Welcome back to The Water Alchemist. I don't own any of the intellectual property of Fullmetal Alchemist.
Chapter Twelve
Keep No Secrets
***
I had been chasing the brothers all over Central when we entered a district with quite a few abandoned buildings and damaged infrastructure. When I realized the boys had stopped at one of these buildings, surrounded by a thick cement wall and lined with barbed wire— I slowed my pace until I was about fifty feet away. Catching my breath, I watched as they looked around the corner, and I snuck up behind them.
"A guard posted at an unused building, interesting," Ed said.
"That is suspicious," Al agreed.
"More suspicious than you bone heads?" I asked my hands on my hips. Ed and Al turned to me quickly, startled. In one swift motion, each of them grabbed one of my arms and dragged me to the center of the previous street. "What the hell—" I began but was shushed as Ed placed a gloved hand over my mouth. The boys looked over their shoulders, keeping their steady hold on me. They relaxed after a few seconds, and Ed looked into my eyes.
"When I move my hand, you have to keep your voice down. Okay?" I rolled my eyes in response but nodded. He released me, and Al did the same. "What are you even doing here?"
"I could ask you two the same question," I said, crossing my arms.
"We're here for research," Ed said curtly.
"What kind of research brings you to an abandoned building after sneaking out in the middle of the night?"
"Research that doesn't concern you," Ed retorted.
"I'd argue that if it's about the stone, it does concern me," I said, pulling the object in question from my shirt.
"We can't tell you," Ed said, matter-of-factly.
"That's bullshit, and you know it," I said, my voice slightly raised.
"Marina, please keep your voice down," Al said, looking around.
"Sure, no problem," I shrugged. "Just tell me what's going on, and I'll gladly be quieter."
"We can't," Ed hissed.
"Can't and won't aren't the same," I said.
"Marina, please," Al pleaded. "We can't. Not now."
Ed elbowed his brother. His hollow body echoed in response.
"Not now? Then when?" I asked. Ed glared at Al then looked at me.
"Look, we don't know when, if ever," he said. I frowned. "But right now, you need to leave."
"I'm not leaving, not until you tell me what's going on," I said, sitting on the ground. Ed crouched next to me.
"This isn't a game, Marina," he said lowly. I looked up to him, a fire in my eyes.
"I never said it was. I'm dead serious. You're keeping things from me, and I don't like it. Plus, isn't your job to watch me? What if I get mugged on the way home?" I asked innocently. Ed closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead.
"Fine, if this is how you want it," Ed said, standing. "Al, give me a boost."
Al crouched slightly and cupped his hands together. I watched them in confusion. Ed stepped into his brothers' hands and, with a grunt from Al, was sent sailing to the top of the wall. I clamored to stand.
"What the hell are you doing?" I whispered angrily.
Ed ignored the question and began to undo the barbed wire with his prosthetic hand, sending the straightened metal down the wall toward us. Al grasped it and tugged on it, checking its sturdiness. He bent down.
"Hop on," he said, turning slightly to me. I looked around to see just who he was addressing. The realization hit, and I pointed at myself in disbelief, to which he simply nodded. I shook my head. "Come on, we're going to bring you along, alright? This is what you wanted."
"But I'm scared of heights," I mumbled.
"I won't let you fall. Just close your eyes, and we'll be there in no time," he said warmly, outstretching a hand to me. I took a wary step forward and took his hand. I wrapped my arms around his neck and circled his torso as best as I could with my legs. I buckled slightly against his back as he stood. I winced. "I got you. Just hang on tight."
"Okay," I said, my voice wavering.
I squeezed my eyes shut as I felt the slight upward movement. All I could hear was the sound of metal scraping against metal and the slight creak of Al's joints as we climbed. I didn't even notice when we had reached the top.
"You can open your eyes now," Al said as he lifted me down from his back.
I felt the solid ground beneath me, and the air rushed through my hair, tickling my face. I gathered the courage to open my eyes and immediately regretted it. The way down was long and didn't look very soft at all. Ed jumped from beside me with no hesitation and landed safely below. I clutched Al's arm for dear life, the tips of my toes dangling off the edge. Ed stood from below and turned around, waving us on.
"Oh no, I'm not jumping," I said defiantly, clinging closer to Al.
"Relax, Marina, I'll catch you," Ed said, outstretching his arms.
"Yeah, right," I called down with a laugh. "You're smaller than me; I don't see that ending well."
"Who are you calling small, you coward!" Ed called back, steam coming from his angry little head.
"Be quiet!" Al scolded his brother.
Before I could respond to Edward's taunts, Al picked me up, and I nearly passed out from the sudden increase in height.
"I swear on all that is good, Al, if you throw me down there, I won't ever forgive you," I said, a deathly serious look on my face. He sighed.
"Well, your necklace will lessen your fall, right?" he pointed out. "Just don't scream, please."
I didn't even get to threaten to take away his cat bookmark before he threw me from the wall. I fell fast and hard. The wind rushed in my ears, and I clutched the stone, waiting for its warmth, willing it to glow. I closed my eyes tightly, imagining myself laid out on the grass, bones broken every which way.
"Hey, you didn't scream," I heard Ed say, seemingly surprised. I peeked one eye open, and as I did, I felt the warmth of his body against mine. Opening both eyes, I realized that he did catch me, and I was, in fact, alive. He looked slightly aggravated as I took in my surroundings. Al jumped down after me, landing safely near us. "You good?"
"Ah, yeah, thanks," I said as he set me down. For some reason, my heart beat a little too fast, and my face felt too warm.
"Whatever, just don't doubt me next time, you wuss," he said, striding up to the building. Al came up behind me.
"I'm sorry, Marina, I thought for sure your stone would do what it did before."
"It's fine," I sighed. "But do that again, and I will take away your cat bookmark." Al whimpered as we followed Ed.
That was strange, I thought to myself. I thought that the necklace would glow and break my fall too, so why didn't it? Ed looked around the building, searching for an entrance. The only one was shut and boarded up.
"Well, looks like we have to go home," I said, grabbing his arm to drag him away from the abandoned building. He didn't budge. Ed easily shook himself from my grasp. He looked up at a vent and walked beneath it.
"Al, gimmie a boost, would ya?" he asked. Al complied, boosting Ed on his shoulders. The vent was no match for the trusty old clap and slap, and Ed handed off the vent cover to me. He inspected the opening as I leaned the cover against the wall. "Looks like I'll fit, but you're gonna be too big, Al."
"I really dislike being this big sometimes," Al lamented.
"I'll fit," I said, watching as Ed began to climb into the opening. He stopped mid-climb.
"Absolutely not," he said, pointing an accusatory finger at me. "You're staying your ass right here with Al. I'll be just fine on my own." He dared me to defy him with the intensity of his gaze.
"You're not the boss of me," I tried.
"I am, remember? Bodyguard says 'no', and that's final," he said, and the last of his words echoed in the chamber as he disappeared into it. "Al, don't let her in here, you got that?" He called back to his brother.
"Yes, sir!" Al said, saluting the fading figure. I sighed and leaned against the building.
"Narc," I grumbled.
"Aw, don't be like that," Al said. "It's for your safety."
"Well, now what?" I said, eyeing the younger Elric.
"We wait, I guess," he said, sitting down on the grass.
"But for how long?" I said, joining him on the ground.
"However long it takes," he said simply.
I picked a blade of grass from the ground and began tearing the strands apart until it resembled the fray of a woven sheet.
"Does he always act like this?" I asked.
"Like what?"
"An I-can-do-everything-by-myself, I-don't-need-your-help jerk?" I said as I released the stringy grass to the wind, which carried it a few feet before falling to the ground again. Al snorted.
"Depends on what day it is, I guess. He's always been the do-it-yourself type, though, ever since we were kids."
"I mean, I've seen it before, but I haven't been on the receiving end. Well, not counting the other day," I sighed.
"The other day?" Al asked.
"Yeah, I went to see you guys, but it was just Ed. I asked how the notes were coming and if you guys needed any help. He just brushed me off and said you guys could handle it," I said, pulling my knees to my chest and resting my chin on them. "I wanted to come help, but it didn't seem like you needed me. I didn't want to get in your way." Al let a long silence linger before he spoke.
"You should be grateful that you weren't there," he said softly. I sat up slightly to look at him. He looked away.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked worriedly.
"You're better off not knowing," he said, finally meeting my gaze. "Trust us when we say that Marina." His voice was shaking with what seemed like frustration but was as sincere as ever.
I recalled Dr. Marcoh calling it 'the devil's research.' How bad could it have been? I was never able to discern the visions from that part of his life— what happened and why couldn't I see it?
"What did you find?" I asked quietly.
"I can't say. Ed made us promise not to," Al sighed. I exhaled through my nose, irritably.
"Of course he did," I sighed, standing. Al looked at me quizzically.
"Marina, what are you—"
"Al, I've made up my mind; either you give me a boost into that vent, or I scream bloody murder. You and I both know how loud I can scream. You have five seconds. One," I said, putting down a finger.
"Marina, please."
"Two."
"You heard Ed," Al said, waving his hands around for emphasis.
"Three."
"He'd kill me!" he said, standing.
"Four," I said, wiggling my thumb, the last digit standing between me and that vent.
"Fine!" Al exclaimed, exasperated, crouching. "But if Ed asks, I had nothing to do with this. You got up there on your own."
"That's fine by me," I said, climbing onto his shoulder. Luckily, the vent wasn't too high up.
"And you have to promise that you won't leave the vent. This building is supposed to be abandoned, but we don't think it is, so be careful," Al said, as I climbed into the chamber.
"Can do, Al. I'm only going in to get Ed anyway," I said, Al watching nervously to make sure I was safely inside. My voice echoed around me as I army-crawled my way through. I heard a crash and the clanking of metal behind me and looked back to see that Al's face had disappeared from the entrance. "Al?"
"I'm okay, but I have company!" I heard him yell.
"Shit," I cursed. "Al, I'm coming!" I started to scoot back to the opening.
"No! You might get hurt; just go find Ed! I've got this, go!" Al yelled back. I heard more clanking and metal clashing on metal.
"Are you sure?" I called. I got a 'yeah' yelled back at me. "Okay, just don't die!"
I continued into the shaft. I had been crawling for a while when I finally reached a fork in the vent. I looked straight ahead and to the diverting path to my left. Now, if I were Edward Elric, which would I take? I thought to myself. I heard some muffled voices echoing from the left chamber. The one where voices were coming from, I thought as I maneuvered around the sharp corner. My necklace dragged across the metal vent, and the sound was driving me crazy, so I tucked it tightly into my shirt. I kept crawling to the source of noise that eventually became coherent enough to understand— only, the voices I heard were not Ed's.
"How's number forty-eight faring?" asked a person with a raspy and annoying voice.
"Well, so far. I think it's time we check in on him," responded a contrastingly sultry voice, as smooth as velvet.
I eventually reached another vent opening that led to the room the two voices emanated from. Through the slits in the cover, I saw two figures with their backs to me, one with long hair and a dress, and the other in a cropped shirt and a skirt of sorts. I squinted through the slit as they turned around, and I caught a glimpse of each of their faces. When I saw them, I immediately felt a memory migraine come on.
Seriously, right now? I thought as the pain overwhelmed me. I didn't worry much at first, the bulk of recent migraines passing quickly, but this one lingered. It pounded harder and harder until my vision spotted with black, and I started to panic. I tried to remain quiet and conscious as my vision blurred, and my mind went blank. As I lost consciousness, dread swallowed my body into its depths.
***
A small thud echoed into the room as Lust and Envy were about to leave. The sound startled them, and they were on high alert as they looked around.
"What was that," Lust said irritably.
"How should I know?" Envy retorted, looking around the room.
There wasn't much in there save for some lab equipment and some old boxes. A small moan reverberated through the room. Lust and Envy looked to the source, a vent on the far wall. Lust quickly dispatched her talons, aiming them at the vent cover and ripping it clean off the wall. The new opening revealed a sleeping girl, who Lust was about to skewer.
"Woah," Envy said, holding Lust back. Envy bounded over to the wall and utilized an old lab table to be eye level to the opening. Envy waved his hand in front of her face to check that the girl was out cold. "Now, who are you?" Only a small puff of air escaped her mouth as she breathed in and out in response.
"Whoever she is, she can't leave here alive," Lust said, her deadly claws at the ready. Envy turned to her, but after hearing a slapping sound, turned back to the girl and got a hunk of brick to the face. "Envy! She's awake!"
"Yeah, no shit!" Envy said, jumping back to Lust and spitting the copper blood from his mouth. The girl sat partially upright, leaning out of the opening, her hand resting on the brick wall just outside of the vent. "So, you're an alchemist, huh?"
She didn't answer as she clapped her hands again, about to transmute the wall or maybe the vent itself, but Lust grazed the skin on one of her hands, between her thumb and pointer finger. As Lust retracted her talons, the girl was ripped from the vent.
"Ahhh!" she screamed, falling from the opening, slamming against the desk, and shattering some old lab instruments in the process. She groaned as she turned over, and Lust and Envy exchanged a look.
"Didja see that?" Envy laughed. "Aren't ya glad I stopped you from killing her? Father would have been pissed!"
"She's opened the portal. A perfect candidate for sacrifice," Lust said, ignoring Envy, looking to the girl with intrigue.
She managed to clamor off the desk and stood upright, holding the gash on her hand. She began to make a break for the door, and Lust wasted no time pinning her to the wall by the top of her shirt with her spears. The girl's feet dangled slightly above the ground as she whimpered. Envy walked up to her.
"So, who might you be, little miss sacrifice?" he asked. The girl didn't answer and looked past Envy with fearful eyes to the door. Envy blocked her view. "You mute or something?"
"Envy, we don't have time for this," Lust sighed. "If it is the Fullmetal brat out there, we have to make sure forty-eight doesn't kill him." The girl's eyes widened at the mention of the Elric boy, and Envy noticed the reaction, grinning.
"You know the Fullmetal pipsqueak, do you?" Envy asked. The girl frowned and looked as if she were about to clap her bloody hands together. Envy caught her wrists and slammed them against the wall. "Well, why don't you come with us to check on him, hmm?"
In one swift motion, Lust dropped the girl, and she fell directly over Envy's knee. The sudden drop knocked all the wind from her lungs, rendering the girl unconscious once more.
"What an interesting find," Lust said, as Envy hoisted the girl onto his hip.
"Interesting indeed," Envy said. Lust licked her lips with a wicked smile.
***
Ed sat against the pillar, huffing as his opponent spoke.
"I'll tell you everything," he said. Ed was grateful; not only had he fought and won, but he was alive and about to get some real answers. Answers that may allow him to tell Marina what was going on. He couldn't help but grin to himself as Slicer went on. "I'll tell you who made the stone, and who told me to guard this place, and—"
The man was cut off from saying anything further as black spires emerged from the darkness and impaled the armored head. Ed gasped and groaned as he tried to move. The spires retracted to the form of a woman, with coiled hair and an odd tattoo on her chest.
"My, my, that was a close call. Number forty-eight, you should know better than to disclose things that don't concern you," she said in a sultry tone. "How'd you even find this place, boy?" With little effort, she tore the helmet into two, breaking the blood seal inside. Ed stared in disbelief as another figure emerged from the shadows.
"Brother! Brother!" the other Slicer called.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Fullmetal pipsqueak," a skinny man in a crop top with strangely angular green hair said. Ed was so focused on his strange appearance; he almost didn't notice the girl swinging limply at his side. "She a friend of yours?" The man swung her roughly. Blood dripped down from her hand and splattered across the floor as she moved.
"Marina!" Ed called to the unconscious girl, gritting his teeth. He moved to stand as the man came closer.
"Ah, so she does have a name. She wasn't much of a talker, but she'll make for a good sacrifice anyway," the strange man said, picking up the blade that had already dealt Ed a great deal of damage. He stabbed the blood seal of the body of armor, quieting the voice coming from it. Marina bobbed in his grasp with each stab. "How dare you almost kill an important sacrifice! What would we have done then? They're few and far between. The plan would have been ruined!" He adjusted Marina as he stepped over the man and walked up to Ed.
Sacrifice? What plan are they talking about? Do they work with the masked man? What the hell is going on here, Ed thought to himself, clutching his side.
"Who are you people," Ed said as the man and woman approached him. "What do you mean sacrifice, and plan? What have you done to Marina?"
"Aw, did I make the pipsqueak angry?"
"Don't call me pipsqueak," Ed said, glaring at him. I have to get Marina out of here, he thought, shooting a look at the oblivious girl. I've lost a lot of blood, and I can't fight much longer.
"I wonder what I should call you instead," the man said, kneeling and setting Marina on the floor. She rolled onto her back, and the man grabbed her face, squeezing it. "Maybe she'd have an idea or two."
"Don't you touch her!" Ed yelled, kicking at the man who jumped back.
"Oh ho, touchy! There's no need to fight. Someone may get hurt," the man shrugged. Ed stood protectively in front of Marina.
"This is a fight that you started, so let's go!" he challenged. His anger overtook his logic as he clapped his hands together, and an unfortunate pop sound signaled that his automail was out of commission. Ed yelled in a mix of disbelief and frustration. Shit, what happened? he thought to himself, completely unable to move his right arm.
"Technical difficulties," the woman commented smugly.
"Lucky me!" the man said, jogging back up to Ed. He took a careful step back as the man grabbed the bulk of his braid and laid his knee into Ed's gut. Ed gagged as his vision began to blur. He vaguely heard the two unknown people talking.
"You're fortunate your arm's broken— if not for that, you wouldn't get off so easily. Hmm? What's this?" the man said, twisting Ed's braid around. "Wouldn't have pegged you for the girly type pipsqueak, but I guess strawberry suits you." He dropped Ed to the floor next to Marina.
"Listen to me well, boy, and don't forget it; we allowed you both to live," she said, her arms crossed. Ed growled at the woman but could feel himself fading. "We can't have them poking around here anymore. Blow it up."
The last thing Ed remembered was the strange array on the wall and the way that stray strands of golden hair connected the freckles of Marina's face like constellations.
***
When I came to, I was lying in the grass outside of the abandoned building. There was a loud and constant rumbling mixed with other voices. I opened my eyes to a dust cloud that covered the grounds.
"Marina!" I heard Al say. I looked up and was comforted by the familiar face.
"Al, what's going on?" I asked frantically. I remembered how I left him. "Are you alright?"
"Help me with him!" I heard another voice say.
"I'm alright. We have to get out of here; the building is collapsing," Al said, helping me to sit up. "Can you stand?"
"Yeah, I think so," I answered.
He stood and took my hand, and I inhaled sharply. I retracted from his grasp and noticed the bloodied tear in my skin. I gave him my other hand instead, and he pulled me up. The rumbling reverberated through my entire body. I looked around and saw Ross holding onto Ed, who was bloody and unconscious. My eyes widened in panic.
"That man, he's gone," she said as she lifted Ed onto Brosch's back.
"Ed!" I called, losing my balance. Al steadied me, and I looked up to him worriedly.
"Let's move!" Ross called back to us.
We ran as far from the collapsing building as we could. When we were far enough away, Ross was able to make a call at a phone booth for a car to the hospital. Brosh did his best to wrap up my hand with a cloth. The fit in the car was tight, so we laid Ed over Ross's and my lap. I brushed his bangs from his bloody face, willing him to wake up. He had lost a decent amount of blood, and it seemed most of it caked the side of his face. His skin felt cold, and his breathing was shallow. I bit my lip and tried to focus on wiping the blood from his face with the handkerchief Ross handed me. The ride to the hospital was quiet.
***
When we arrived, they admitted Ed right away. Al went back with him and the doctors. Ross, Brosh, and I sat in the waiting room on edge. They both demanded an explanation, and when I finished, I got an earful.
"I cannot believe you kids," Ross seethed in the chair across from me. "And you, especially, I had more faith in you. Just what were you thinking?" I slunk into my chair.
"I wasn't," I mumbled.
"Yeah, you weren't! If you saw them sneak out, you should have gotten us! Anything could have happened to you," she sighed.
"I didn't want to tattle. They're already hiding something from me. The last thing I want is to be completely cut off. They're all I have," I said, clenching my fists.
My face contorted at the idea of losing either of the boys. I refused to cry. Ross sighed and migrated over to the seat next to me. She wrapped her arm around me and pulled me in so that my head laid on her shoulder.
"I bet you were scared," she said. I nodded slightly, my face scratching against her uniform. "That strange man, you called him Envy, right? He brought you back to us."
"Yeah, but he also knocked me out. I don't understand who they are, but I know both he and that woman who was with him are pure evil. They called me a sacrifice."
"I remember you saying that. He had called Edward one too," she said, pulling me closer. "I'm just grateful you're all safe. You can't even begin to imagine how worried I was when both rooms were empty."
"Sorry," I sniffled.
"She was about ready to lose it," Brosh said with a chuckle. I snorted as I imagined Ross on a rampage.
"I would have if you'd been missing any longer. But you're all back."
"Ed and Al are going to get the same speech since this is their fault anyway, right?" I asked, looking up to Ross, who laughed.
"Course they are," Brosh answered for her.
"How did you guys even know we were there?" I asked.
The two soldiers looked worriedly at one another. A nurse came up to us, diverting our attention.
"For Edward Elric?" she said, looking at her clipboard.
"Yes," Ross said, releasing me. "How is he?"
"He's fine, just resting up right now. He's allowed visitors, but you should be quiet if you go in since he's asleep."
"Thank you, Ma'am," Brosh said, saluting her with Ross. I stood with them, and the nurse saw my poorly wrapped hand.
"Oh dear, what's this?" she said, placing the clipboard under her arm.
She reached out for my hand and unwrapped it, revealing the gash. I was planning on using my necklace to heal it, but I couldn't very well do it in the waiting room of a crowded hospital.
"It's not that bad. Just a little cut," I said to the nurse. "I'd like to go be with Ed and Al."
"Well, we can arrange that and clean you up. How's that sound?" she smiled warmly.
I looked back to the two soldiers, and they nodded. She walked us to Ed's room, where doctors had just finished patching him up.
"Marina, we're going to keep watch out here," Ross said. I nodded solemnly. She put her hand on my head. "Hey, it's going to be alright."
"Yeah," I said, forcing a smile.
They knew something too. I followed the nurse into the room. Al sat silently in a chair in the corner and he looked up as I entered the room. I waved, and he waved back. The nurse addressed Al as she sat me down next to him.
"If you don't mind, I'm going to patch your friend up. She wanted to be here, and I wanted her to get this checked out, so it's a win-win," she said in a cheerful whisper.
"Sure," he nodded numbly.
The nurse wheeled a slightly squeaky cart over and set my hand down on the table-top. She completely unwrapped the cloth and washed the wound out with water. Then came the anti-septic.
"This may sting," she said, pouring a ton of the strong-smelling alcohol over the gash. I inhaled sharply and bit down on the inside of my cheek to keep from making noise. Al looked over as she worked. She moved my hand around, inspecting the cut. "This may need a stitch or two."
"Ah, no, I'm okay, thanks," I said, trying to pull away.
"Let me go get a doctor to see. I'll be right back," she said, standing. She left the room and left me in a panic.
"Okay, so needles are a 'no' from me," I said, pulling my necklace from my shirt. "I'm going to fix this myself." Al seemed uncomfortable.
"Marina, you shouldn't," he said in a hushed tone.
"Why not?" I asked, looking into his red orbs. He looked away at his sleeping brother and didn't answer me. "Does it have something to do with what you guys found?"
"I can't tell you," Al whispered angrily. "So, just drop it."
He stood up and left the room as the nurse came back with the doctor, and I put the stone away. It turned out I didn't need stitches after all; the surgical tape alone would work fine. The nurse finished wrapping my hand up, and she and the doctor left the room. I clenched and unclenched my left hand, my thumb moving slightly worse than the rest of my hand. I pulled my necklace out again and stared at it, wondering to myself just what it was that those boys found.