Dragon Ball GX, Side Story: The Alchemic Saiyan
Chapter 27: The Truth About This Country
Olivia Mira Armstrong
As Edward and his friends all got checked on by the doctors, and two of the illegal aliens from Xing were treated for hypothermia, the funny eyed Ling, and the adorable little May, I couldn't help but notice Edward's personality as he talked and laughed with his friends and some of my more open soldiers who had dropped by, it was so confident and powerful, so perfectly resonant with his, for lack of a better phrase, god-like form. I couldn't help but wonder, if maybe, he could…would…no, I couldn't just accept that on what I'd seen from him fighting my men, after all, he had spared their lives and shown a little mercy, he'd have to fight me to prove his true worth. A loud clatter broke my intense thought, and the Xingese prince bounded out of the infirmary closet, panting heavily.
"Ow! For the last time, I'm fine, stop poking me with needles" Ling whines as our doctor laughs at the prince's cat like agility he used to avoid her syringe.
"Kami, knock it off, the man obviously has a fear of needles" I laugh, causing Katherine to snort derisively.
"With all due respect General Armstrong, the aversion of needles, its got a name, Trypanophobia, and it-"
"Enough talk about needles! I'm really not comfortable with them, I'll be sticking to Edward and his superpower healing or alkahestry from now on thank you very much" Ling shouts angrily.
"You heard the prince, he's not to be given anymore needles" Edward says authoritatively.
"Hey, he can't do that! General Armstrong, he can't, he's not my superior" Kami complains as she points at him with a huff.
"I most certainly am! I'm Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist" the man states as he holds out his silver pocket watch and an official document from the Führer, King Bradley.
"What? Give me that! This official document certifies, (begins to mumble the transcript to herself) entitled to ample research funds, (keeps mumbling) and the military rank equivalent to that of a major, signed King Bradley!" Kami screams with disbelief.
"You're joking, this kid holds the rank equivalent of a major?" Buccaneer remarks calmly as he walks in with a strange new automail.
"I have the watch; jealous Bucky?" Edward taunts as he dangles the silver clock.
"You're a cocky little brat you know that? Anyways, this new automail you transformed my old crocodile into, what the hell does it do exactly, and more importantly, how do I work it?" Buccaneer asks with an annoyed tone.
"For the last time, it's a Nova Burst Cannon! That means it charges and fires an orb of super condensed plasma, the same stuff you find in stars, its so hot it melts most substances with the same ease that a hot skillet melts butter, one shot from this at maximum power has an energy density of more than 10 to the 14th joules, it could wipe out an entire army in a single blast, so don't try to mess with it unless I'm around" Edward states, causing my eyes to widen, and Buccaneer to begin sweating, then gasp and rush out the door into the hallway toward the automail room.
"Randall, GET THIS THING OFF ME!" the captain shouts as he slams the door down the hall open to alert Randall to his plight.
"Whoa, I didn't think he'd be that scared, I thought he liked combat automail, that's why I made him a Nova Burst Cannon arm, it was a gift of good will" Edward remarks with confusion, causing me to laugh at his cluelessness.
"Goodwill? You strapped a weapon to his shoulder with enough destructive force to annihilate every Drachman invasion force that comes knocking at our front gate in a single blow, one wrong move and he destroys Fort Briggs, that's a lot of pressure for a man who's most powerful weapon he manned was the canon of a new experimental war machine we're making, not everyone is as crazy and fearless as you Edward" I chuckle, causing the kid to lower his head and sigh.
"Mira, that isn't why I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid of that weapon, cause its power pales in comparison to my own" he says quietly, prompting my curiosity to reach new levels.
"What do you mean by that, I know your eye beam trick is impressive, but its surely not on the same scale as 10 to the 14th power joules-"
"Mira…that was a parlor trick, I was holding back, severely, more than severely in fact" he interrupts, my silence and restraint from berating him for cutting off a superior in mid-speech lasting only due to the shock of realizing how serious he was.
"Edward, what exactly are you?" Kami asks worriedly.
"You'll probably figure some stuff out while you take a medical examination of me; I'd like you to do a full physical of me in my natural body that I'm now in, the first form Armstrong and her soldiers saw me in was my former appearance back before a recent trip I took several weeks ago" he replies formally as he stands up and walks over to the private examination room.
"Why do you want a physical, you seem to be in perfect health, is something wrong?' Kami asks with concern.
"No, nothing is wrong; see its like this, I want a secret file about me, for future references once the country of Amestris is fully secure from within, some crazy shit is going on behind the walls of Central Command, and underneath it too, so just give me the full physical so I can see what can be revealed with current Amestrian medical tech, alright?" Edward explains, raising my curiosity even further and causing me to raise an eyebrow.
"Very well then, if you'll all wait outside, I've got one more procedure to do" Katherine states as she closes the door and locks it.
"Alright, now that your invincible body guard is occupied, I want some more answers, like what the hell is going on!" I shout, causing the group gathered to gulp nervously, except for the strange old man with a black suit.
"Um…well…you see, we uh-" Alphonse stammers worriedly, as though trying to figure the best way to break some big news without causing a panic.
"Oh for Pete sake, Major General Armstrong, is this room secure, no one nearby can potentially overhear the information we're about to speak of can they?" the well dressed old man asks firmly, his voice strangely uncharacteristic of a person his age, filled with the smooth tones of youth and vigor.
"There are two places we can do that: my private office at the top of the fort, or the panic room in the basement where R&D is stationed" I reply, causing them to sigh with relief.
"Good, we can't risk any of this ever reaching Central, not even one potential traitor can be allowed to know even a fraction of this secret knowledge" Alphonse states firmly.
"How dare you make such an accusation! There are no traitors in my ranks, all the soldiers and staff of Fort Briggs are loyal to me first, and the Führer second! I execute traitors personally the moment they're discovered, and no Drachman spy has ever infiltrated our country through this area and gone unnoticed by Northern or Briggs forces" I snap, causing Al to step back with fear.
"Sorry, its just an extra precaution, you never know Mira, uh-sir!" Alphonse shouts nervously, causing me to smile and chuckle. The group looked at me with strange faces, clearly confused by my change in demeanor.
"You're right, you can never be too careful kid, that's the best rule of combat, always be prepared and adaptable. We'll go to the panic room as soon as Edward is finished with his evaluation" I announce as I cross my leg on my lap and get comfortable.
"(Sigh) Thanks Randall, I wasn't gonna be able to sleep with that thing on my shoulder, I can't wear something that dangerous till I know how to control it" Buccaneer comments as he walks in with our very own cigarette toting mechanic of automail, Randall Abrams. At this point, Randall had swapped out Buccaneer's former crocodile arm turned canon, with his custom designed Mad Bear G.
"No problem man, now I want to talk to the guy who made that new combat automail, its amazing, where is this Edward?" Randall asks as he looks around the room, holding the cannon like automail limb Edward had created from Buccaneer's crocodile.
"Currently getting a physical, I will be getting details from him and his friends personally once he is done, we'll be having a secret meeting in the panic room down in the basement" I state as I put my sword on my lap.
"Excellent, I want to learn all about this device, its composition alone is beyond anything I've ever seen, it almost seems like it came from a…a…-"
"Another planet, another time, another world?" Edward adds to the engineer's statement with a smirk as he stands in the doorway of the examination room, without a shirt on! Everyone was staring at him with a mixture of awe and another emotion but the two old men, and the tall fellow with his fur collar jacket.
The girls, including Katherine and myself gawked at his toned figure, while most of the men had stares of either covert, or outright obvious envy at his body, and who could blame them? He was quite honestly, more magnificent than I'd imagined; not only was he supremely cut with muscles, but they were in the perfect proportions for an ideal male figure of health! I swear, they must be hard enough to cut glass, hell, steel even, he just was absolutely, perfect and…stop it! Mira, you can't just melt down like that cause he's gorgeous, he must prove himself before you can lower your guard around him, and I would ensure such a competition would occur at the soonest possible convenience.
"Hey, I'm up here folks" Edward remarks with a frown, having realized how badly they were staring at him.
"Oh, apologies, I'm Randall Abrams by the way, the automail mechanic here at Fort Briggs, please Edward, tell me more about this thing you made out of Buccaneer's M1913A Crocodile, he said its called the…the New-vo Burst canyon?" he replies with nervousness and excitement, causing Edward's head to sprout a big anger nerve.
"(Growl) YOU MORON, ITS CALLED A NOVA BURST CANNON, I TOLD THE CAPTAIN THAT SEVERAL TIMES! (Sighs) Also for your information, its "Major" Elric, and you will address me as such for as long as I see fit, that's your punishment for being so thick, this applies to everyone but my crew and Major General Olivia Mira Armstrong, am I clear?" Edward asks with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh, Uh, Yes sir, my apologies for being so thoughtless and rude!" Randall says as he quickly bows then salutes the eldest Elric brother, Buccaneer soon joined in, though quite plainly visible, he did so with great reluctance.
"Good, now come on, we need to get to the basement, this is news that really shouldn't have to wait, lead the way Mira" Edward says confidently as he offers a hand to help me up. Gladly taking it, he helped me to my feet, as though I were weightless. I was amazed at his power, his chivalry, and how he managed to blend serenity and rage into such a beautiful and wondrous combination, that just beckoned me to command he come with me to my private office, where I would just…
I quickly gave myself a mental slap to end that train of thought; I'm a general for Pete sake, and a tough one at that. I can't let myself be reduced to a bubbling, giggly schoolgirl just because Edward Elric sees to have all the qualities of a man I could want, I must test him rigorously before I making such a choice.
Upon reaching the elevator, the old man in the black suit declined riding down it out of worry for his safety. Though I tried to assure him that it was perfectly fine, Edward vouched for him, and asked if there were stairs he could take instead, and I directed him to the stairwell at the end of the hall. Several minutes later, we exited the elevator and met up with Major Miles, who had accompanied the suit toting elder down to the basemen.
"Gentlemen, welcome to R&D, aka, Research and Development, this is also were we house the fort's vital support systems, now come along, the panic room is just ahead" I state as I lead them toward the center of the room and motion for them to stop.
"So where is it? All I see is a manhole entrance to a pipe system" the foreigner known as Ling comments impatiently.
"This is the entrance, its disguised you moron" I snap sarcastically. Quickly piling into the entrance, we climbed down 20 feet and into a short tunnel that led to a maze of branching pathways. After showing them the secret door leading to the real panic shelter hidden by meticulous alchemy just before the entrance to the labyrinth meant to throw off any potential invaders who manage to find the entrance to this area, we piled in and got comfortable, and I sat down and crossed my arms.
"Ok, we are fully isolated here, there are no prying eyes, ears, or anything else to see us, we're completely and utterly alone, so start talking Fullmetal" I say harshly, hoping he understood how serious I was.
"Alright, but first you have to swear that no word of this will ever leave the fort, and none of the soldiers besides you five can learn of what I'm about to say for now, alright?" Edward asks respectfully, yet his tone also demanding at the same time.
"That all depends, but for now, I'll lean toward upholding that bargain, now what is going on, what exactly are you? Don't you dare hold anything back" I demand, worried about the answer I might hear. With a sigh, Edward stood up and looked at my soldiers, then at me, his gaze steady and unwavering.
"Do you all remember my retaliation earlier outside the fort when your men were trying to kill me and hurt my friends, with the energy beams from my eyes?" he asks with a serious tone, strafing his eyes from myself, to Buccaneer, Miles, then back to me again.
"How could we forget? The prelude alone was mind numbing; you melted every bit of ice and snow in the area apart from that in the air for miles, it looked like mid-summer out there, then you carved a path straight through the Briggs Mountain Range like a damn knife, what the hell was that!" Buccaneer shouts, Edward's gaze remaining steady.
"Ling, Fu, May, can you help get the ball rolling? The leaders of Briggs here have to understand what Ki is" Edward says as he points to the prince and the young lady, who promptly leapt up and landed before me, giving a brief bow of respect.
"Alright, do any of you know what allows animals, plants, people, all living things, to keep living?" the young girl asks as she looks around.
"I can answer that; all biological life, including humans, are sustained by a complex interconnected chain of numerous chemical reactions, electrical impulses, and healthy cellular materials, that's what keeps life well…alive" Katherine remarks in a textbook fashion.
Suddenly, a harsh buzzing noise accompanied by a crowd going "awww" filled the room, causing everyone to look at Edward, who was holding a small electronic device with a button.
"WRONG! Ha ha haaaa" Edward laughs, stopping once he realized we were starring at him.
"Sorry, I gained a strange sense of humor from one of my teachers a while back, I normally don't lapse and do crap like that or use these gadgets for gags at any time, I guess I just subconsciously felt this moment was the perfect one to use that thing, please continue May" he chuckles sheepishly, pocketing the object in his coat.
"Ok, well Ms. Katherine, he's right, you are wrong; those are essential components to make a body, but those things don't make something alive" May says respectfully, causing Kami to get flustered and stand up.
"That's absurd, of course that's what makes stuff alive! I've got more than 8 years of medical training based on hundreds of years of research, how the hell can we be wrong, what else could possibly be responsible for the sustention of life?" she argues vehemently.
"Chi of course, also known as Ki" the girl says with a smile, causing Kami's face to bend into a look of confusion.
"What the hell is that?" Buccaneer comments gruffly.
"Ki, also known as Chi, is a Xingese word, it literally translates into life force, as in the very energy of life itself" Fu adds authoritatively.
"That's preposterous! I've read about that, all the research and studies we've conducted into that concept indicates it's a complete myth, there is no unique form of biological energy inherent to living creatures, they only process existing kinds of natural energy" she continues, her anger returning as she shouts.
"That's where you're wrong, there is such a thing, all of us from Xing can sense life force" Ling remarks as he holds a finger up.
"Alright then, what does this "life force" look like?" Kami asks skeptically as she stares at them in disbelief.
"Well originally, we thought it was something only your mind can perceive, a sort of mental ability, it is a sixth sense after all, unlocked with proper training" the masked girl comments.
"Which we discovered was not the case upon meeting Edward, the ultimate authority on the matter as it now turns out" the old man Fu replies.
"Check this out" Edward says proudly as he holds out his right hand, opening his palm slowly. In an instant, a spark of light formed, steadily growing, until it was the size of a tank shell.
"Is that what the energy from your eyes was made of, Ki?" I ask tentatively, mesmerized by the glowing warmth of the orb, somehow feeling a sensation coming from it, like I knew it from somewhere.
"Indeed, it is both a thing of beauty…and of terror" Edward says cryptically, causing everyone to look at him strangely.
"Why, Its so beautiful, what could be terrifying about it?" Kami remarks, clueless as to its true power.
"This is the power that has razed lands, boiled away seas, and cut down mountains, even destroyed entire worlds, what I hold is pure energy, enough to destroy the moon above us in a matter of moments, adding just a little more, I could destroy the earth on which we stand in a blinding flash" Edward says solemnly, causing the face of everyone but myself and his friends to pale.
"(Nervous chuckle) You-you're kidding right? I mean, there is no way anyone could ever be that powerful, right?" Kami asks, her tone desperate for reinforcement of her theory.
"No, this is no joke, I balance in my hand the power to destroy worlds, power over life itself, thus by extension, life forms, the power to protect them-" he starts as the orb changes to a soothing green color.
"-or end it all" he finishes calmly, as the orb's color switches to an angry red, like rage itself.
"PUT IT OUT, PUT IT OUT, YOU'LL KILL US ALL!" Katherine bellows hysterically, her face streaming tears of terror and helplessness.
In an instant, everyone jumped over to her, and Randall held her hand, while Buccaneer patted her back.
"Soldier, compose yourself!" I shout, embarrassed by her total lack of control over her emotions.
"NO! NOOOOO! He's a monster, this explains why his blood seemed strange, he's not human, Edward Elric is a homunculus!" Kami shrieks as she wraps herself around Randall and buries her face in his chest.
Immediately, laughter began to echo throughout the panic room, and we found the source was no other than the old man in the suit.
"You must be kidding; to call Edward a mere homunculus, that's insulting to the man. Calling him an artificial human, its like calling a martial arts grandmaster a 90 pound weakling!" the man shouts with an uncharacteristically youthful tone.
"Edward is the leader, he protects us, he's our friend, even if he doesn't let me eat everything I want" the fat one adds with a smile.
"How would you know so much about them old man?" Buccaneer asks aloud, causing the man to throw his head back and cackle madly, red arcs of alchemical energy discharging off his body as it began to slim down.
"Because I' AM a homunculus meat head!" he laughs as his form changes into that of a teenager with dreadlock like tendrils of hair, everyone but Edward's friends, including myself, too shocked to even speak at the way this man had changed into a child before our very eyes.
"I'm Envy the Jealous, this is one of my younger brothers, Gluttony the Voracious" the lithe homunculus says with a bow. Still, all we could do is stare in silence.
"Its a long story, do you have a few hours?" Edward asks hopefully. Nodding, I motioned for the tales to continue.
3 Hours Later
Edward Elric
Having explained everything from the Homunculi, Father, the big conspiracy about how the country was founded, and my out of universe trip, including a summary of my vast training, not to mention everything that had occurred since my return 5 weeks ago, I left most of General Armstrong's privileged few gathered among us with slack mouths.
"So, are we all cool? I don't want anyone freaking out" I say calmly, noting the level of whiteness in the faces of everyone but Miles and Armstrong.
"So…you know about information others don't have access to, right, got it from an outside source?" Major Miles comments unexpectedly.
"That's right, is there a reason you're asking Major?" I reply, wondering what the quarter Ishvalan's remark was for.
The prompt removal of his glasses answered my question, and I stared at him, indicating I wasn't surprised.
"As I suspected, you knew about how I'm Ishvalan, do you know by how much too?" he asks with a monotone.
"Yeah, one quarter on your grandfather's side, who was killed in the war of extermination right after you were posted here" I say calmly, causing him to look at me with scrutiny.
"So you know I'm Ishvalan, what are your feelings about me young man, what is your reaction to my race? I know its already been decided considering how far in advance you've known about what ethnicity I come from" he continues, causing me to continue to face him with a stoic expression.
"To be honest Miles, I'm conflicted; your people are generally peaceful, and try to keep to themselves, but one of them killed my best friend's parents, and nearly killed me and my brother earlier this year before I got these powers, sometimes I wonder if maybe…-"
(Buzzing Pop)
"-I should just destroy your homeland so you'll be forced to assimilate and end this damn cycle of madness due to your race's beliefs" I say coldly as I create a crimson red sphere of Ki on my right finger with the signature popping noise that often accompanies their creation, the orb crackling ominously with intense power and black discharge.
"What, Brother, you can't do that!" Al screams indignantly, apparently having taken my threat as real, I decided I'd just play along to teach them a lesson.
"WELL WHO'S GONNA STOP ME THEN?" I bellow, causing him to gasp, as well as Miles and my friends from Xing.
"Yeah, might be kinda hard to stop a guy that's invulnerable and can point his fingers at planets and make them explode in a matter of seconds wouldn't it?" I say as I grin, causing May to hug Alphonse's leg and whimper. As I looked around, I saw that everyone but Envy, Gluttony, and General Armstrong were shaking with fear.
"That's right, I'm not merely powerful, a more accurate summation would be that I'm power itself!" I laugh as I make the orb grow larger till it's the size of May, everyone crouching and whimpering but the same three from before.
"So, which of you, of any from this world, would dare to raise their hand against me and think you have any hope of living past the few seconds after your betrayal?" I say coldly as I raise the orb over my head, in a pose making it seem I would toss it.
"I'm the strongest, and I say the weak and detrimental to society or humanity should die, and despite what you think, who on this planet could force me to do anything less than I desire if its what I truly want?" I say with a sneer, as Buccaneer pulls Randall and Katherine behind him to shield his comrades.
"You're right, you are the strongest here, and no one could possibly stop you, not even the Father guy, so it is all up to you; question is, can you really live with the guilt if you walk that path?" General Armstrong asks firmly, causing me to look at her with an intense stare.
Olivia Mira Armstrong
After posing my question, and showing I did not fear him, I would have my answer, even though he was an extraterrestrial, I still knew he was a perfect specimen of physical prowess, now I just had to know what he was like inside.
"So you would all defy me, including you Alphonse, even though it doesn't matter how many of you attack, you wouldn't give up, you'd fight me to the bitter end no matter how hopeless it was?" Edward asks solemnly, as I looks around at everyone, their faces hardening as they prepared to brace themselves, myself included as I reached for my sword handle.
Then, Edward began to chuckle lightly.
"That's all I needed to know, thanks, it proves how loyal you all are to justice" he says with a sigh as the orb on his finger shrinks and vanishes with a hollow fizzle.
This was all I needed, I couldn't deny things anymore, Edward was indeed a prime candidate for being the only man in the world worthy of me, not only was he forceful and strong, but he also had loyalty and a good sense of wrong and right, he was virtually perfect! I'd have to get him alone sometime in the near future and talk to him privately.
"Alright, I think I've put you all through enough, lets go have some food, I'm starving!" Edward shouts, his stomach rumbling loudly as he spoke.
"Then allow me to get the cooks on the job, a man…excuse me, a Saiyan like you, needs a good meal to keep his energy up, how much do you need?" I chuckle, admiring his humor.
"I'd estimate 50 to 60-"
"Got it, 50 to 60 calories worth, I'll notify the chefs and they'll begin preparing your meal right away" I say as I motion for everyone to head to the door so we can go back to the base above.
"I wasn't done Mira, 50 to 60,000 calories, maybe more, I have a tremendous energy level to sustain, this body is Ki powered, its gonna require tons of food" Edward continues, causing me to drop my sword in shock.
"Well, then you'll have to buy your meals, even my soldiers only get 3 free meals a day from the cafeteria" I say coldly, causing him to stomp his foot.
"Hey, I'll help cook my meals, I'll even synthesize all the different kinds of matter needed to make the foods for my meals, but I'm not paying money for the junk they serve here. Besides, with a metabolism like mine, I'd go broke paying for each dish" he says angrily, as I gave him an intense, "no way in hell" look.
But as I saw he wasn't backing down, I sighed, it just wasn't really conceivable to fight him, he'd win no matter what, he'd already proven that earlier.
"Well, can you at least offer us some kind of service in exchange for your meals? Its only fair, after all, you'll still have to use our kitchens to prepare your mea…oh right, no you don't, you could just use your super alchemy to make one from scratch, and use yourself to energize or fuel all the devices" I say as I catch myself then correct my statement.
"No wait, you're right, I should help out around here while we stay, we all should, but first we eat" Edward says cheerfully as he heads toward the door then walks out.
"He's an interesting fellow isn't he General?" Randall remarks as we begin to pile out and up the ladder.
"Yes…he most certainly is" I reply back with a subtle hint of respect and admiration as I catch up to Edward who'd begun to open the panel that led back to the basement. Following him swiftly, we began to climb out and head for the elevator, which Envy and Miles did not take due to the homunculus's weight.
1 Hour Later
Buccaneer
As Edward kept transforming scrap metal from around the base into food, then shoveling it down as soon as he finished heating the foods he'd just created, ranging from far eastern dishes, to just stacks of sirloin and other meats, we all watched in a mixture of disgust and amazement; his appetite was more alien than he was.
"So…do all Saiyans-"
"Eat on this scale? Yeah, pretty much; the more powerful you are, the more food you need. Some of its psychological, but yes, we really do need to eat like this to stay alive" Edward says as he interrupts me, then uses one hand to keep the homunculus known as Gluttony away, while he uses his other to continue creating, heating, and shoveling food into his gaping maw.
"Hey, I'm one of you now too, when do I get to eat? I haven't even had lunch" Ling moans pathetically.
"Relax, I'll feed you later at the mess hall during mandated chow time when I'm not so hungry, otherwise I'll just eat all the stuff I transmute" Edward chastises, causing Ling to relax.
"How come the funny man gets to eat, I'm starving!" Gluttony whines as he's forced back again after another futile attempt at grabbing a morsel.
"Unlike you, Ling isn't functionally immortal, your hunger is mostly psychological, you won't die if you go without food a few days, now stop trying to eat mine, I need this to stay strong, you don't!" Edward snaps as he slaps away the fat creature's hand for the umpteenth time, causing the man to whimper and suck his finger.
"Hey sir, what do you think of this?" I ask as I turn to face General Armstrong, realizing after a moment that she had left the room. Scratching my head, I noticed that Miles was gone, and figured they must have had a military matter to discuss that didn't concern me too much, so I returned to observing Edward eat like a starving army that had been rescued would along side my friends and his.
Olivia Mira Armstrong
After having Miles come with me, rather, after I'd ordered Miles to do so with a stern face, we arrived at the basement. Once down there and on a catwalk, I noticed Miles eyeing me with suspicion.
"Is there any particular reason why we are here sir?" Miles ask with confusion in his voice. I snarled, hoping he'd know when to curb his questions.
"Are you questioning my order Miles?" I say with a harsh voice.
"No sir, its just…I'm just wondering what is going on" Miles asks nervously.
"I want to ask you a question Miles. What do you think of Edward Elric?" I state seriously, causing Miles to take off his goggles and close his eyes. I could tell he was about to say something profound or personal now, he always kept his eyes off unless the discussion was important.
"What do you mean sir?" Miles ask me as he opens his eyes, their red gaze piercing and demanding an answer.
"His power…it's amazing, more than amazing even, its almost divine in scale" I say With this Miles looked visibly shocked, as he fully absorbed the weight of my comment.
"Edward could destroy our entire world with just a flick of the wrist, and that's not even but a fraction of his might, yet he chooses to ally himself with us to save it; doesn't that seem strange to you?" I remark, hoping he'd penetrate my small talk and realize the true focus of my speech I'd wanted to discuss.
"No sir, I believe that Edward is choosing his country over his own wants or desires. He has even converted more than half of the Homunculi to our side; he seems to know what he is doing" Miles says as he faces me, his eyes aligning with mine.
"Or…is it that you are afraid of his power, that you fear him?" he asks with a gentle mock. With those words I became angered, and drew my sword, placing the blade to his throat harshly.
"Do you seriously think that I would have any fear?" I scold as the blade nears to cutting his flesh. "I, the queen of this fortress, will not fear anything as long as I have a country to protect!" I state proudly, hoping he'd see past my façade, and catch on at last. Looking into my eyes, he laughed proudly, having a glint in his eyes as he smiled.
"That's my leader, she always knows what to do, and what to discuss" he says with pride in my voice. I smiled back, and sighed, my cheer disappearing as soon as it had formed.
"Ok, I'll be honest with you Miles, I…I' am scared of him, but its not because he's an alien that could kill us all, I know he'd never do that" I say timidly, apprehensive of mentioning the next part, even though I knew this was Miles, my most stoic and trusted friend, the only one in this base that not only hid secrets about himself, but one of mine too, and he'd never revealed it to anyone, so I figured this new one wouldn't be too hard for him to keep under wraps, best if I confess to someone, do it to my best Major.
"Then why, what makes you fear Edward if not the thing you should fear most? You know, the part where he'd rip you in half like a sheet of paper if he lost it" Miles deadpans.
"Because I…(gulp) I think I' am attracted to him, and maybe more than that" I say timidly, causing the major's eyes to widen as his jaw drops for a moment, however he quickly recomposed himself and cleared his throat.
"Sir…are you joking or is this serious? I need to know, you've made cracks along those lines before, and you must remember, he's not even technically a man, he's a Saiyan" Miles reiterates, as he stares at me intensely.
"Miles, that's precisely why I'm attracted to him so damn much; he's everything I'd want in a man, looks, power, confidence, cunning, intelligence, manners, thoughtfulness, the ability to be serious when the chips are down, yet a good light sense of humor when needed too; all that but he isn't a man. Don't you see? Someone who is not a man at all is the perfect man for me. There may be only one human who can compare, but he's been too chicken to ask, and he's not powerful enough to make me want to beg him to make a move. Edward however, he's probably not even thinking about women right now, so I have to give him a nudge, not to mention how I'm both much older and a commanding officer who could be charged with misuse of my authority if I did something he doesn't like" I reply, causing Miles to just stare at me in shock, apparently he didn't realize I'd put this much thought into this.
"That still doesn't explain why you fear him sir" Miles deadpans. I sighed and prepared to tell him a dark secret.
"I fear him because…I've never felt rejection before, and there is a sure possibility that he might not be interested in a mere mortal such as me, so I'm afraid he'll hurt my heart" I reply, hoping I didn't sound all pathetic to my best Major. For several minutes, there was nothing but visible silence between us, Miles clearly shocked at this revelation I'd confided in him. Finally, I heard him sigh, as he prepared to say something.
"Well, sir, if I might offer my opinion, I think that you should-"
(Rumble rumble)
Before he could say anything else, the ground began to quake violently, threatening to send us to our feet even up here on the catwalk.
"Soldiers, what's going on down there!" I shout, hoping there would be an answer.
"We're not sure sir, it might be one of those rare tectonic plate movements that happen every few million years, but the thing is, it feels like its coming from right beneath us and-WHOA!" a soldier beneath us screams, as the ground beneath him explodes, a hole appearing as the ground left around it caves in.
"Ugh, what…a pain!" a deep slow voice grumbles as a huge silhouetted figure crawls from the hole. As the smoke cleared, a giant man like beast, with huge hulking muscles became visible, with remnants of huge shackles and their chains around his wrists, the links clanking as he stood to his full height.
"What the, what the hell is that thing?" workers beneath us shout as it stands up, towering like one of the bears that live around here. Staring in disbelief, I remembered that this creature resembled one of the brother's Envy had mentioned, it must be a homunculus, one of the bad ones. A moment later, I saw the remaining smoke behind him displace for a moment, and another moment later, I thought I felt the air beside me move for a moment, as if something had run past. I quickly dismissed it, and resumed watching the creature.
Edward Elric
I was about to enjoy some fried rice balls stuffed with bean paste and pork inside, until the ground rattled, and my various foods splattered into Gluttony's face, who promptly sucked them all down. Upon sensing the arrival a new entity in the basement, I snarled and knew what was going on.
"(Growl) My food…he ruined my food…-" I snarl, as my aura begins to steam off me, the others gasping softly.
"Brother, just calm down, that could have been an accident, sometimes there's avalanches, and rockslides, or maybe it was one of those rare tectonic plate movements" Alphonse says in an attempt to calm me down.
"We can sense it too Al, its no use trying to dress it with a pink ribbon, one of them is here, we best just give him room" Ling says solemnly as I feel him take a step back toward the other side of the room.
"Three…two…one-" Envy counts down, as he accurately portrays my anger reaching its critical point.
"AAAAHHHHH! SLOTH, HE RUINED MY MEAL, I'M GONNA KILL THAT BASTARD!" I bellow, as I prepare to teleport, grabbing Alphonse by the arm. An instant later, we vanished, and reappeared right before the creature in question.
"Ahh! That's Sloth? He's like one of the Briggs Bears!" Al shouts, quickly regaining his composure.
"Sloth, you're dead meat unless you apologize for wrecking my meal, thanks to your little tunnel digging, Gluttony got the food I was eating!" I bellow, causing the creature to look at us for a moment, and then…he dozed off!
Feeling my forehead vein pulse, me and Al stared in disbelief.
"You're sleepiiiiiing?" we bellow, unable to believe this, I knew he was lazy, but I'd hoped the real sloth would be more impressive, this was absurd. Even worse, despite having screamed, he still slept!
"Alright, fine, sleep if you want, you'll wake up after I've sent you to your eternal rest!" I bellow as I rush him and prepare to smite him where he stood.
However, before I was within 10 feet, I felt myself struck in the chest, and was sent flying to the opposing wall with great force, not enough to cause harm, but enough that in my currently lowered power state it stung.
"BROTHER!" Al shouts with alarm.
"I'm ok Al, I'm just surprised at how fast Sloth is, I knew he'd be quick, but I never imagined this quick!" I shout back as I float back into an upright position.
"Brother, that blow didn't come from Sloth, he's still asleep" Al says worriedly, causing my eyes to widen.
"What?" I reply as I float back over and look at the hulking brute, who true to Al's word, hadn't move an inch, his nose bubble was still there as proof.
"But then…if Sloth didn't hit me, what could possibly have-"
"Comrade Sloth! Vy bolʹshoĭ tupoĭ lenivyĭ durak! (translated from Drachmenian/Russian: You big dumb lazy fool!)" a female Drachmenian accent shouts with rapid speed as a loud slap resounds off Sloth's back. With a shock, he slowly awoke and moaned in pain.
"Ow…pain is such a pain…why couldn't you let me sleep?" Sloth groans as he turns his head to look behind him.
"Huh? Who are you talking to?" I shout, as I try to refocus my senses, as I could not see anything behind him.
"That would be me not-Elric impersonator" the female voice shouts like a recording on fast forward, as another being appears.
Before I could say another word, I saw this newcomer…and my jaw dropped in absolute shock.