Disclaimer: I don't own Full Metal Alchemist or the characters.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Conspiracy
Fullmetal Alchemist quote:
"A lesson without pain is meaningless, that's because no one can give without sacrificing something. By enduring that pain and overcoming it, he shall obtain a powerful unmatched heart, a fullmetal heart."- Edward Elric
"Talking"
Thoughts
Chapter 11: Shot
Edward sat in his hospital room annoyed. He was staring at the wall, waiting for his commanding officer to come and speak with him. The young alchemist was fidgeting from boredom as he continued to wait for Mustang. Hospitals were so boring.
The doctors put an IV in his arm and had to give him a blood infusion since he lost so much blood after being shot. A few of his ribs were fractured from the bullet.
The young alchemist glared at the IV. He hated needles and having one in his arm was annoying him. He wished he could just take it out.
It was three days ago when he was dragged back into the hospital by Hughes, Hawkeye, and Havoc. After that Hughes told him that Mustang would probably come speak with him soon and left. Havoc and Hawkeye stayed at the hospital as Ed's guard every other day. On the other days Second Lieutenant Maria Ross and her partner, Sergeant Denny were his guards. They stayed outside the room and stood beside the door unless he allowed them in his room. He kept trying to tell him he didn't need guards, but they refused to leave. Stupid jerks not listening to their superior.
Al came and visited everyday for a few hours. He had yet to come visit today so Ed was really bored.
The young alchemist let his mind wonder to a few days ago when he left the hospital earlier that week.
Isaac smirked. "If you join the resistance, you won't have to be in the military any longer. They won't find you if you join us. So, what do say, want to join us?"
Edward looked uneasily at the hand that Isaac extended towards him. After thinking for a few minutes, Ed hesitantly raised his right hand towards Isaac's. His hand stopped a few inches from Isaac's.
"Come on, kid. We'll help you get out of the military. Your brother and you will be safe from the military if you join us. You won't have to be a state alchemist and use your alchemy for killing." Isaac persuaded.
Ed bit his lip and moved his hand closer to Isaac's.
Isaac smirked at the young boy. "That's right. You'll be free of the military. The military is corrupt, kid. More corrupt then you will ever realize." The older alchemist frowned and stopped trying to win Ed over. He looked behind Edward and growled.
The sudden change in attitude woke Ed up from his thinking and he pulled his hand back as he took a few steps away from Isaac.
"Major Elric!" A voice yelled at Ed.
The young alchemist whipped around in surprise. He saw a few lower rank officers running towards him with their guns raised. Since he was so focused on the soldiers running towards him, Edward didn't noticed the arm that wrapped around his neck until it started to choke him.
"Kid, you're going to help me out of here." Isaac growled in his ear. "I can't be caught again."
Edward grabbed Isaac's arm and tried to pull it off. "I shouldn't help you with anything. Escape on your own."
"If I try to escape on my own I will do it by killing the officers to escape. So either help me escape by being a hostage so I won't kill the officers or I can let you go and kill all the soldiers here, including you, to escape." Isaac growled in Ed's ear.
Immediately, Edward ceased his struggling. He didn't want innocent people to die and he wasn't ready to die himself. He had a little brother he had to care for.
Isaac smirked. "Good boy."
Edward's eyes lit up in anger. "I'm not a dog." He growled.
"You're a state alchemist. You're a dog. Get use to it." Isaac replied.
The lower rank soldiers reached to the two alchemists and raised their guns at Isaac. "I wouldn't shoot if I were you." Isaac said. The click of a gun and something pushed against his skull made Edward tense up. "You shoot and I shoot him."
All the soldiers froze in their actions and looked unsure. Their guns lowered and were now pointed at the ground instead of Isaac.
Behind Isaac, the sound of a car screeching to a stop reached the ears of Ed and Isaac. Isaac turned so his back was facing the alley so the officers in the car couldn't sneak up on him. Hughes and Havoc climbed out of the car with their guns already out and pointed at Isaac. The other soldiers followed their lead and raised their guns again.
"Isaac let go of Major Elric." Havoc growled.
"You are in no position to be making orders with me." Isaac replied smugly.
Havoc and Hughes looked at each other, frowning. They kept their guns raised at Isaac, but did so anxiously.
Isaac smirked and started walking backwards into the alley, dragging Edward with him. The young alchemist struggled with the grip Isaac had on his throat, having trouble breathing. At this rate he knew he would pass out from the lack of oxygen.
"Stop struggling." Isaac told him annoyed with the fighting boy.
"Going…to….faint." Edward replied with ragged breath. "Can't…..breath."
The older alchemist grunted to show he heard what Ed said, but he didn't loosen his grip on the boy's neck.
Edward started clawing at Isaac's neck. "Bastard…..let…..go."
"You're wasting breath by trying to get me to let go." Isaac replied.
Edward opened his eyes a crack to look ahead of him. They were going deepen in the alley. No military officers were following them, probably afraid that Isaac would shoot him if they did follow.
After twenty more minutes of walking, Isaac stopped and dropped Ed to the ground. Edward fell to his hands and knees, one hand going up to his throat and rubbing it. He looked up and saw Isaac still pointing a gun at him. "Damn it. What do you want? You escaped. So why are you still pointing a gun at me?"
"You're still a state alchemist." Isaac replied.
"First you're trying to get me to join your rebellion. And now you want to kill me." Edward growled. "You need to make up your mind already."
"Back to our conversation from earlier. Are you going to join us?" Isaac asked as he prepared to fire his gun.
Edward frowned. "You're making it seem like I don't have a choice by pointing your gun at me."
"ISAAC!" An angry woman's voice yelled behind Ed. He looked behind himself to see a woman with blond hair and brown colored eyes. Her gun was pointed at Isaac. "Lower your gun."
Isaac smirked. "I don't think I will. You won't shoot me while your superior is in danger of being shot himself."
Hawkeye frowned and locked her eyes with Edward's. She saw the fear in his eyes. Despite being a state alchemist, he was still a kid and didn't want to die. "Isaac, I can't believe you would be so low as to use a child as a shield."
"I can't believe the military would be so low as to force a child to join as a state alchemist." Isaac snapped back at her.
Two pairs of feet were heard behind Isaac. Isaac looked back to see it was Hughes and Havoc, both had their guns raised. "There's nowhere for you to go, Isaac. Lower your gun now."
Isaac looked back at Edward and frowned. He smirked and pulled the trigger.
All four officers froze in shock for a few seconds when they heard the gun shot. They weren't expecting him to pull the trigger.
They broke from their shock to see Isaac using Ed's blood to draw a transmutation circle on the ground. The officers began to fire their guns at Isaac as he used the circle to make a tower that raised him off the ground. He jumped onto a roof and ran away, with his own wounds from the soldiers.
"Damn it. He got away." Hughes growled. He looked at Hawkeye who was kneeling next to Edward.
"Is he alive?" Havoc asked. He put his gun away and kneeled on Ed's other side. He pushed his fingers into Ed's neck to check for a pulse. "His pulse is very weak."
Edward opened his eyes and locked them with Hawkeye's. "M'…fine."
Hughes put his gun away and looked at the bleeding figure on the ground. "Where was he shot?"
Hawkeye ripped Ed's shirt apart to look at his chest. There was too much blood on the shirt to be able to tell without ripping his shirt. "It looks like the bullet just missed his heart."
"He won't last long if we don't get him back to the hospital." Hughes said.
Edward groaned. "No…..hospital…..M'…..fine."
The three soldiers looked at Ed exasperated. "You are most definitely not fine, chief. You were just shot and would be dead if the bullet hit just a little more to the left." Havoc growled. He picked the young bloody boy up and started to leave the alley with his comrades following him.
All the officers stayed at the hospital until he was out of surgery. When he was said to be stable, Hughes left to go inform Mustang what happened while Hawkeye and Havoc stayed to guard Edward.
"What do you mean he is back in the hospital? He was supposed to be released from the hospital today. You and Havoc were going to be picking him up today." Mustang replied.
"Well, Major Elric was impatient and left before we got there. We found him being held hostage by Isaac so he could escape. Isaac shot Major Elric, just missing his heart by an inch, and ran." Hughes explained. "The doctors said he is still in danger of dying so he has to stay at the hospital."
Mustang sighed and rubbed his eyes. "The kid hasn't been in the military that long and he is already near death."
"You're going to go speak with him?" Hughes asked. He leaned back in his sit on the leather couch as he looked at Mustang, sitting at his desk.
"Later this week when he is stronger and I have free time." Mustang replied. "I can already tell that having this kid under my command will be hell. Have you informed Fullmetal's brother?"
Hughes nodded his head grimly. "While Major Elric was in surgery I called him. He didn't take it well. I had to send an officer to his apartment because the kid fainted and hit his head pretty hard on the ground. The officer brought him to the hospital to have his head checked."
Mustang sighed. "Is he okay?"
"Yeah. He should be." Hughes replied. "He just has to stay at the hospital for a day. He can go home tomorrow."
"Both of them are going to be trouble for us and only one of them is in the military. Feels like both are in the military." Mustang replied. "Who is guarding Fullmetal?"
"First Lieutenant Hawkeye and Second Lieutenant Havoc." Hughes said.
Mustang nodded his head. "Pick a pair of soldiers you trust greatly to guard Fullmetal every other day. That way the other pair of soldiers can come to the office and catch up on work and not have to guard every day."
"I got two soldiers I can trust. I'll go inform them now." Hughes replied.
Edward looked up as the door to his hospital room opened. He was hoping it was his brother. Al always snuck in food for him since the hospital food sucks. His hope vanished when he saw it was Mustang.
The Colonel closed the door and stood at the end of the bed, staring at Ed. "Are you okay?" Was the first thing out of Mustang's mouth.
Blinking in surprise, Edward nodded his head. "Yeah."
Mustang raised a brow. "You sure?"
"The doctors have me on a lot of medications so there is no pain. I'm fine." Edward replied, starting to get annoyed. "Why are you here?"
"You are in my charge. It's part of my job to make sure my subordinates are okay and healthy. Can't have you collapsing from sickness or injuries." Mustang replied.
Edward crossed his arms, wincing as he hit his wound. "Well as you can see and from what I said, I'm fine. You can leave now."
Mustang shook his head and crossed his arms. "What were thinking? I told you to wait at the hospital for an escort to bring you back to Central Command. Why didn't you wait?"
"I hate hospitals and have better things to do then wait for an escort." Ed growled. His gold eyes narrowed in annoyance.
"Yes and that worked out well. You ended up back in the hospital even longer." Mustang replied. "You could have been killed. From what the doctors told me you died a few times during the surgery. If you just waited for the escort you wouldn't be stuck here."
Edward growled. "I don't need officers to protect me. I can take care of myself. I don't need anyone's help."
Mustang narrowed his eyes. "Obviously you do since you were shot and nearly died."
The young alchemist leaned back in his bed. "I was caught by surprise. I didn't know Isaac escaped."
"I set you an escort because Isaac escaped. If he hadn't escaped I wouldn't have bothered with an escort because soldiers have better things to do then pick a kid up from a hospital." Mustang replied.
"You could have told me Isaac escaped when you told me about the escort." Edward growled.
"That wouldn't have stopped you from leaving without an escort." Mustang said.
Edward sighed and looked at the door. "Fine. Maybe you're right. I find escorts and guards annoying. Can you get rid of the guards for me? I don't need them."
"Yes you do. Isaac tried to kill you and he might try again." Mustang replied. "The guards are here to keep you safe."
"Isaac hasn't been caught yet?" Edward asked.
Mustang shook his head. "No. He escaped after he shot you. Apparently he used your blood to draw an array on the ground to escape. He must have shot you to be able to escape." Mustang sighed and moved towards the window. He looked down at the ground to see all the people moving about in their daily lives. "Why didn't you stop him? All you have to do is clap your hands to use alchemy. You could have easily escaped and captured him."
The young alchemist clenched his fist and looked at his blankets. "He had a gun to my head and I got scared. I panicked and wasn't thinking straight, okay? I forgot about alchemy. I've never been in a situation like that." Edward said quietly.
Mustang sat on the window ledge and looked at Edward. He was quiet for a few minutes. "You were trained in alchemy and hand-to-hand combat right?"
Edward nodded his head. "I'm used to fighting in a fair fight. But when he started choking me to take me as a hostage to escape my mind went blank. I'm not used to that kind of situation. He also said that he would kill the officers if I didn't be his hostage."
"So you allowed it to save the officers around you?" Mustang asked and Edward nodded his head. "Protect those below you. That's what I do. I make it my job to protect all those below me."
"Mustang…."
Mustang stood up and walked towards the door. "There's one more skill I want you to have, Fullmetal. In case something happens and you can't do alchemy fast, like you lose one of arms." Edward gripped his automail arm. "If your arm is ever destroyed. When you get out of the hospital, I'm going to have Hawkeye teach you how to use a gun, then I want you to always carry that gun with you. Never go anywhere without it. It might save your life one day."
"A g-gun?" Edward asked nervously.
"Do you have a problem with guns, Fullmetal?" Mustang asked.
"They are used to kill." Edward replied.
Mustang turned back around to face his young charge. "You said you've killed before."
Edward looked down and clenched his eyes shut as he willed the memory away.
"Fullmetal?" Mustang moved towards Edward and put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"
The young alchemist bit his lip and blinked his eyes a few times to get the memory to leave his eyes. "Yeah."
Mustang's grip on Ed's shoulder tightened. "Tell me what happened the day you killed. It will help if you talk about it."
Edward nodded his head. "It was five years ago a little before we met Teacher. Al was sick and I was taking care of him." Edward stopped and looked up at Mustang. "Please keep what I'm going to say from Al. He doesn't know this happened."
"I promise not to tell Alphonse." Mustang said.
"I was in the kitchen making soup for Al when it happened. It was storming really hard that night so when the door was slammed open I thought it was just from the wind. So I put down the knife I had in my hand and went to close the door. After I locked it closed, I went upstairs to check on Al. He was still sleeping so I went back downstairs to finish making the soup. When I got to the kitchen I saw a man standing there, holding a gun. He had the gun pointed at me. I got scared and just stood there. If I made even the slightest move I knew he would shoot me." Edward explained. He stopped to take a few breaths to calm himself down. He would not get worked up over this. He wouldn't.
Mustang nodded his head. "What happened next?"
"He started advancing on me. I took a step back scared and he shot my arm. I screamed in pain and grabbed my arm. Taking my chance since I already got shot I looked at the counter and saw the knife I was using to make the soup for Al. I took a chance and lunged towards the counter and grabbed the knife. The man shot me again, this time in the leg. I screamed in pain again, but forced myself to forget it. I sat on the ground and stared up at the man as he stood over me. He had his gun pointed at my heart. He was going to kill me then probably go for my brother. That thought passed through my mind and I took a chance, knowing I had to protect my brother. I pushed myself away from the man. The pain from my wounds made it hard, but I had to do it to protect my brother. Not having much time, I threw the knife at the man. It hit his hand making him drop his gun. He grabbed his hand in pain and I lay on the ground from pain, watching him. I was hoping he would just leave after that." The young alchemist stopped again and turned to stay out the window.
Mustang crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "But he didn't leave?"
Edward shook his head. "No. I saw him look at the gun then at me. I glared at him and at the same time we lunged for the gun. Luck was on my side as I got the gun first. I didn't have time to think with the man right in front of me. I knew he would try to get the gun from me and kill me. I shot the gun five times from fear. Since he was standing right in front of me at the time, all the bullets hit him. Two bullets hit his heart, one in his neck, one in his stomach, and the last one hit his lung. He died instantly."
"What did you do after that?" Mustang asked.
"I laid on the ground for a while from pain. I eventually got the courage to move. It was extremely painful but I reached the phone and called my neighbor. She was a doctor. Granny Pinako called a few men from the village to come to my house. They took the body away and after it stopped raining, they burned the body to leave no trace behind. They threw the gun away. Granny Pinako fixed me up." Edward explained.
"What did you guys say to Al?" Mustang asked.
Edward took a few breaths. "We lied. We told him that Granny Pinako came to take care of us cause I got sick to. He never knew that I got shot. He and Winry don't know any of this."
"Winry?"
"She's our best friend and my mechanic." Edward explained.
Mustang nodded his head. "You guys covered it up. Why? You wouldn't have gotten in trouble. It was self-defense."
"Al and Winry would have found out otherwise. I didn't want that. They would never look at me the same way. They would have been scared. Scared of me. Scared that it might happen again." Edward explained.
"You don't like guns because the first time you touched a gun you killed." Mustang said. "Guns aren't always used to kill. They can be used to protect, to save lives. I want you to learn. If you know how to use a gun then you will be able to stop from killing. You know the body, where all the vital organs are. If you learn how to use a gun then you can aim so you won't hit there."
Edward nodded his head. "Do I have to?"
"Yes. It will save you one day." Mustang replied. "I'm going to tell Hawkeye what you told me so she knows when she is training you. It for the best."
"Okay." Edward replied.
"I have to get back to work." Mustang said. He gave Ed one more look before leaving.
Edward bit his lip and stared at the blankets. The past was the past. It was time to move on.
A/N: Please Review!