Fullmetal Alchemist Conspiracy

by Fallen Crest

Al refuses to help his brother with the Human Transmutation. A year later, they leave Resembool to go to Central. There, they discovery a conspiracy theory to destroy the military and get dragged headlong into it. Can they get out of this alive?

15. Chapter 15: Challenge

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: I'm so annoyed right now. I was going to go see a movie this weekend with my dad and brother, but nooo. It figures the movie I want to see is not playing in any theaters in my area. Go figure. I don't even know why I am updating this right now with this frustration.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Conspiracy

Fullmetal Alchemist quote:

"Alphonse, no. No, dammit. You won't take him too. Give him back! He's my brother! Take my leg. Take my arm! Take my heart, ANYTHING, YOU CAN HAVE IT! Just give him back! HE'S MY LITTLE BROTHER, HE'S ALL I HAVE LEFT!"- Edward Elric

"Talking"

Thoughts

Chapter 15: Challenge

Edward muttered 'stop it' and swatted at whatever was trying to disturb his sleep.

Al, who was kneeling in front of his brother, laughed and poked his brother again. It was always fun to wake his brother up in ways that annoyed him. His reactions were always amusing to watch. One time his brother clapped his hands and transmuted his blanket into a blanket demon and threw it at him so he could continue to sleep, but he ended up freezing and woke up anyway.

Grinning, Al whacked his brother hard in the stomach. His brother shot up from his seat, wide eyed and turning his head all over the place as if trying to figure out what is going on. His eyes stopped on Al and he raised a brow.

"We're in Akran. I thought you would like to know so you could get to work on your mission, but before you could know that you needed to wake up. I was just being thoughtful." Al told him innocently.

"Merciful Knight, why are you so mean to your older brother? I thought you loved me." Edward said dramatically as he fell back onto his seat with one hand covering his stomach and the other hanging limping over the edge of the seat. His eyes were closed halfway.

Al laughed. "Stop being so dramatic, Fullmetal."

Laughing, Edward sat back up and clapped a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Well, Merciful Knight, we have a job to get to."

Al knocked his brother's hand away and reached under the bench to get his suitcase. "You mean you have a job to get to. I'm just here because I'm traveling with my older brother because he is my unofficial guardian and is supposed to watch me."

Edward rolled his eyes. "Stop trying to act all innocent. I'm your older brother, as you just said, so I know the true you."

Al smirked evilly. "You may, but no one else does, not even Winry."

"Yeah, you're an evil demon in disguise and I am the only one who has seen your evil side because you want to torture me but make it so no one else knows so they can't stop you." Edward swung his flesh arm around Al's shoulders and turned his head to smirk at Al.

"And no one shall ever figure my evil plan out!" Al declared, pushing his brother's arm away and running off into the crowd.

The smirk slipped off Ed's face faster than a bullet. "AL! Come back! You shouldn't run off in a crowded place like this!" The young state alchemist yelled, pushing through the crowd trying to catch up with his brother.

Al slowed down to allow his brother time to catch up to him.

Edward smacked the back of Al's head when he caught up with him. "Don't run away from me in a place this crowded. I don't want to lose you in an unknown place."

"I can take care of myself, brother." Al replied, rubbing the back of his head.

Edward shook his head. "I know you can. It's not a matter of that. We aren't invincible, Al. That's been proven already by me ending up in the hospital a couple weeks ago. We are still kids and aren't masters in alchemy or fighting yet. It's dangerous for kids to be running around, even if we are alchemists and have been trained. They will always be someone who is better than you."

"Sorry, brother. I know that, but I guess I was just having fun and didn't think about the trouble I could get myself in." Al replied.

Edward shrugged. "Now, where are those military guys?"

"Just look for the blue suits." Al replied.

Edward looked at Al blandly.

"Right, sorry, you already knew that." Al said, laughing lightly. "So, what's the problem?"

"Do you not see all the freakishly tall people around us?" Edward said, waving his arms all over the place.

Al chuckled. "Then let's move."

Edward and Alphonse moved over to a wall of the train station. They climbed onto the bench there so they could look around for the uniforms. Ed shielded his eyes from the sun with his hand. He looked at everyone, his eyes rested on a few people once so he could get a better look at them.

Two men really stood out in Ed's eyes. The first had long black hair tied in ponytail. On his right arm was a gauntlet with a familiar array on it. He was wearing a tan cloak and was staring at the Elric brothers. The second man was approaching the first man. He had dark blue eyes that made you feel like he was looking into your soul, short spiky black hair with the tips dyed red, and looked to be in his early twenties. Under his tan cloak was a gun in a holster and Ed could see a knife in a sheath strapped to his arm.

"I see a man over there." Al said, oblivious to the two men.

Edward moved one eye to where Al was pointing, but kept his other eye trained on the two men. He saw a man waiting by the entrance/exit to the train station. "Let's go then." He said hurriedly, already running towards the man. It wasn't safe to get into a fight with those two here, not with all these people around.

As they approached the man, Edward saw that he was a First Lieutenant. He had dull brown eyes that looked like they've seen a lot of horrors and short dark brown hair. "First Lieutenant." Edward said when he and his brother reached the man. "I suppose you are the man I am supposed to meet."

The First Lieutenant blinked. "What? What are you talking about, kid? I'm not here for you."

Smirking, Edward pulled out his watch and shook it in his hand. "Are you sure about that, Lieutenant?"

The Lieutenant stared in shock at the watch. "It's not possible. You're a kid."

"I'm Fullmetal." Edward said as he put his watch back.

Realization shined in the Lieutenant's eyes. "I remember now. A twelve year old boy passed the State Alchemist exam. Why did they send you though and who is he?" He motioned to Al, who was standing a few feet behind his brother.

"They sent me because I'm a state alchemist who is here to help you and you are not to question it." Edward snapped, narrowing his eyes at the man. He knew the ranks and he knew he was a higher rank then the man. The man shouldn't be questioning the orders of the higher ups.

"Sorry sir." The Lieutenant saluted briskly.

"And this," Ed motioned to his brother, "is Al. He's my little brother and works with me on some of my missions. I expect you to show the same respect to him as you do to me, understand?"

"Yes sir!"

Edward nodded his head. "What is your name, Lieutenant?"

"First Lieutenant Kyran Cluke." Kyran replied immediately.

Edward nodded his head and looked behind him again. He still saw Isaac watching him and his brother and that the second man has disappeared. "Major Edward Elric and my brother, Alphonse Elric. Where are the rest of the officers and the mechanics?"

"I am to lead you to them. So if you would follow me, sirs."

Edward kept his eyes locked with Isaac's as he walked out of the train station with his brother and the Lieutenant. Isaac narrowed his eyes at him and moved the side of his cloak aside to reveal a gun. He was challenging him! That….that…oh, Edward was going to make him pay the next time they met. No one dared to challenge him to a fight…to death, that's what Edward thought the sign meant, and got away from it.

"Brother, is something wrong?" Al asked when he noticed his brother not paying attention to what was in front of him.

"No, nothing, Al." Edward answered, looking at his brother with an easy and convincing fake smile.

Lieutenant Cluke looked over his shoulder at the two kids who were smiling and talking easily about alchemy like they were masters on the subject, which they probably were if the twelve year old passed the State Alchemist exam. The younger of the two, Al was his name Cluke believed, smiled brightly and made some motions with his arms as he talked about something called a transmutation circle and its design. Did those kids really get that excited over alchemy? He, personally, did not understand a word of what the boys were saying.

The Lieutenant led the boys down a back alley, around corners, and through all the back alleys. He noticed the boys frowning now at the thought of walking through alleys, probably because they were with a stranger, and were more alert than they were in the open. The major's shoulders were tensed and he narrowed his eyes. Al kept his eyes moving around, watching everything.

"You can relax. Nothing is going to jump out at you back here." Lieutenant Cluke told them.

"Like I'm about to trust someone we just met." Edward snapped, crossing his arms stubbornly.

Al sighed. "Sorry about my brother, Lieutenant. We just don't trust easily." He looked at his brother. "That's how you say it nicely, brother."

Ed stuck his tongue out at his brother. "You know that I'm not nice, Allie-kins."

Al blushed and hit his brother's arm. "Don't call me that, jerk."

"Don't call me a jerk." Ed replied snappishly.

"Don't call me Allie-kins. It sounds girly." Al retorted sharply.

Edward grinned wickedly. "I finally found something that annoys you. It took so long, Allie-kins."

Al frowned. He crossed his arms and stuck his lower lip out. "You're so mean, Eddie."

"Don't call me Eddie." Edward growled. "I hate that name. It's Edward or Ed."

"What about brother?" Al asked, raising a brow.

"Only you." Edward replied, grinning.

"I would hope so. Otherwise I would have another sibling that I never knew about." Al said, looking around the alley. He noticed the shadows beginning to move around them. "Who's there?"

Lieutenant Cluke raised a brow in surprise. These boys were much more alert than he expected kids their age to be. Most kids their age didn't pay attention to their surroundings, which was why they were kidnapped so easily. "You two can relax. It's just the rest of the officers and the mechanics you are going to travel with."

"Lieutenant Cluke, who are these kids? You were supposed to bring back a state alchemist to travel with us." A voice barked from the shadows.

Lieutenant Cluke reacted instantly. His feet snapped together and a hand flew to his forehead in a salute. "Lieutenant Colonel Myers, sir."

A man with short blond hair and deep dark green eyes that made you feel like you are falling through an abyss stepped out of the shadows. "At ease." His tone was harsh and one that barked no room for argument. "Who are they?"

"As hard as it may be to believe, sir, he," Cluke pointed to Edward, "is the state alchemist that was sent to help us. He is Major Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist and the other," He nodded to Al, "is Alphonse Elric, his younger brother."

"A kid? They sent kids to help us?" Myers growled, looking at the Elric brothers in disbelief, hatred, and distrust. "You may have been able to become a state alchemist with your knowledge of alchemy, but I doubt you can handle yourself in a fight which is what we needed a real State Alchemist for."

Edward glared at him, while Al smacked his face and ran his hand down his face. Why did everyone know just the right buttons to push to piss his brother off? Then again, it wasn't that hard to know which buttons to push. His brother was easily aggravated.

But his brother surprised him this time.

"You shouldn't talk like that about someone you don't know." Edward replied calmly, but with a hint of annoyance in his tone. "So, we're supposed to travel with you to East City because you are afraid of the Eastern Liberation Front attacking you guys? You don't really seem like a guy to ask for help, Lieutenant Colonel."

"I'm not, but they have been threats made by terrorists to attack us while we are traveling so the higher ups ordered this, not me." Myers replied, still glaring at the brothers.

Edward shrugged. "On your command, sir, we can leave whenever." He said annoyed. He knew he could only get away with disrespecting Mustang. All other higher ups would lecture him and possibly court-martial him for it.

Myers narrowed his eyes. "I still don't like this." He turned around and walked through the crowd of mechanics and officers that had come out of the shadows after the Lieutenant Colonel.

"I don't like him." Edward muttered to his brother.

"He does seem a little…..but he's a military man. It's expected." Al replied. "At least I don't have to deal with him and call him sir."

Edward whacked his brother's head. "Don't mock."

"You'll get used to him." Cluke told them.

"Just be happy you're only here for one mission. Try having to work with him every day. He's ruthless." A woman with the stars to show that she is a captain said. She had long amber hair in a ponytail and bright, round green eyes. "Captain Laura Sellick and that man as you know is Lieutenant Colonel Romulus Myers."

Al smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Captain."

Edward looked at the mechanics that were waiting for the order that they were leaving. "Captain, tell me why we are escorting mechanics to East City. There has to be some special reason why the military is escorting them. So, what is it?"

The Captain looked at him surprised. "Weren't you told before you came?"

Al laughed while Edward grinned abashedly at the officers. "Brother and his commanding officer don't really get along and the office was in chaos when brother got his mission so the Colonel never really explained the mission to him." He looked at Ed, who was grinning evilly. "That was your fault. You really need to stop torturing the lower ranking officers. They might become a higher rank than you some day and get back at you for all it."

Edward shrugged. "I'll take the challenge then. So, Captain?"

Captain Sellick looked at Lieutenant Cluke, who shrugged in a 'just tell them' way. "Well, these mechanics develop weapons, some of the most advanced weapons I have ever seen. These weapons could kill hundreds at a time. There are some who would use these weapons for evil purposes. They need the help of the mechanics to build the weapons and figure out how to use them. They would probably also want them to build new, more powerful and dangerous weapons for them. These mechanics are the most advanced in their field and are being transferred to East City to continue their research and work there. It got too dangerous where they were before."

"Where were they before?" Edward asked.

The Captain frowned. "I'm not sure if I'm allowed to tell you that."

Edward raised a brow. "Really, Captain, you can't tell a higher ranking soldier information that you know. I just want to know where they were working before."

"A lab in North City." Laura said hesitantly.

"North City, that's near Briggs which is where the border of Drachma is." Al said, frowning. He looked at his brother with worried eyes. "I heard that the tension between Amestris and Drachma has steadily been rising for years. Do you think they've crossed the border finally?"

"That or the Amestris soldiers crossed the border. Or terrorists are acting up in North City too. What I don't get is why the military is sending its most skilled mechanics to East City where they have been a lot of terrorists' activity." Edward replied, looking at the officers with a questioning look.

The Captain and Lieutenant shrugged, but it was the Second Lieutenant who answered. "Even we don't know the answer to that. We are just doing what we were told. By the way, I'm Second Lieutenant Kai Hanks." His orange hair was cut short and his crystal blue eyes shined with a carefree and fun twinkle.

"Where were you guys stationed before given this mission?"Al asked curiously.

"Northern Command Center." The last officer said. "Warrant Officer Katherine Walts." Her chestnut hair went down to her shoulders, free of any hair ties and headbands. Her amber eyes shined with the hardships of a soldier, but with hidden warmth that Edward and Alphonse saw many times in their mother's eyes.

Myers returned to them with three more officers. "We are ready to go. Warrant Officer Walts, Second Lieutenant Hanks, you two will follow behind the group. Captain Sellick will guard the left flank of the group with Major Lyes. First Lieutenant Cluke and Major Sergeant Baez will guard the right flank. First Lieutenant Haze and I will guard the front." He turned his annoyed eyes to Ed and Al. "Major Elric and his brother will keep an eye on all sides and make sure to protect the mechanics. We are to get them all to East City safely, got it, Fullmetal?"

Edward growled low in his throat. "I know the mission."

Myers ignored him. "Let's move out."

Edward shoved his hands in his pockets as the mechanics got up and the officers fell into their places around the group and began forward, moving through the back alleys. He rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. "You ready for this, little brother?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." Al replied, pulling his Alchemy gloves on so he was ready for anything. "Where do you think they are heading?"

"Probably to the edge of the city so they can travel through the country so they can avoid the terrorists, but if the terrorists really do want the technology that these mechanics are producing, they'll follow us. We have to be really careful." Edward said, following a few yards behind the group.

Al frowned. "Do you really think these mechanics can make weapons like that?"

Edward looked at the mechanics. They definitely looked the part of mechanics, a few of them were reading engineering books, while others were discussing machines and how they work. The way they were talking was enough to convince Edward since it sounded like some complicated work they were talking about. "Definitely, but I don't think they are just working on weapons. There has to be something else, something more."

Al looked up at the sky. "It's dark. I guess Myers wants us to travel by night to get out of the city."

"It's probably the safest and most discreet way to get a group this big out. A group full of mechanics and officers would draw a lot of attention. Traveling by night to get out of the city is the best route." Edward replied, looking at the way the moon reflected in his brother's eyes to make them brighter in the dark. Their golden eyes already glowed faintly in the dark as it was, but the moon made them seem to grow even brighter.

Soon, the group reached the edge of the city. Myers led them to a dirt path that was completely open. All their light came from the nearly full moon and the stars.

"Brother," Al said.

Because of his brother's harsh tone, Edward stopped walking to look at his brother, who also stopped. "What is it, Al?"

"What did you see at the train station today? I know you saw something. It had you worried. I didn't say anything earlier because we were with the Lieutenant." Al explained. He glanced at the group ahead of them and lowered his voice a notch. "What did you see?"

Frowning, Edward looked forward again and went back to walking. He buried his hands deeper into his coat pockets. He felt his metal hand hit against his gun and winced at the thought of it.

"Brother, why won't you tell me what is wrong? I'm your brother. We've always tell each other everything. I want to help you with whatever it is. We're in this together. You may be the only one with military certification, but I'm an alchemist too and I'm going to work with you whenever the Colonel gives me permission. So just tell me what happened at the station!" Al demanded, raising his voice as he sped up in his walk to catch up with Ed.

Cluke looked back at the brothers, frowning. "What? A brothers' spat? If you're going to fight, keep you voices down. We are trying to be inconspicuous here." He snapped at them. Did these boys not understand they were on a mission?

"Stay out of it!" Edward snapped at him.

Cluke looked at him in a stupid manner. "Were you even trained for the military?"

"Of course not. I'm twelve!" Edward snarled.

"Stop avoiding the question!" Al said angrily, as he grabbed his brother's arm and pulled him to a stop.

"I'm not avoiding anything. I don't have to tell you everything, Alphonse." Edward snapped.

"You always tell me everything. Why should this time be any different, Edward?" Al asked angrily, emphasizing his brother's name. He never used his full name and only did so when he was mad or upset. His brother only used his full name when he was mad at him, worried about him, or telling him to back off, which was what he was doing this time.

Edward pulled his arm free and walked away from his brother to patrol the left flank of the group, scanning the area around them. Frowning, Al followed after his brother.

"So, what are you saying, brother? You don't trust me enough to tell me what is going on? Did I do something to make you mad so you want to keep secrets all of a sudden? We have never had secrets between us! We've been through everything together." Al's voice started rising in the last sentence because his brother was still walking forward not looking at him.

"Al, you might want to lower your voice." Sellick hissed at him.

The young alchemist ignored her. He knew if it was his brother telling him to lower his voice, he would have, but it wasn't his brother. His brother was still ignoring him. And he was going to continue shouting until he got his attention back. "Everything together! We watched dad leave together! We were both there to watch mom die! We met Master and trained under her together! We almost died under her training! It wasn't just you dying in that training! I watched you almost die two years ago. I watched you suffer through your surgery and rehabilitation, feeling the pain myself as I watched you in so much pain. We left our hometown together on this journey. You are not alone! You are not the only one affected by your choices! Why do you think you have to shoulder everything on your own? Stop doing that. I'm your brother and I am here to help you. We are supposed to help each other. Stop pushing me away!"

"Al, I really think you should lower your voice." Sellick said in a hollow voice. Just from the few sentences she heard the young boy yelling, she knew these two have had a hard life so far. She really didn't want to hear it. This was a private conversation after all. She wasn't an eavesdropper.

"We left home to travel and help people together. And by helping people, I know we meant that we would help each other whenever the other needed it. But I can't help you if you don't tell me what is wrong!" Al said angrily.

Edward looked over his shoulder with narrowed eyes. "And I'm not telling you because you can't help. This is something I have to do by myself so stay out of it." He looked at his brother fully now, frowning. "And don't you dare say we've been through everything together! You left me because you were too scared to help me with it."

"I wasn't scared. I just knew that it was a stupid and dangerous thing to do. And you knew that to, but you insisted on doing it anywhere. Besides if I remember correctly, you were the one who told me to leave." Al said angrily. "Because you always have to do everything by yourself! I don't need you to always protect me! Sometimes you need protected too, brother! We protect each other!"

"Because you chickened out and were in the way." Edward growled. He turned around and went back to patrolling the left flank.

Al followed after his brother, fists clenched at his side. "I didn't chicken out. I just came to my senses, unlike you."

"And this is why we shouldn't have kids, let alone brothers, on a mission like this." Lyes said.

"Or in the military." Sellick growled. "You're equal rank with him. Tell him to drop it."

"I don't think it will do any good." Lyes replied, frowning. "Those two are no longer with us. They are in their own little world where they can yell freely."

"LITTLE! WHO THE HELL SAID LITTLE?" Edward yelled angrily.

Everyone turned their eyes to Edward, except Al who was repeatedly hitting his forehead.

"What the hell are you two doing?" Myers growled.

Edward took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. "How much farther do we have to go before we stop for the night?"

Myers looked around the area they were in. He nodded towards a field to their right. "We can set up camp in that field and sleep here tonight so you two can work out your issues so you don't end up yelling while we are trying to be inconspicuous."

Edward shoved his hands in pocket and moved over to the field, leaving his brother behind. A fight to the death was the challenge set forth to him by Isaac. He couldn't tell his brother that. It was a challenge, signaling an one-on-one fight. Al couldn't join in the fight and shouldn't watch it or have to know about it. He would just worry the whole time. This was something he had to deal with on his own.

A/N: Al is more mature than Ed in the manga and anime. I figure that was because he didn't have a body so he didn't know what it was like to grow up like a teenager with puberty, hormones, and such. So because he has a body in this story, he might be acting a little different because he is growing up with a body. Just thought I warn you so you people don't give me a review just to tell me Al is not acting like himself because this is what I will tell you if you say that.

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