My mind was blank as I stared at the alchemical disaster in front of me. Lightning everywhere. My civilian clothes let me blend into the crowd gathered around the light show, dog tags carefully tucked away into my dark grey shirt, half sleeves hugging my elbows tightly. My jeans were dark enough to look like black pants, and my boots were military issue, but no one looked that far. I was grateful, I didn't need someone ratting me out to Hawkeye. It was my day off, and she told me to take it easy, and stay home. It wasn't an order, but a suggestion. Coming from her it might as well have been an order, though It had been a hard week for everyone. Central command had dictated that Havoc wasn't fit to return to duty. They said that his injuries, miraculously healed as they were, were too severe. They figured that since they didn't know what had happened they didn't know if they should fear a relapse. He would be confined to desk work, and lose his permit to handle a weapon.

He resigned instead. I had marched right into Mustang's office and offered to take the State Alchemists exam, if it meant Havoc would be able to keep his position.

"I'll take the exam." Mustang started, probably more at how the door slammed open behind me than at my words.

"What?" Then again…

"I said I'd take the exam. I'll become a State Alchemist, and then they'd trust the work I did on Havoc and he'd be allowed to stay." He looked at me, considering, and then sighed.

"No, I don't think that would be a good idea. You're of little use to me, or any of us, as a dog of the military. You'd have everyone's eye on you for abilities like you have. It would be best to keep it under wraps."

"But Havoc-!"

He cut me off, "Havoc is already on a train back East, remember? It doesn't matter anyway. We'll get him back once this, whatever it is, is over."

"...he...didn't tell me he was leaving."

I didn't dwell on the absent Havoc for long, brought out of my thoughts when a vaguely Asian-looking teenager ran by me, chased by Gluttony. I looked after him,

"What the hell is going on here?"

No one answered, and for that I was a bit glad. No need to add 'voices in my head' to the 'reasons why I'm crazy' list. And yes, I keep a list.

I wandered town, following the destruction, sure that Edward was behind it, for whatever reason he had been drawing attention to himself earlier with a serial killer on the loose, there was really no explanation for that which I felt like accepting at the moment. I eventually ended up activating one of the circles on my charm bracelet. It was hidden on the stomach of a small stag. Light faded a bit around me, and I went blurry around the edges before disappearing completely. Well, not quite completely, it wasn't true invisibility, but it was the closest I could get without Harry Potter's brand of magic. I followed the confusion and ended up at a standoff between the Asian guy, an Asian chick, a trussed-up Gluttony, and the Fuhrer his-goddamn-self. I rolled my eyes and facepalmed as quietly as possible. Some part of me didn't even want to know. The other was that one nosy cat that got killed for its curiosity. I was going to run out of lives at this rate.

I was too far away to hear what was said, but the Asian group grabbed Gluttony and started running away, and quickly. I followed, mainly out of desire to figure out what the fuck they were doing with the homunculus, and why the Fuhrer, of all people, decided to get involved. I glimpsed Ed and Al at some point, but kept running. I followed the Fuhrer at a distance, into the sewers, and was forced to activate a sound bending circle located on the bottom of the Tardis on the bracelet. Yes, the bracelet was one giant reference to every show, book, or song I ever liked, sue me. I had to tell Fallman it was a reference to the religion of my homeland to get him to leave all the stuff alone. It also made for a brilliant laugh in private after I was given time to think about that on-the-spot white lie. It was closer to the truth than I was strictly comfortable with.

I stayed further behind Bradley than before, knowing he was sharp enough to find me if I wasn't careful. I kept out of his sight, not sure if he still had a magic eye like in the 2003 version of this madhouse. If it could see through my transmutation from behind the eyepatch then I was screwed. I didn't really have a desire to test that in the field where he wielded a sword and a bad attitude.

We left the sewers and were rocketing through back alleys. Finally, he stopped, and turned back, walking this time. I sunk into the shadows and didn't breathe, didn't move. He passed me, not stopping. Sheathing his sword, and muttering to himself. I didn't move until I was certain that he was long gone. I emerged from my hiding place, ending my transmutations with a sigh of relief, they itched something fierce. I came across a dog. A dog that had a severed arm tied to it. I rolled my eyes to the heavens, praying that someone save these poor stupid souls from blood loss and whatever bloodborne diseases there were in this world. I didn't give myself time to think, untying the dog, not paying it any attention as it ran off, covered in blood. I dabbed my finger in some of the blood dripping from the limb, wincing at the warmth and consistency of it. (definitely not thinking of the fact that this was a human limb ohgod-). I then painstakingly etched one of my older experimental circles onto the back of my right hand. There was so little time left for whoever lost this arm that I didn't allow myself any time to be squeamish.

Tracking by blood. Everyone has 'alchemy' in their veins, or at least a link to it, something to do with the Dragon's pulse. It comes from the air, the Earth. I could feel it, partly because I wasn't used to it being there. I realized sometime in my second month in Amestris that it had always been around me, but I didn't become actively aware of it until I activated my first circle. Then it was everywhere, though understanding and utilizing it took time and practice. The circle I was drawing in blood would effectively draw me to the same alchemical/blood signature the owner of the arm left on the Earth. It gave me a terrible headache, but I was holding some poor saps arm. I really shouldn't complain about the pain it would cause me to do the damn transmutation. The more I used this type of circle, that let me feel the alchemy around us all, the better at it I got, and the more aware of it I was. I'd recently gone from feeling the 'ick' of homunculus when Bradley was in the same hallway, to knowing when he entered the same wing of the building. Baby steps. But at least I was much less likely to be taken in by an Armstrong that was actually Envy.

I touched the circle gently, careful not to smudge the still drying lines. It lit up, glowing faintly as the DNA in the blood called to the owner. I wrapped up the arm carefully in my coat, the black standard-issue one thankfully, I would hate to lose my gift from my brother, and concentrated on the feeling, the itch in the back of my brain. I took a deep breath, forced down my discomfort, and started running.

Never was I more grateful to my constant training regime than the moment I spotted the shack. I was winded, tired, and my head was pounding, not to mention my goddamn feet-. But I had made it. I heard voices yelling inside, one of them familiar and sounding very harried. I didn't bother knocking, kicking the door open, and glaring at where I knew Edward would be. He saw me and gulped. I advanced, waving my bundled-up coat and limb threateningly.

"What the hell was that!? Creatures everywhere, random unknowns running around with you, the fucking Fuhrer chasing people around on foot? What have you gotten yourself into now, Elric?"

He laughed nervously,

"Well, you see…."

Mustang came into view, looking tired and slightly exhausted.

"What are you doing here Arcaro? Hawkeye specifically told you to go home."

I raised an eyebrow, ignoring the question. "Where's the patient?"

He stiffened, "Patient?"

I sighed, unrolling the coat and brandishing the severed arm. "The one who lost this? How do you think I found you? Smell?" I pushed past him, but he caught my shoulder, "Arcaro-"

I cut him off, "Colonel, you know I'm at least proficient at medical alchemy, do you want me to at least try and re-attach that poor bastard's arm or not?"

He breathed deeply, before letting me through, "Be careful, the 'patient's companions won't be very trusting." I nodded absently, wondering what the hell was going on downstairs with the trussed-up Homunculus.

I heard a female scream, exhausted, and pained beyond belief. I opened the door, only to find a knife at my throat.

"What are you doing here? What are you?"

I brandished the arm, "I'm a medical alchemist, I'm here to help." Asian grandpa stared at me, a hard look in his eye,

"That is not what I meant. What are you?" I glanced at the military doctor Mustang must have found. He just shrugged so I looked back at the old man. Taylor hadn't ever mentioned his name, or him, so I had next to nothing to go on. I didn't like the feeling.

"I'm human, if that's what you're asking. I saw the thingamagummy that they had trussed up downstairs, and I'm not something like that." The Asian teenager stood from his chair in the corner. I wondered for a second why he wasn't helping downstairs but he spoke, interrupting my thoughts.

"Let her try. If there's any hope she may live…" I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, she'll live. I was wondering how I'm going to re-attach this. It wasn't exactly left in the greatest of conditions. Intelligent tactic, terrible environment." I walked up to the girl's side, noting that there was a slight hint of infection at the jagged wound where her arm should have been. I whistled.

"Hold this."

I shoved the arm at the doctor, pulling my sleeves up further than they already were, before washing my hands in the sink nearby. The young Asian was watching me intently.

"What was that circle on your hand? Why was it written in blood?"

I barely glanced at him as I went to the girls' side.

"It was to track the girl, it was in her blood. I was following you, wondering why the Fuhrer of all people was chasing you, and why you had a captured thingycreature. Then there was a severed arm and I worried for whoever it belonged to. I used the blood to find you, brought the arm with me. I had no ice to keep the nerves of the arm dormant, though, and I don't know a circle to help with that. So don't get your hopes up about me putting it back. Automail is probably your best bet at this point."

The old guy shook his head, "Just save her life."

I raised an eyebrow. "I plan to."

The boy drew himself up to his full height.

"You will be compensated once I become Emperor of course."

I think he was surprised when I laughed.

"I don't need compensation. I'm going to save a human life, ask questions that no one will answer about what the actual fuck is going on here, and then I'm going to go home and figure out why they won't just fucking keep me in the loop."

I drew a diagnostic circle, one of my own creation, and flared it to life with a touch. Information flooded my brain, and I grimaced,

"My good doctor, do you have any supplies?"

I sent him off to get the things that I needed, carefully sifting through the influx of facts. The teenager hung over me curiously, toeing the edge of being in the way.

"Edward said that Alchemy was not used for medicine much."

I didn't look up from my circle.

"It isn't, but I'm not from around here. I didn't know the rules, so I made my own with what I already knew of science. Most of the circles I'm going to use are going to be my own creation."

I briefly entertained the idea of just making her a new arm, as I'd done with the Hughes situation, but I didn't know enough to make it work once it was real and attached, and that was what she needed. Automail really would be her best bet. The more I looked into it the more I became convinced.

"The arm is beyond saving. But automail would be a possibility. I'll try to save as many nerves as possible to keep that option open to...ah, her."

I realized halfway through that I didn't know any of their names.

"I'm Stephanie by the way."

The teen bobbed his head, "I'm Ling Yao, the girl is Lan Fan, and this is Fu."

I nodded absently, drawing another circle, this time on her shoulder. The doctor appeared with some of the things I needed and disappeared immediately to get the rest. Ling spoke yet again,

"Is this similar to Alkahestry by any chance?"

I shrugged, "Never heard of it."

He looked at me intently but I didn't meet his eyes. Lightning sparked as my transmutation started, I pulled the energy through her veins and nerves, getting rid of the grime and dirt that had tried to lodge there, burning out the sickness before it could reach her heart.

"I don't believe that."

"Oh?"

"No. Because I grew up around Alkahestry, and what you're doing now is much too close to it to be a coincidence."

"Well, it is a coincidence. I don't know what Alkahestry is. Until only a little while ago I thought Alchemy wasn't even real. After I first did a transmutation I felt it. In the air, in the water, in people themselves. Whatever it is that makes Alchemy tick, a fringe book I found named it the Dragons Pulse and I've been working with that name so far. It's dark. But not in you three. I don't understand, but it's not my job to understand. Right now it's my job to fix this girl, so if you'd excuse me."

The light output from the transmutation circle increased, but so did the blood flow. That was one bad thing about what I was trying. The veins would heal, so blood would flow through them again. The doctor helped with that, applying bandages where I needed, them and taking over completely once my alchemy bit was done.

Lan Fan was passed out, but stable. I sat in the chair in the corner to take a breather. I had done way too many transmutations for one day, not to mention running several hours while doing one of them, and carrying a human body part. A human body part that was useless now anyway. I didn't realize that my eyes had closed until someone was shaking me awake. My eyes met gold, and I noticed, not for the first time, that he was very pretty for a boy or even just a person, to be honest. I opened my mouth and in my sleepy state nearly said it, but thankfully he interrupted me.

"They're downstairs, preparing Lan Fan to leave. Fu is going to take her back to Xing later. Ling is staying here to help with all of this."

I nodded, moving around slightly, and preparing to go back to my nap. The moment my eyes closed again he poked me,

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?"

I sighed, "I'm sleeping off the mammoth-sized headache I have from all the alchemy use. Not all of us are geniuses at it. Don't you have a creature to...do things with?"

"I figured you were going to help."

I looked back up at him, noticing he looked slightly put out, not even puffing up a bit at the compliment.

"I don't see how much use I would be. And in any case, Mustang is not happy with me being here at all, I'm kind of hiding."

He rolled his eyes, "I'll go talk some sense into the bastard. Then you can help us figure out what the hell is going on."

"Oh? I thought I was the only one confused about this shitstorm of fuckery. Good to know I'm not alone. If he's being difficult don't bother. I'll just stop doing his paperwork for him, and he'll go nice again real quick."

I heard laughter as he descended the stairs. I was on the edge of sleep for a while, not quite falling into it when I was jerked awake. Something downstairs had exploded. Violently.

I threw off the blanket that the doctor had tossed over me,

"Damnit Fullmetal, what have you gotten yourself into now?"

~TimeLordOfPie