Chapter 9: Damien

Five months ago…

"Hey! Yes, you there!"

Damien turned and looked for the person who he assumed was calling out to him. That inexplicable sense when one hears someone calling had kicked in. This sense was why Damien turned around to see a broad-shouldered man waving at him and smiling.

The man had a round face, was of average height, and had a thick but built body. He was a man used to hard work but with little athletic skill. On the other hand, Damien was lithe and thin, wiry, and always ready to spring into action at a moment's notice.

The jovial man addressed Damien, "Are you new in these parts?"

Damien merely shrugged. He had no intention of giving too much away about himself to someone who merely called out to him on the streets of Yoxeqa.

The broad-shouldered man, however, did not take offense, "my name's Casper. What's yours?"

Casper was excited. The moment Casper saw Damien walk down the street, he had a feeling from the aura that surrounded the man that he was just the man the newly formed rebel group needed. Damien walked with confidence and ease, surveying the people and the things surrounding him coolly. It made Casper watch Damien in awe, even while most people shied away.

The thing that genuinely caught Casper's attention was Damien's eyes. They were cold and aloof. They were what drove people to stand back. Although they also gave Casper a feeling of nervousness, like Damien was dangerous, they also inspired him and drew him to Damien. Damien, even now, was looking at Casper from the corner of his eye, indifferent. Although Damien only had a few centimeters on Casper, Casper felt as though their height difference was much greater than it actually was. Damien was most certainly looking down on Casper, even if only figuratively. The tilt of Damien's head, the way he held his shoulders, all screamed stand back but also follow me.

When Casper did not back off, Damien turned to face Casper fully.

The light in Casper's eyes was bright, but something in them also made Damien's eyes narrow. The same wariness that lingered in the eyes of Damien's peers who rejected him when he was younger edged in the back of Casper's eyes. Most people had that same wariness when looking at him. Casper, however, was also addressing him with excitement.

Casper continued on in wonder, "Do you have some time? I can pay for coffee?"

The mere fact that Casper wanted to talk to him and even have coffee with him made Damien tilt his head in cool curiosity. He was used to being alone. Even his former family had kept their distance. Damien's eyes narrowed once again, and Casper almost cringed, but the excitement never left his eyes. Damien gestured for Casper to show the way with a wave of his hand, and Casper indicating that he should follow, almost skipped away, looking over his shoulder and talking rapidly about a nice little coffee shop in town. Damien almost decided to leave at Casper's exuberance. However, curiosity won over his desire to rebuff the man, even though Damien was sure Casper would eventually leave once he knew of Damien's indifferent character, so he followed.

Once at the coffee shop, they sat at a round table in a back corner, and Casper began to ask questions. "I can tell you're not the military type. Is that correct?"

Damien remained impassive, "I see no reason to join such a group. I have no interest in mere charades."

Casper nodded, "Yes, and what do you think of the government? I have no real love for those currently in power. They've betrayed the people far too many times. Do you agree?"

Damien studied Casper for a long moment, long enough that Casper began to shift uncomfortably in his chair.

"I have no love for our nation, but are you not being too forward? You know nothing about me," Damien smiled and narrowed his eyes, "I could turn you in for treason." Damien had long ago learned that expressions were a good way to convey thoughts, feelings, or emotions and that people responded to them. So, he used them to assess others, even if they were a bluff, to see what kind of response he would receive. Control was the most crucial thing for Damien.

Damien's smile was sinister, and it made Casper's skin crawl.

Casper almost back-tracked. Did I make a mistake?

Damien titled his head to one side, only increasing the tension around the table. This should be… interesting.

Casper continued, "I guess," he paused, "but I've seen you around a few times, and the way you avoid the few military personnel in the city and your entire demeanor just made me want to talk to you." Casper shifted nervously again, "I don't know why, but I felt like I could trust you with this, with our," Casper led forward and lowered his voice, "with our rebellion."

Damien once again tilted his head to the side and leaned back, crossing his arms, indicating for Casper to continue.

Casper took advantage of the invitation.

"As you know, our government has continued to engage in conflicts with our bordering nations since its inception. Many people have lost family and friends in these avoidable skirmishes. Our group is looking to put an end to it, but we don't want to attract too much attention until we are ready. We need clear leadership and a plan. I don't know why, but from watching you, I just have the feeling that you would be perfect. Your," Casper paused, looking for the word he wanted, "aura just seems to fit what we need. It's different, cool, aloof, and strong. Intimidating even. We need that. The government, like I said, has involved us in too many skirmishes and too many wars. The Ishvalan extermination is one of the most egregious examples."

Casper shook his head, "and the way the war started?"

Emotion began to run rampant across Casper's face, anger, hurt, sadness all mixed together, and yet Damien still watched without batting an eye. Damien's smile was gone, not quite in a frown, but his mouth formed a thin line.

Casper's voice was almost desperate. "They say one of the soldiers shot a little girl, and that was the last straw that incited the war. That event started the horrendous war where they used the vile treacherous state alchemists to slaughter the Ishvalans."

Casper's eyes, now full of anger, met Damien's, "But I know for a fact that the soldier did not shoot that little girl because that man was my son. My son knew the people. He was against the occupation. He even spoke about some of the people there to me and of one little girl in particular. He was framed for shooting that little girl. The military lied and framed him so that they could start the war to slaughter good and peaceful people who they deemed were in their way."

Casper paused to regain control of his emotions, and Damien watched on, still giving no indication of his thoughts. Casper hardly noticed.

When Casper spoke again, the anger, sorrow, and desperation were evident in his voice, "no one believed him! I raised my son to be an honest man, someone who would lookout for people who had less fortune. In all his letters to me, he talked about how detestable it was that the military occupied Ishval.

"That little girl they say he shot? I think she was the little girl my Simon mentioned before. He wanted to help them! She would bring water to the soldiers, and he wanted to protect her. He wanted to protect her and her family! He would even speak out against the other soldiers who harassed them."

Casper's hands clenched into fists, "but what does the military do? They frame my son for the death of the little girl, the man who opposed it! That was probably why they chose him." Casper's eyes widened in fury as he glared at his clenched fists. "If the man who stood in their way the most instigated the fighting, they could justify their war all the more!"

Casper sighed and continued while Damien continued to look on impassively.

"I have no idea how they did it, how they found the evidence against him. But the look on my son's face at the court-martial," Casper paused, his eyes now red, "it haunts my dreams. He knew he was being set up, but his colleagues betrayed him! They stated so vehemently that he was the one who shot her. The betrayal of that one thing, that one accusation, was almost as bad as what he could see coming.

"If anyone had really shot her, my son would have defended the Ishvalans, but no, they accuse the wrong man. It was, it was so," Casper sobbed, anguish overcoming his entire demeanor, his hands clutching at the sides of his head. "It was…wholly and maddeningly unbearable. The military betrayed and killed my son, who only wanted to do right." Casper lifted his head and looked directly at Damien. "So, something needs to be done. My wife couldn't take the pressure or the stigma from the government and the people about my son's supposed actions.

"We named him Simon because it means, He has heard. We wanted him to be someone who would listen to others and understand. He was that man, he saw, and he heard the plight of the Ishvalan people, and he wanted to help. He would never have betrayed that little girl. Whoever impersonated him gave that little girl… I don't want to know what she thought if she, too, thought my son was going to kill her. I don't want to know."

Damien watched as Casper buried his face in his hands again, trying to regain control. His fingers dug into his face, pulling at the skin on his forehead and the sides of his face.

Unseen by Casper, Damien's eyes narrowed into slits, and his nose almost wrinkled in a sneer. Honestly, this man.

Damien's thoughts returned to that of his own father, who would never have cried for his death like this man did for his son. It made him want to beat Casper senseless for such a gross* displays of affection. However, despite Damien's dislike of Casper's demeanor, he had approached Damien and said the very thing that made everyone avoid him was needed.

Damien's mind wandered as Casper sobbed.

A taller man stood over him, his hand, palm out, ready to strike. Damien glared defiantly back.

"You, worthless wretch," the man who was supposed to be Damien's father sneered. "You and that smug face of yours can go elsewhere. You're not wanted here."

Damien's mother sobbed in the background but flinched yet again when Damien approached her to say goodbye after the harsh words with his father. His mother had never been overly affectionate, but she had taken care of him, unlike the man who called himself his father.

Damien backed away from his mother, his heart going just a little bit colder.

"It's not like I wanted to be here anyway." Damien spat.

Those words were the truth. Everything his parents did was so mundane. The harsh words only made him more indifferent but also reassured Damien of his intended path. With that, he left everything behind, his family, his peers, he would never call them friends because they would never call him friend, and he walked away.

Damien returned to the present as Casper regained control. Casper lifted his head and met Damien's eyes once more.

"What do you think? Will you join us? We can find a place for anyone, and I know we need someone with your aura for our success." Casper looked at Damien, pleading with his eyes.

Something tugged inside Damien, but he squashed the feeling, taking control just as he had all his life. His mind worked through the benefits and disadvantages. Casper had a point. Damien realized a subtle approach might actually help a rebel group go far, especially if they looked for help from others. If they were subtle, they might be successful, and if anything, Damien thought it would help pass the time.

With that, Damien nodded, "I would like to see what this is all about, but we should go somewhere more private."

Casper's eyes lit up, and the appreciation Casper felt was evident, "Yes, you make a good point. We meet here sometimes, but you know, you're right. Thank you, come on."

Caper stood and indicated with his head. Damien, as quiet as ever, followed like a stalking predator.

Casper led Damien into the woods slightly to the southeast of Yoxeqa. He apologized profusely for the long walk ahead of them, but Damien merely grunted in indifference. After nearly three hours of walking, they made it to an old run-down building that looked like an old hospital. During their walk, Casper nattered on about the place, telling Damien about how they found it and how they were beginning to make use of it since it was out of the way and had many rooms they could use for lodging and storage. The only real information Damien paid to during Casper's rambling was the small tidbit Casper shared about the place being an abandoned mental hospital. Damien's eye twitched, and he almost sneered but controlled his features.

Once inside, Casper introduced Damien to everyone, who all seemed impressed. Damien had no idea what was wrong with them. In all his life, no one had reacted to his cold rebuff like the rebels were responding to him now.

Maybe "back-off" is the type they're looking for. It's not like this rabble is really rebel material. They must think I am, though, especially if this Casper came to me because of my 'aura,' as he says.

They continued deeper into the building, and the rebels gathered in a room, taking seats around a table. Once everyone was settled, they began discussing plans. Damien listened for only a short while before he quickly interrupted.

"Do you want to get caught? You should be more subtle. I thought you wanted a careful approach? Every other group is routed because they move too quickly and leave a clear trail and evidence of their group. None of you have any experience, right? Other groups even had ex-military personnel in their groups, and now you want to go and raid a base? How is that subtle?" Damien looked at Casper incredulously.

The rebels looked at him, some with an askance offense and some with wonder. Others looked confused and some distrustful, but Damien continued, "if you want to be successful, you'll need to take this a bit slower. Organize your plans more thoroughly, and only move when you're ready. You can't run a train on a track you haven't built yet, and you can't lay down rails on the ground you haven't prepared yet. You haven't even laid the groundwork for your rails, and you're looking to run your train already with this plan to attack the military base."

"You know, he might be right," Maria commented, looking around the table at her companions.

"But too much has already happened! We can't wait any longer," a young one named Isaac retorted angrily.

"See what you know." Casper glared at Isaac and then looked at Damien appreciatively. "I'm a little disappointed because I do want to do something soon, but you make a good point, Damien. I said we wanted to be cautious, but I guess this plan isn't cautious at all. It's only my selfishness that makes me want to go now, despite my comments about wanting to be more careful and to avoid attention." Casper gave a wry chuckle, "This is another reason why I asked you to join us. I can tell you have a knack for planning and taking proper steps before taking action."

The others looked to Casper. Caper was by far the most committed of all of them with the death of his son. Maria looked on in worry, but also something akin to pride. Everyone else was only vaguely aware, but Maria, besides Logan, was the only person who knew Casper before forming their group. Casper had changed after Simon died. Then, he became even more dedicated after his wife passed on from sickness and sorrow only five months prior. After the death of his wife, Casper had begun to push the rebels forward almost recklessly. Now, Damien seemed to have stemmed the tide.

They continued to discuss and soon made arrangements to slowly and quietly amount money and supplies, add to their numbers, and find more allies. They finished the meeting by dividing into groups deciding that Damien and Casper would talk to each other the following day about specifics.

As soon as they were done, everyone broke up into smaller groups and headed to the Mess Hall.

"We can't delegate and discuss in the same place we eat!" Casper laughed as they left the room, "That would be uncouth. That's why we use the smaller room for meetings, even if we could use the mess hall more comfortably."

Once in the Mess, everyone sat down, and two people headed onto the kitchen to begin prepping for dinner. Damien sat back and listened to the rebels talking amongst themselves.

"It's been years, but we're finally doing something! I feel more confident now that we have a solid plan."

Damien smirked as the rest of the rebels continued. They were woefully unorganized, and Damien thought that they had naïve and minor plans.

The government will squash this little group like the bugs they are, but they did listen to me, and now we might do something interesting before they are knocked down and annihilated by the government.

Damien sat in the Mess Hall observing his new comrades.

Although he watched from a distance, their mere presence made him feel something, but Damien would never admit the feeling. His eyes narrowed. Too many times, I've felt that sting. No one sticks around for long. Push comes to shove people abandon others for their own gain.

Casper looked over at Damien. Damien's cold reserve but easy ability to work with the others and lead made people attach themselves to Damien. It made Casper confident. Despite Jimmy's initial protest, Damien's cool logic and planning had won over people by the end of the meeting.

We can do this thing!

Casper felt hope for the first time in a very long time.

As the months passed, the rebels gained more allies, gathered supplies, and made connections. Their base in the old mental facility was growing more stable, and many of the rebels stayed, making the place their permanent residence, especially those who came from other towns. A few rebels stayed in Yoxeqa and listened for news or rumors that the government had learned of their activities.

They had set up a medicinal shop from where they could send messages, supplies, or a place for new recruits to go and then be led to their base. Many wild herbs grew in the forest, and the shop owners would gather the herbs, making remedies, and sell them in town. This gave the shop owners the cover of going into the woods for supplies, which allowed them free movement between the shop and the base. It also diverted suspicion from those associated with the shop from being a part of a rebel group.

The shop, which employed a few of the rebels, was the most mundane and law-abiding source of funding the rebels had. It also served to engender the kindness and goodwill of the people from Yoxeqa to those who worked there. Although, if the people knew that the shop owners were in league with the rumored rebels in the area, things would fall apart, but for now, the shop worked in their favor.

Despite the rebel's efforts, they had attracted some attention, primarily due to some of the less experienced members. They had grown larger, and not everyone was as easy to control and keep from moving too quickly, much to Damien's chagrin. However, they quickly worked through issues, and new recruits were trained. Casper found Damien's skill with encouraging others to follow the plan, which was set out in deliberate steps, fascinating. Damien won over everyone to his careful plan, which seemed all the more feasible as time passed.

Then came the day that Damien was waiting for. Damien put down the phone. Despite the supplier cutting their conversation short, Damien hardly reacted.

It was only a matter of time until the government took notice. It's been about five months now since I joined, and we've made some progress. It's been interesting, but how much of a threat do they really perceive us to be? He said they only sent two State Alchemists. Are there more people, but he's unaware that they are there?

Damien shrugged and, maintaining his composure, went to tell Casper of the situation. Damien was intrigued to see his reaction.

Caper listened carefully to Damien. With every passing day since the day Damien arrived, Casper had listened to him more and more. The wide-eyed looks had turned to serious and approving expressions. Casper, for his part, considered Damien, a friend. Damien remained calm, and his plans worked since they had yet to be caught, but at his words, sadness overcame Casper.

We've come so far. I hope we can divert suspicion. But yet, he said the Fullmetal Alchemist is a kid? How could a child join the State Alchemists after everything that has happened? The kid just be the devil's child if he thinks joining the State Alchemists is some cushy, do-good job! He joined murderers!

Damien watched as Casper's face fell.

Interesting.

"There's no need t worry. This fits into my part of the plan. My," Damien paused, and Casper gave him a curious look, "will be pleased with this development."

Damien knew from experiences that Casper was an excitable man, "Now, hear me out. We should capture the two State Alchemists."

Casper blinked in shock, "won't that give us the attention we've been trying to avoid?"

"It could," Damien nodded, "but my contacts would be more than happy to take the fall for us. So, the government would bypass us and focus on them. My contacts won't mind, and it works in their favor."

Casper's face twisted into an incredulous expression, but Damien waved him off.

"Don't worry about it. They are our best chance at success, so we should capture these two as a show of goodwill."

Casper took Damien's words and believed him.

In only a few days, they had caught the two state alchemists. The alchemists were completely unaware that the rebels knew about their presence, making their capture that much easier, which is how Damien wanted it. No one protested his idea to catch them. Despite Casper's initial misgivings, since both Damien and Casper proposed it to the group, they accepted the course of action wholeheartedly. Over the few months that Damien was with them, they had become more organized. The money and supplies necessary to make a group like theirs run efficiently and smoothly were coming in, all thanks to Damien's ideas. So, no one said anything when Damien warned them that the two alchemists were coming and that they would catch them.

The plan was executed successfully.

Casper watched as the unconscious Flame and Fullmetal alchemists were chained to the wall. Casper sneered. State Alchemists were one of the reasons why the rebels fought the war they fought. Having two of them meant that there were at least two less with the government, and considering their value as the Flame and Fullmetal alchemists, the two could be used against the government.

Their presence only reminded the rebels that they had attracted some attention despite trying to keep a low profile. Casper knew they had attracted much less attention with Damien's plans and that they would have attracted much more or even have already been stopped with any of their previous plans. However, Casper still felt that the government sending only two alchemists made the rebels feel noticed but not taken seriously enough. The opposing feelings of satisfaction that they were succeeding by not being noticed but also wanting to be noticed so they could prove the government wrong and expose its guilt warred inside Casper and were only exacerbated by the alchemists' presence.

Damien stood behind Casper and the others. When they left, Damien remained by the cell door, with the excuse that he wanted to be there when the two woke so he could get a feel for them. When he was alone, Damien leaned against the wall.

While others worked on recruitment and obtaining supplies, Damien had worked on gaining allies and supplies in a very different manner. Many were curious about his methods, but since they never had a problem and Damien delivered what he said he would, no one questioned him.

Damien had contacted the supplier within a month of joining the rebels and used him to obtain supplies and occasionally supplied the supplier with goods to raise funds. Damien had worked with the supplier before joining the rebels but put off contacting him until he was sure he could securely contact and use the supplier for the growing rebel group.

Kidnapping generally was not on Damien's list of potential methods of gaining money. However they had needed more money recently, especially now that he had been able to contact and secure a connection with some Drachmen spies. It was a shame the suppler was caught, but it also seemed to have worked in their favor. The spies were more than happy to help the rebels if they could find a source to collect intelligence for them. Both Damien and his contact had crossed the border once each for two separate meetings regarding their working relationship and planning.

Now that the military had sent the State Alchemists, Damien could make good on his promise to provide a source of information to the Drachmen. Damien's eyes narrowed. He had told Casper that the Drachmen were willing to take the fall, but if their little rebel group ship sank, Damien would go with the Drachmen, who were quite impressed with him. Damien smiled.

It was just as Damien wanted. Their friends from the north would come through the northern part of the desert soon, and the Drachmen could take all the intelligence from the two alchemists that they wanted. In exchange, the country to the north would provide the rebels with what they wanted. Everyone would win.

Just in case:

*Gross: Here means does not refer to something being "gross" as in disgusting, but "unsophisticated" or "unpolished." Basically, Damien thinks Casper's reaction is over-the-top or over-exaggerated.

Names: I chose most names in this Fiction with a very specific purpose.

Casper:

According to my research, it is the Dutch and Scandinavian form of the name Jasper, which means "Treasurer." Casper cared for his family and treasured them. This is why he feels so betrayed by the military.

Damien:

It means to tame or subdue and is Greek in origin. I wanted to create the essence of someone who had a past to overcome, to tame it in a sense. Whether he is successful or not, well, that's another matter. I know I used this name in my other FF, but when I was researching names for this story, this one just worked for the character here. So, that's why I used it again.

[Although, in the story, Damien's mother and father had other ideas about the name…their reasoning is not mine. You'll just have to wait and see].

Logan:

Youngest rebel [little- or small hollow- Scottish],

Military from the previous chapter

Brone:

Means Sorrowful, Irish. [Not to be confused with the Greek name Bronte, which means "thunder" or "bestower."]

Denis:

Means Follower, Greek.

Jones:

Sorta like your John Doe character (I know… I'm mean… he's not that important, and I just wanted to have fun with it.)

Dolion:

Deceiver, Greek. He's our little Envy and quite a bit underhanded, no?

Green:

The term green is sometimes used to refer to someone who is new to something or who lacks understanding. Private Green is a new recruit, I know, compared to the others, this one's a cheap one, but he's not important… (I'm mean…)

XXX

Has anyone noticed that major female names in FMA tend to end in an "ia," "a," or "i/y."

Gracia

Elicia

Riza

Izumi

Winry

So, I named my female character Maria, which, according to my research, means wished-for child, rebellion, or bitter (sea of bitterness/sorrow) and is Latin in origin.