person behind to get slaughtered, friend or foe."
"Just go, and don't make a big fuss about it," Dorochet retorted. Al seemed hesitant to listen to the older man as he stood up and looked straight at him.
"But what are you guys gonna do?" he queried. There was suddenly an abrupt banging sound as Marta became suspicious as to what was taking place.
"Wait, Law! Dorochet, what's happening?!" she demanded fearfully. Annora and Al exchanged worried looks as both of them immediately came to the same realization. There was no 'safe' way out for all of them; Law and Dorochet were going to give up their own lives to protect them, as well as Marta and Greed.
"Get out of here, Greed," Law stated sternly. "Now."
"We'll take care of this," Dorochet agreed, his katana out and pointed directly at Lust and Gluttony. The homunculus looked over that the two ex-military men in disbelief, his lavender eyes wide in shock.
"It's my problem."
"Well it's ours now! We're not going to lose you here!" Dorochet snapped as Law reverted to his half-bull form, much to the surprise of Annora, who hadn't seen it before. "Just see that we're all avenged, that's all I'm asking for."
"What?" Annora whispered hoarsely, her eyes wide. "You're going to sacrifice yourselves? But… but why?"
Lust didn't hear the teen's incredulous comment as she let out a throaty laugh. "My, you sure have some loyal pawns, don't you?"
"Pawns?" Annora growled as she glared at the female homunculus, only to have Al grab her by the shoulder and shake his head slightly. Dorochet paid absolutely no attention to the two teenagers as he adopted a defensive position with his katana, his odd eyes narrowed slightly in blatant defiance.
"You can blame it on the alchemists who engineered me. I was combined with a dog; loyalty just runs in the blood."
"Greed gave us hope for nothing," Law declared proudly as he took a step forward. "Now we'll return the deed."
Lust scrutinized the two men closely for a moment before she directed her attention to Greed and smirked, her light violet eyes sparkling with barely hidden scornful amusement. Annora glanced over at the homunculus questioningly, and noticed that he appeared to be waging an internal battle against himself. This was soon eliminated the moment that Dorochet snapped out a terse command.
"Greed, now!"
His mind made up, Greed dashed over to the door that Al was standing by and grabbed Annora by the sleeve of her letterman's jacket, dragging her along behind him as he looked over and shouted at Al.
"C'mon, kid!" he barked as he kicked the door open. Al was slightly startled by the homunculi's sudden action before he hesitantly ran after him. Annora pushed down any retorts that came to mind as she focused more on running as though her life depended upon it, and trying to keep up so Greed wouldn't end up dragging her along. The three of them ran for a long time before they even dared to slow down, and Annora immediately crumpled to her knees before she flopped down on her back the moment they stopped, gasping desperately for breath. Greed was in slightly better shape as he placed a hand up against the trunk of a tree and got his breath back before he looked over at the two teens.
"Just us now," he muttered, panting slightly. "You two are such good little hostages. You could have fled, you know. I've been a little distracted."
Annora lifted her head up and shot the older man a disbelieving look from where she was lying down. "Yeah right, you had a death grip on my arm back there. The only way I would have possibly been able to escape would be to cut my arm off." The teen looked at her left arm thoughtfully before she continued. "Actually, that might be a possibility there, 'cause I think you cut off all the circulation to my arm."
If he could have, Al would have rolled his eyes in exasperation. "That's not what I'm worried about right now."
"Pfftt, yeah right," Greed scoffed as he focused on the fifteen-year old. "Hey listen, Marta."
"Yeah?" the snake chimera inquired from within Al's armor. Greed paused for a moment before he continued his statement.
"Stay in this can 'till morning. If I'm not back by then, your own your own," he said, and Annora was surprised to see that the homunculus seemed slightly embarrassed. "Just make sure that you have some fun, okay?"
"Greed, what are you going to do?" Marta asked suspiciously, and a familiar smirk crossed the homunculi's face.
"Can't get into it, doll. The talking's done," he stated before he took off running, leaving the two teenagers and the chimera behind.
"What in the hell?" Annora asked in blatant confusion as she stared in the direction the Greed had taken off in. "What was that all about?"
"Let me out, kid!!" Marta snapped suddenly as she tried to push Al's helmet off. "I gotta go with him!"
"Stop!" Al yelped as he held down his helmet with both hands. "He told you to stay inside where it's safe!!"
"I don't care!!"
"Annora, help!" the fifteen-year old pleaded, and Annora soon found herself helping Al hold down his helmet against the struggling snake chimera by sitting on his shoulders as Marta struggled violently against them.
"Let me out, NOW!!" Marta roared as she used her abilities to send Al's body jerking about all over the clearing. Annora, who was swearing like a sailor as she clung frantically to the possessed suit of armor's shoulders, shot a dirty glare in what she assumed to be the older woman's direction.
"No! He told you not to follow him!!" she snapped, and was rewarded for her troubles by a particularly violent jerk that almost unseated her. "Dammit, stop doing that!!"
"Let me go!! I need to help Greed!!"
"NO!!" Al protested as his body clanked all over the clearing, looking as though he were engaged in some sort of weird dance. Annora's grip on his shoulder spikes tightened, and she muttered some incredibly foul profanities under her breath as she focused all her attention on not falling off.
"Lady, if you knock me off, I will personally hang you upside-down from a tree by your own intestines," the teenager snarled darkly, but Marta didn't hear her. This little scenario lasted almost until dawn, until Marta finally ran out of energy, and Al let her out while Annora fell to the grass with a relieved sigh. The older woman looked over at her, and then at Al before she simply turned around and walked away without a word.
The two teens sat there for several moments in stunned silence before they were able to even voice the questions that hung heavy in their minds.
"Greed never came back," Al muttered thoughtfully, and Annora looked over at him curiously. "Does that mean that he…?"
"I don't know," Annora admitted wearily as she brushed a stray strand of hair out of her eyes. "But we shouldn't assume anything until we know for sure what happened to him. While we're at it, we should probably go and look for Ed as well."
"I hope that Brother's okay," the fifteen-year old said, suddenly worried about his older brother, and Annora couldn't help but laugh. After all that had happened in the past twenty-four hours, it was a relief to find something to laugh about, even if it was Al's sudden remberence of Ed's general inability to look after himself.
"What?" Al queried. "What's so funny?"
"N-nothing, I just really needed that," the sixteen-year old admitted, still chuckling slightly. "Man, that was really random."
The possessed suit of armor shot the older girl a skeptical look before he just shook his head and stood up, silently wondering if all girls were this odd. Annora arched an eyebrow at his actions before she shrugged and stood up as well.
"So, how do we get out of here?" she asked, and Al looked about them intently before he pointed in a direction.
"This way," he stated, hoping fervently that he was right. Somehow, he didn't think that Annora would be too happy if he got them lost in the middle of the woods.
--
"Finally, civilization," Annora groaned thankfully as she looked at the houses and streets of Dublith before glancing back over her shoulder at Al. "That was pretty good for not knowing where we were. It only took us about forty-five minutes to get here."
"Well, Brother and I have learned how to find our way through some places without a map," the younger boy admitted as the two walked down an alleyway. "There are a lot of places in Amestris that you really don't want to get lost in."
"I hate to break it to you, Al, but there are places like that anywhere."
"What do you mean?"
"There are parts of Flagstaff that you could not even pay me to go to at night, much less walk through without an armed guard."
"Hmm, it's too bad that you don't have one of those with you right now," a familiar voice jeered from above, and Annora and Al looked up to see Envy standing on the rooftop of one of the buildings forming the alleyway. Immediately, the girl covered her eyes with her hands and let out a loud groan as she looked away.
"Oh god, I've gone blind!" she moaned. "I just got a really good look at what's under that fag's miniskirt, and I so didn't want to!"
"Is that an insult?" Envy growled as he jumped down from the rooftop and landed in front of the two teenagers. Annora uncovered her eyes and glared at the homunculus.
"No, you think?" she shot back before an unholy smirk crossed her lips. "Oh wait, I forgot, you don't."
"Why you little-" Envy snarled, his violet eyes flashing with evident fury. "I'll get you for that!"
"Yeah right. You couldn't even get me when I was locked up in a cell; what makes you think that right now is any different?" Annora asked sarcastically. "Unlike you, I actually have a brain."
If looks could kill, Annora would have been incinerated right on the spot. Al watched the homunculus before them nervously as he glared at the teenage girl, slowly clenching and unclenching his hands before he suddenly came to an epiphany. A homicidal smirk suddenly came across Envy's face as he looked at Annora, and the expression on his face scared the ever-loving hell out of her.
"I have orders not to kill the Fullmetal Pipsqueak and his brother," the androgynous homunculus said suddenly, and Annora felt chills go down her spine at the look that entered Envy's eyes. "But they didn't say anything about you."
"Oh hell," Annora hissed before she sprang into action. "Al, run!!"
The two didn't even make it to the end of the alley before Envy suddenly appeared in front of the sixteen-year old and effortlessly drove a fist into her gut, causing her to crumple to the pavement in a heap while gasping for air.
"That was pathetic," the homunculus said nonchalantly as he grabbed Annora by the back of her jacket and hauled her up to eye level with him. "I would expect something better from the little wench that's been hanging around the Elric brats for two months."
"You ever hear of playing possum, jackass?!" Annora snarled as she immediately recovered and used the gap in Envy's defense to knee him hard in the groin. This had the desired effect of Envy automatically letting go of her to hold himself, and resulted in a hard blow to the throat as Annora used his pain to her advantage.
Envy made several loud gasping noises as he tried to breathe; not a smart thing to do after you've just received a good hit to the throat. Not surprisingly, the homunculus passed out from a combination of pain and air loss, assisted by a hefty blow to the head from Al's fist.
"Okay, that was a little too close for comfort," Annora muttered shakily as she stared uneasily at the prone green-haired form lying in front of her. "Let's get the hell out of here before something else happens."
"I agree," Al told her whole-heartedly as the two turned around and headed towards the main street. A furious cry suddenly rang out from behind them, and Annora barely even had time to turn around before she was tackled by a furious palm tree. The two started rolling around punching at each other furiously while the girl attempted to dislodge her attacker.
"Get off me you freak!" she spat angrily, her chocolate eyes blazing with fury. Envy scowled at her as he seized her hand and twisted it painfully.
"If you say so!" he roared as he straightened up and threw the girl full-force at a brick wall.
Annora's head collided painfully with the unyielding brickwork, and a dark haze descended upon her just as Al used alchemy to send Envy flying up into the air at a trajectory that would end up with him landing outside of Dublith. The last thing that she heard was Al saying her name before darkness clouded her vision, and oblivion claimed her very being.
--
Well, here's the thirteenth chapter, and I hope that you all like it! I know that a lot of people were kind of wondering about the last chapter, and I will admit that I just kind of did it as a filler of sorts, but also because I just really liked the idea of introducing Ed and Al to Halloween, not to mention their massive fandom in the real world. The plothole bunny must've had a field day with that chapter, because it was mostly just random insanity that Mustang-013, Samurai Rin 63, and I came up with during a 'what if' conversation a long time ago.
Not to mention the fact that I was on a pre-Halloween sugar rush about half the time that I typed it.
There is no end to my insanity.
Anyways, I hope that you lot aren't too mad at me for yet another cliffhanger. But, that'll just make you appreciate my next chapter all the more, won't it?
(Ducks flying rotten fruit and vegetables)
Then again, maybe not. Okay then, on to the reviews!!
Reviews
(Yes, these will be for both chapters)
rockleefan: Yes, I most definitely agree with you. It drives me nuts to read about people falling into another world, or time, and they automatically adjust to it. I know that I would be hyperventilating and freaking out in general, even if it was the FMA world that I fell into. Annora's a little more logical than I would be, but her and my reactions to the same situation are pretty much the same thing.
Lady Renyel of Arella: Greed is actually the least evil out of all the homunculi, so I have no problem writing about him. I'm glad that you liked the chapter.
Mimori Kiryu: Thanks for the character, I really appreciate it! Anyways, I'm really glad that you enjoyed the chapter. Sorry about following 'Al, Captured' so closely, but I couldn't find another way to introduce Greed into the storyline.
Mei Fire: Yes, Annora loves to insult the people who upset her, and she does not respond well to kidnapping. Greed probably should have done his homework before taking her as well as Al.
Syldoran: Sorry about that. But as you said, it was sort of the only way since Ed kills Greed maybe an hour or less after he leaves Marta and Al back in the forest. Anyways, I hope that you liked this chapter.
bluehighlighter: Why thank you. I am honored, and I'm glad that you like my story, even though it's in a category that you don't usually like. Although I can't really blame you for not reading an OC fic, because so many of them have those damn Mary-Sue's in them. Rabid fangirls and Mary-Sue's are not my friends, and I have a special method for dealing with them. Let's just say that it involves Kimbly and a sealed off school gym, as well as nitroglycerine.
Mew Sarin Alchemist: No, Greed will never get the chance to beat up Ethan. Mustang might though. Oh crap, spoiler alert!
Zilo's Blue Pen: Yeah, that bit with Kimbly and ghosts was just something random that I thought of. Who knew that the psychopath was scared of dead people? Thanks for the compliment; I'm glad that you liked the chapter. The reason that I wrote Annora that way was because once I had gotten over the initial shock of being kidnapped, I would have gotten really sarcastic. I get that way when I'm scared or nervous.
The Shadow111: Thank you, I'm glad that you liked it.
Katatsubasa-no-Tenshi: Yes, Ed and Annora do tend to fight a lot. Maybe that's because the two of them are both equally stubborn, and both of them are convinced that they're right. A wake-up call might be in order soon for Ed.
DESTROY-THE-HORMONES: Yeah, guys are a little confusing. I'm 19 and I still don't understand them sometimes, especially my brothers. Anyways, somehow I think that Greed would think twice before kidnapping you.
Greed: Are you kidding?! I may be a homunculus, but there are limits to what I'm willing to go through to find eternal life!
Siacatmesecat: Sorry about that, but that's how I talk sometimes. When I get scared, I start to swear sometimes, and that is reflected in Annora. I'll try to take care of it, but as my older brother puts it, sometimes a curse word is used just to put emphasis on a word or statement. 'It's cold' means nothing, but if you say 'It's f#ing cold!', it adds emphasis to the statement. But this is also the same person who thinks that almost getting bit by a rattlesnake is no big deal, so I don't put too much faith in his statements sometimes.
Darkwick: Why thank you. I'm really glad that you think that way. Most of the story's going to be mostly the occasional fluff between Ed and Annora, as well as the usual fights between the two. Don't tell Ed that he's short, even though he is addicting. He just might decide to go after me when I'm sleeping, and that will not be fun.
richard9311: Sorry about the cliffhanger, but I'm glad that you like the story!
Lost and Never Found: Yeah, you're probably right about that. Thanks for reviewing!
Luca4ever: Thank you. I'm really glad that you like it.
Kefra: Umm… advice, let's see. I would have to say keep writing, and try to develop your style as much as possible before posting your stories. Some of the stuff that I wrote three years ago makes me cringe when I look at it now, because my writing as changed so dramatically since then. That, and some of it is really bad. I'm aiming for publishing an original story of my own someday, so I started a fanfic on the advice of a friend to help perfect my writing style, and boy am I glad that I did! Good luck, and I hope that I was able to help you!
bluehighlighter: Thank you, I'm glad that you liked the Halloween special. Sorry about the sporadic updates, but school comes first for me, and college is a pain in the butt sometimes.
Kikuaza: Well, I've never even been to an Anime Convention before, so I was just assuming what it was like. I'm glad that you liked my special, and yes, Annora does live in a very scary world.
Liah Cauthon: You have a Flamel necklace? Cool!
DESTROY-THE-HORMONES: But the stupid idiot didn't have a baseball bat, which is why Annora stole his sword and used it as a weapon. If she'd had access to a Louisville Slugger, I can guarantee you that she would use it. Kicking doesn't work too well when you're wearing straw sandals. Hope you had fun on Halloween!
MithLuin: Dude, I have a teacher reading my stuff?! And a chemistry teacher no less! That is so awesome!! Science is one of my favorite subjects, and so is English! Wow! Thanks for checking out my story!!
richard9311: Yeah, I know. It was a filler/Halloween special chapter, so it was supposed to be a little nutty.
Zilo's Blue Pen: Thank you. I'm glad that you appreciated my little insane special.
rockleefan: Yeah, those fangirls were freaks. Thanks for pointing out my mistake on Halloween, but you created a good explanation for it. That's pretty cool. No, Annora is still going back to Flagstaff eventually, but that's another thing entirely. And yes, the picture that Katie gave Ed was of Annora in the first costume, which ironically happened to be Kagome's school outfit from 'Inuyasha', and Annora went dressed up as Kikyo. My mind works in strange ways, huh?
Luca4ever: Just tell them that a friend forwarded you a really funny e-mail. That's what I do.
Syldoran: Sometimes I wonder about the merits of Annora saving Mustang's sorry butt. Maybe she should have left him there to be mauled by the Rangers, but then Hawkeye would be sad, and we would have no more comic relief with Annora harassing him. Oh well, he can live for now. Envy can't though. (Snaps fingers and Envy spontaneously combusts.)
Lady of Summer Haze: You live in Holland? Cool!! Sweet, my fans are international!
Naomi-Yuko: Thank you!
Siacatmesecat: You live in Phoenix? Wow… that's really wild. I have family there. So you'll be dressed as Dante? I'm scared now. Actually, I think both Ed and I should be worried.
agent000: I hate Mary-Sue's with an eternal passion, and they shall all either die from me incinerating them while using Mustang's gloves, or being used as transmutation fodder. But I'll need a lot of them to actually make anything, because they're not worth jack shit. I'm glad that you liked my depiction of the Resembool Rangers, and that you thought that it was funny. Well, good luck with the chat room.
Naomi-Yuko: But the reason why I put up the Halloween special is because I hadn't finished this chapter yet, that, and I really wanted to do something funny for Halloween. I'm glad that you enjoyed the face-off between Mustang and the Resembool Rangers.
CrazedNeko: Yeah, I had to look up that word, and maybe even a few others, just so I could do that. You have no idea how hard it is to find an Irish website that does translations.
Lady Renyel of Arella: Yes, this is in the 'filler' category, but I'm not at all ashamed of it.
The lyrics are from the song Sooner or Later by Breaking Benjamin. I do not own 'FMA' or any of its respective characters, but I do own Annora, Ethan, and Katie.
