Proximity Arrays

To Ed's surprise, the investigation stayed very cordial for the three weeks it took, and the soldiers left town. He had warned Al and Winry they'd probably be questioned, too, so they should stick to him having been with them the whole time—to not mention he'd gone off by himself. He also told them to stick to what had happened to the Amestrians, not anything about what they'd been doing, besides playing, since that way, they didn't have to lie. Sure enough, they had been questioned (he was glad he'd given them warning) along with a good half of the town when the Amestrians realized the lights had flown high enough in the air to have been seen from several streets away.

Then, as Ed was running home with a small bag of a few things Rashad needed to finish supper, a hand caught his shoulder. With a gasp, he ducked and rolled, and kept running—until a man stepped out from an alley as he was passing and he ran into the man's legs. Looking up, he saw—Führer Bradley! The man stooped to lift him in both arms, and told him, "It's all right, youngster. We're not going to hurt you." Ed wasn't sure about that, but the man's arm around his legs was like a vice, and the only way he'd be getting it off would be by using alchemy to turn it to mush—not something he wanted to reveal just then. "Gentlemen, is this the boy you saw with the caravan?"

Two men approached, and Jed looked up—to stare at the two soldiers who were blinking in surprise at him. They had been two of the ones observing the children during the search of the wagons. One gasped, "Yes! He's the one we thought Kimblee had killed!"

The Führer hummed thoughtfully, eying the boy he carried, who was looking up at him with wide eyes. There weren't a lot of people on the street, but there were enough of them, and they'd stopped to watch warily. "So, how did you survive that attack, child?"

"Was that—the fire while we were on our way home?" he asked slowly, swallowing hard. If he wasn't careful, he was going to end up in a panic attack, and this was not the time for one.

"Yes, that," one soldier agreed. "How did you survive it?"

"Um..." he began, focusing on the man who had just spoken. That made it less nerve-wracking than looking at Wrath. "I don't really know. There was fire, and I was shoved over, but then there wasn't any pain or heat. There was grass under my hands, and I suddenly didn't feel scared somehow. And then, no one could see me until we'd been traveling again for awhile—I'd just gotten in the back of my wagon with everyone. At first, I thought I might be a ghost, until everyone could see me again."

"That's odd..." Bradley murmured thoughtfully. "What do you think the two incidences have in common, Private Kenston? You said earlier you had a thought, especially if this turned out to be the same child?"

"Yes, I did. When soldiers have come into town, there have been other incidences when one of them shot someone, which was how the war started," the second Private commented. "And the group here were 'playing with' their guns, so there was a strong likelihood another of those incidences would have happened. That is—an Ishbalan was about to be harmed or killed. Which was what happened when Kimblee attacked the boy with the caravan. And we still have no idea how he died only an hour after they left. So, whatever this is, it's some sort of reaction to Ishbalan civilians being in danger, since nothing has ever happened when we were fighting their guerrilla fighters or their Warrior-Priests. Why it's happening or who's doing it, I don't know, but that's my best guess."

The Führer hummed again in that thoughtful way, then eyed the boy for a long moment. "No, I think it's more specific than that. This child is being kept from harm. He was most likely the one who would have been hit by the bullet, and we know Kimblee attacked him when his orders had been to keep his fire to himself." The words made the bottom drop out of Ed's stomach for two reasons. One was that he was screwed if Wrath had figured out so much, the other because it suddenly hit him that Lust was intended to have shot a child this time—the full-blown war, no holds barred, would have started.

"Sir?" the soldiers asked in surprise.

"Tell me, child, what would happen if I walked out of here with you, returned you to our camp?" Bradley asked of Ed, and the boy tensed. He could feel the panic starting to come on—there was no way they'd leave him completely unharmed. "Oh, that's an interesting reaction," the man commented, that time sounding amused.

Ed, on the other hand, just shook a bit as he struggled against panic.

Then, the man stumbled with a shocked yelp as Winry's familiar voice shouted, "You leave Jed alone!"

The two soldiers started laughing so hard they cried as Bradley slowly set Ed on his feet and knelt to rub his leg just above his knee, expression wan. Actually, Ed thought he could hear laughter all the way along the street. "As you wish, young lady," the man agreed in a pained tone. "Did you just hit me with a wrench?"

"Yes, I did!" she declared, putting her arm around Ed as she brandished said wrench in her other hand like it was a sword. "You're not hurting Jed!"

The Führer's gaze met Ed's, then he blinked in surprise and turned back to the girl beside him. "You're very brave and very loyal. He's lucky to have a friend like you." He then gave her a nod, straightened, and said dryly to the soldiers, "If you're both quite done, we shall return to camp."

"Yes, Sir," they agreed, still looking highly amused as the other man led them away.

"Are you okay?" Winry asked immediately as she turned to him—once the men were a safe distance away.

He sighed and leaned against her. "I almost wasn't. Thanks, Win."

They leaned against one another for several minutes before Ed calmed down enough to lean away from her, though he wasn't calm yet and he knew it. She stooped to grab a small bag off the ground near her feet, then put her wrench in her sleeve and eyed him for a long moment. "Did you break anything?" she asked, pointing down at the bag.

Ed blinked, then checked it and told her, "It's fine."

Nodding, she put her arm around his shoulders and led him in the direction of their homes. "Let's go home, then," she said as they started walking.

The entire time they were walking back to the building where their homes were, Ed was trying to work out how they'd found some sort of link between Kimblee and Lust and figured out that he was involved in both. Also, he really wasn't sure how good or bad it was that they had. What made him pause was that somehow Winry had snuck up on Wrath—something which should have been impossible, especially for a child. Winry knowing (or not) who he was shouldn't have made any difference, and he was sure she didn't know Bradley was the homunculus Wrath.

The only thing he could think of was that someone—one of the planetary entities—had been shielding her from him. Of course, if he'd noticed that oddity, it was likely Wrath had, as well, and how he would react to it would be the defining factor. It could well earn them extra time if he felt he had to try to investigate how those odd events had happened. And Ed dearly hoped it went that route, otherwise they'd have to try to free Ishbala too soon with arrays still able to cause a serious rebound. They were trying to mitigate that after having found two conflicting points, but it was work to figure out how to change those without affecting other parts of the arrays negatively.

When they got to Ed's (as his apartment was at the head of the stairs, they always reached his first), Winry opened the door and called, "Uncle Rashad, the Führer almost kidnapped Ed!" The boy in question was caught halfway between a groan and a sigh at that—no doubt the man would ask further. "He was carrying him and everything!"

The man came around the corner to eye the two warily, then asked, "So why didn't he? It isn't as though we could have stopped him."

"I hit him with a wrench and he decided not to!" Winry replied with a grin, making Rashad stare in shock. "'Kay, I'm going home now!" The girl then ran out to go a few doors further down with her bag of goods, and Ed shut the door.

"...She hit Wrath with a wrench and he just set you down and walked away?" the man asked Ed shrewdly.

"Um...Wrath isn't the kind of person you can sneak up on, least of all a child," Ed told him with a sigh, offering the bag to him. "But somehow, she was able to, so someone was actively keeping him from seeing or sensing her. I mean—one of the other four sentiences of this world was hiding her. Wrath would have noticed that, so I think that's why he walked away."

"He needs to decide what to do next, you mean?" the man asked, ignoring the bag and picking Ed up to carry him into the kitchen. Because of how close Ed had been to panic, he leaned against the older man, soaking up the comfort and security he always seemed to give off in the boy's senses.

"Yeah," Ed agreed quietly.

"Would he really have walked away with you?"

"...If he really wanted to know what was so special about me that I was protected from death twice—or so he thinks—then yes. If he would have done it openly right then, while other Ishbalans were watching him, I don't know. I wouldn't put it past him, though."

They just stayed like that for several minutes before Rashad put him down and finished the meal with the things Ed had brought back.

While they were eating, the boy quietly said, "Thanks."

"For what?" Rashad asked in mild surprise.

"...Knowing I wasn't calm yet, and helping me get there."

"Ed, that's what family does for one another. You don't have to thank me."

"Yes, I do...Because I've lived long enough to know I might never get another chance to tell you things like how much even small things like that mean to me."

"...All right. You're welcome, then."

FoWD-HC

The next few weeks were actually nerve-wracking for Ed as he warily watched for an attempt by the Amestrians to take him back to their camp, or to take him elsewhere (like Central). In the meantime, he tried to stay focused on his new research in the Temple Library and on the arrays he and the others were working on. In some cases, that actually wasn't hard, because old Ishbalan records were shockingly rich in information. He'd found at least two points which would have an impact on their arrays, like how their suspicion that the land 'primed' to react to planetary energy would react to the activation of their arrays. For the most part, that kept him calm enough to not go into a panic state for those few weeks.

Then, one night, he woke suddenly—and heard a voice in his mind say with a smile, :There you are, my Ancient Sentinel.:

:Minerva!: he returned to her—and burst into tears of relief. She was finally close enough to talk with him! That also meant they shouldn't have too much longer before they landed, but he didn't have an ETA, really. If he estimated her reach as probably the distance making up the diameter of Gaia, she was probably still two to three weeks away. He doubted it would be much more than that unless her range when she wasn't focused on her own small planet was much larger than he realized.

:It is good to know you are well,: she told him fondly. :My Beloved Child has been worrying over your disappearance since we entered this universe.:

:Wait—how has she been worrying if she's in stasis with everyone else?: Ed asked in alarm, thinking of Aeris and feeling a pang. It had really been so long...

A hand on his shoulder made him twist to look up at Rashad in surprise for a moment, but then the man pulled him into his arms as he held him and just let him cry, sitting on the edge of Ed's bed.

In the meantime, Minerva answered, :Her soul apparently had no wish for rest, so has been wandering amongst my own energies in the Omega. While her body rests with all my other little children, her soul has been seeking out all those she shared a bond with. As she had no idea of our agreement with Truth and I had need to orient myself in this universe to reach you as quickly as possible, she has been worrying, despite my assurances. I fear I was not able to clarify the situation enough for her.:

:If she's awake, could you let her talk with us, too?: the boy asked hopefully.

A pause followed the request, then Ed felt the familiarity he associated with his sister—with Aeris—at the edge of his mind in confused, worried curiosity. :Aeris...: he breathed, reaching for her essence to give it a mental hug.

:Ed!: she gasped, and returned the mental hug. :You're actually okay! You disappeared suddenly and I couldn't sense you anywhere anymore, and that dark thing—sort-of gate I think?—and the stars and everything changed—:

:Aeris,: he cut her off with a tearful, amused chuckle. :The Gate's been called the Alchemist's Gate here for as far back as I can trace it. Minerva and I were called into a meeting with the Gate's keeper, Truth, who wanted me back on my own world, in a specific dimension, where something they can't track has happened which ended up destroying every other dimension of my homeworld. I was sent back to my past body there, and Minerva agreed to come along with all of you, but she had to make her way there while I did some things here before you got here. I've missed all of you so much—it's been at least a year since I've seen you!:

She silenced in surprise for a moment before mentally hugging him again. :So after you did everything you could for us, now it's our turn to help you. That sounds fair. I'm just glad we'll be meeting again soon—I've been worried sick since you vanished...:

:You're not the only one glad we'll be meeting again soon, trust me. Even though I'm glad to see my mother and brother again, it's really been hard without all of you,: he agreed quietly, also returning the mental hug again.

:Now that you both have calmed and settled some,: Minerva put in, her tone dryly amused. If they'd been in the physical world, both would have blushed faintly as they chuckled a bit :My Ancient Sentinel, what is the situation in your current location?:

At the request, Ed began telling the two of them everything he knew about where they stood just then, including showing Minerva (and Aeris by extension) the arrays as they were currently arranged. The entity pondered them for a few long moments, then caused them to shift form slightly as she said, :This should assist significantly in the requirements you need. A few more adjustments perhaps, but it should be both safe and functional. Do you recognize these changes, my Ancient Sentinel?:

Blinking at them for a few minutes as he memorized them, he then mentally cursed at how obvious a solution he'd missed—she'd gotten him to add purifying elements used in the cleansing arrays like the one he'd already used on Lust. Aeris began giggling as Minerva sent him an amused sense in response to his mental tirade. It was true, though—the purification arrays would be able to counter a good part of the possible rebound, as well as most, if not all, of the resistance from the wall itself. After all, those worked on energy as well as physical objects, and unanimously broke down whatever it touched into raw, planetary energy—which would then become benign and offer no resistance.

:Thank you,: he told Minerva gratefully once he'd finished cursing his own oversight.

:Of course, my Ancient Sentinel,: she agreed. :Though, I believe you are in need of rest. For the moment, we should withdraw. Now that I am in range to communicate with you again, this bond should remain available. As such, we shall have other opportunities to speak. Rest well, my Ancient Sentinel.:

:Good night, Ed,: Aeris added, giving him one last mental hug, which he returned. They then left his mind, and the only thing left...was the faintest of Lifestream murmuring he was used to hearing. She was in range.

Then, he remembered Rashad having come into the room and picking him up while he was crying—and found the man holding him in his lap while he gently rocked him. The tears had tapered off without him realizing it, so he reached up to rub them off his face before settling against the man tiredly again.

"So, what brought that on?" the man asked quietly, not moving him, though he stopped the gentle rocking.

"Relief," Ed answered with a small chuckle.

"In what way?" he asked in mild surprise.

"Minerva's close enough to talk with now. My best estimate is two to three weeks before she'll be here. And my sister—I mean, one like Winry is to me—she was somehow awake, too, so I got to talk with Aeris and Minerva both. It was really just such a relief after this long, and...I guess that just needed to come out?" Ed explained softly, realizing he had to struggle to stay awake. "She gave me the last pieces we need to finish the arrays, too. I mean, other than a bit of fine-tuning. And the solution was actually right in front of us the whole time, but I didn't even realize it."

Rashad chuckled faintly and said, "All right. If that's the case, you should rest—and should actually be able to rest well this time. Sleep. You don't need to stay awake."

He was going to protest, but before he realized it, he'd fallen asleep, still being held.

FoWD-HC

When Ed next woke, he blinked in surprise at the sun coming in through the window—he was late to join Zahir and the others!—and tried to figure out who was talking just outside the window—

Then it hit him, the memory of waking in the night, and that the murmurs were the Lifestream, and Minerva would be there soon!

He threw the blanket off and started to get up—only for it to really and suddenly hit him that he was back in a body which was just male and had no shapeshift form—and went limp with the realization as he tried to piece together his actual identity again. It occurred to him to wonder why this hadn't happened sooner, even when he'd mentioned it to Sarah and Yuri before. He had no real answer except that the people he'd known on the Planet were almost there, and he knew they weren't going to see quite the same thing as they had before. Even setting aside his age, he was different in other ways, too. That was going to be a learning curve for all of them.

Slowly, Ed sat up again and looked down at himself, actually looked at the form of his six-year-old body.

He had Mako for blood and the mind of someone who had been alive for several thousand years. The people of Gaia were used to that.

Even though he'd always been a bit on the delicate side, even when he'd trained up his strength and muscles, they'd only known him in an androgynous body caused by genetic manipulation. They were used to seeing him with an undefined appearance. However, that manipulation had been done to his older body from the other dimension and couldn't be transferred to his child's body in this one—it had ceased to exist (hence Aeris' worry for him, he was sure) when his soul had been moved to his current body. He definitely looked more masculine now, even as a child.

The shapeshifting was situation-specific, though a few traits he'd had on his body, anyway—like his vision. Which was now normal. They were used to him changing to a winged cat form if the situation called for it, and to him having a visual even better than most SOLDIERs with their enhancements. Both of those now couldn't happen.

Though, he was also sure they'd all actually be relieved his genetic structure wasn't in danger of unraveling with even just one wrong experimental prod...

He didn't have the scars, either, now that he actually assessed his body—his hands in particular. The left one which had landed in stagnant Mako and been permanently scarred—it wasn't anymore. Just to start. The ones around his shoulder and above his knee were gone, too. His damaged genetics from compounded torture also wasn't an issue, as those were also 'scars' of a sort, just not visible to the eye.

"How are you feeling?" Rashad asked from the doorway to his room, and Ed blinked up at him, train of thought broken.

"Things I hadn't thought about before suddenly started hitting me all at once," he answered dryly. "But I'm calmer than I've been since that meeting with Wrath in town. I'm late for the gathering, though."

"I already talked to Zahir and Nasima. You can join them whenever you're ready. If that's later today, that's fine, but they wouldn't begrudge you a return to them tomorrow," Rashad informed him.

The boy blinked, then smiled faintly and said, "I just need to eat something to keep me until lunch, then I can join them. Really, I feel way better—I just needed a bit of processing time."

After a short pause, the man nodded and said, "All right. Get ready and I'll get you something to snack on." He left the room, and Ed jumped up to dress and get ready to go out.

By the time he got to the kitchen, Rashad had put a bunch of sliced, mixed fruits in a kind of bread-like wrap so he could easily eat it with his hands. When he bit into it, he realized the man had also added some nuts, honey, and even a little chocolate—it made him grin at the reminder of Gaia's 'energy bars'. While he hadn't eaten those often, he certainly had eaten them, since they were filling enough to count as 'rations'. It didn't take him long to finish, thank the man, and head to Zahir's and Nasima's, which was where their meeting would take place that day. By then, he'd been to all of the groups' homes, though.

When he stepped inside, the others all looked at him—and most of them blinked in surprise. It was Nasima who smiled and asked, "So, you're feeling better after getting some stress off your chest last night?"

"Yeah," he agreed with a smile. "Thanks, Aunt Nasima. Also, I have the fix for both of our main problems, so we should be able to finish fine-tuning it soon."

"You mean your distress somehow gave you the solution to the rebound and the resistance?" one of the men asked critically.

"I've already used it here," Ed answered dryly. "I just hadn't realized it was what we needed to mitigate both problems. See, the purifying arrays I used on Lust aren't actually very specific in what they reduce to planetary energy, and only hit her because I directed them to. They purify anything they touch—people, animals, plants, raw energy—other than something already 'pure' enough to not need it. And I've seen them do so. If we add those keys into the arrays we're using as part of the outer circles, they'll also activate—and any violent energy to touch them will be made into benign planetary energy, whether that's the rebound energy or the energy of the wall offering resistance. By putting them there, our arrays stay untouched and can activate freely. If we can finish fine-tuning the arrays to reduce the rebound in the first place, we have a stable array system."

The others stared at him for a minute, then traded looks—and began grinning as one of the other women said, "In that case, we should start by putting those in so we know the additional terms we have to account for in fine-tuning the rest. Come and show us what needs to go in each of the outer circles, then."

Ed did, and once they had one example, they all began adding it to the other arrays, meaning they finished quickly. From there, the rest was the small details, and they nearly finished that day.

Less than a week now and they'd be able to find the best location to activate it, and Ishbala would be free. With Minerva just about there, things were looking up.