The Water Alchemist

Deafening Silence

Welcome back to The Water Alchemist. I don't own any of the intellectual property of Fullmetal Alchemist.

Chapter Fifty

Deafening Silence

***

Bloodcurdling screams echoed through the dimly lit hallways. They carried through steel doors and grated vents but fell on deaf ears. It was all a part of the process. A man writhed against his restraints, the table quickly turning crimson as blood leaked from his ears, his nose, even his eyes. He had been their thirteenth alchemist to go through this process. And the process was becoming quite tedious. Each one of his predecessors had passed, their body's unable to handle the strain. A red light glowed from his exposed chest— a transmutation circle etched into his skin by the doctors surrounding him, monitoring his vitals. The key reacted with him similarly to each previous subjects, but his eyes had much more agitation in them as he met Father's gaze, cursing him. He banged his head to the table, letting out the worst of the cries, seemingly near the end of his rope. Yet, there was a hopefulness in the sound. It prolonged longer than any other subject before, and there was a tense excitement that buzzed in the air. Father watched through the thick glass, his face rigid. The doctor at his side looked up at him before looking back to the subject.

"We may have found a suitable host," he said, his gold tooth shining with a wicked grin.

Father didn't answer. His focus was still drawn to the alchemist. He had applied to the State Alchemist program for about five years before giving up. He was talented in mechanical alchemy, using it as a mechanic, running the garage below his apartment where he and his family lived. Of all the candidates, Father had expected the least from him. Though it had been suggested, he couldn't pull from his stock of State Alchemists for this task. It would be too wasteful of their potential. However, as time passed, the idea was becoming more and more enticing. He was beginning to think he should have emphasized more to Kimblee that girls roll in their plans than just a mere sacrifice as the man's cries died down, his body going slack over the table. Doctors and nurses rushed him, checking vitals, pumping fluids. But father already knew. The team in the room pulled a white sheet over the alchemist's head, a nurse declaring the time of death. The doctor at his side was quiet, frowning. The Promised Day was fast approaching, and they still didn't have a suitable host. Time was of the essence.

"Who's next?" Father asked, his voice even.

***

They had been walking for quite some time, managing to cover a decent distance. They'd likely reach their destination by nightfall, their destination being Resembool, thanks to the shape Ed's arm and leg were in. He needed a tune-up, and they needed a quiet place to plan, so Granny's seemed the most logical. The Promised Day was nearly upon them, though the sun shone brightly overhead, and the wind blew as if the world was quietly alive. It was strange to think such beautiful things in nature like the flowers in the field to their right went on blissfully unaware while tragedy awaited the hands that planted them. That was the thing Ed envied about nature; whether or not there were people to tend the crops, the plants would still grow. The birds would carry the seeds; the bees would pollinate them; the sky would provide the sunshine and the rain. Nature had a flow of its own. While he was tied to it, it could function without him. He'd return to the earth one day, but his contribution to it in the grand scheme of things would be insignificant. But he was determined to make sure his role in the Promised Day was significant enough to prevent the great loss of life that was predicted. He was going to save everyone he could, as naïve a notion that was. He couldn't save her, but he wanted at the very least to fulfill her last wish. He'd be damned if he didn't live through this.