"Evelyn? Evelyn!" Someone shook me awake as they called my name to wake me up.
I woke up, dazed. I was resting my cheek on my hand as I stretched, wiping the drool that formed in the corner of my mouth. "What did I miss?" I yawned, smacking my lips.
"You fell asleep?!" Edward cried.
"Hey, I went on a early train and didn't come back until late at night!" I whined. "Cut me some slack from falling asleep!"
"Evelyn, couldn't you slept on the train?" Alphonse asked.
"Right...why didn't I think of that?" I laughed dryly. Trains frighten me and make me anxious, especially after what happened with Grace. When I went home on the late train last night with the Colonel Mustang, I kept asking him if the train was okay every time there was a turn, which, he annoyingly replied with yes each time. It's worse when I'm alone. I cling to my seat for dear life and clench my teeth, holding my breath wth every turn. Because of my anxiety, sleeping on the train, no matter how tired I am, is impossible unless someone drugs me.
Edward, Alphonse, the Colonel Mustang, and I were in a car. Colonel cleared his throat. "As I was saying, Shou Tucker was an alchemist who could make Chimeras," He explained. "He also claimed that he made a talking Chimera."
"Is the talking Chimera still there?" Edward asked.
The Colonel shook his head, "No. The first and last one he made, which he presented at his exam, said 'I want to die'. It refused to eat, and its wish came true."
"Why are we going to this man's house?" Edward asked. "I thought we had tickets to Liore until we got sidetracked with Freezer."
"While you were on that mission, I sent Clockwork to that desert city and investigate it herself," the Colonel stated, nodding at me. "Clockwork, why don't you explain what you found?"
"The man there who supposedly had the Philosopher Stone had plans behind it," I shrugged. "But it turned out to be a fake. Going there would of been a waste of time for you two."
"Aw," Alphonse an Edward dropped their heads in despair, another lead leading them to a dead end.
We arrived at the Tucker's house. Once we stepped out of the car, I gawked at the "house". Rather, it was more like a mansion. "This house is huge!" Edward gasped.
The Colonel rang the doorbell, "Fullmetal, are you just going to stand there? Come on."
"Right!" Edward said, taking a step forward. A big shadow loomed over him and he looked up. A huge golden retriever jumped onto Edward. He screamed in shock.
"Brother, are you okay?" Alphonse asked.
"I'm fine," Edward choked from underneath the massive dog.
The door opened. A little girl with light brown braids was at the door. "Lots of visitors!" She laughed.
Shou Tucker appeared behind her, "Nina, this is why I tell to keep Alexander tied up," He scolded.
*~*~*~*~*~
When we managed to get Alexander off of Edward, we entered the house. In the kitchen, I could see the growing mountain of dirty dishes, which reeked even where I was standing, the bookshelves in the living room were jam packed with books in a not so organized fashion with books even piling up beside the shelf, and a thick layer of dust covered everything. "Ah, sorry about the mess," Tucker apologized sheepishly. "Ever since my wife ran on me, the house has been like this."
He served all of us tea. "Once again, it's a pleasure to meet you, Edward," He smiled. "As you know already, I'm the Sewing Life Alchemist, Shou Tucker."
"He's interested in transmuting living things," Colonel said. "He said he would love to have a look at your research."
I tilted my head to the side. Transmuting living things? I still got a lot to learn about what I missed about these brothers. "Sure, I don't mind," Tucker replied. Edward and Alphonse exchanged a smile, glad another lead was going down the right path. "However..."He added. "If you want to see what I have up my sleeve, I'll have to see what you got up your sleeve, too. That's what it is to be an alchemist. Why are you interested in transmuting living things?"
"Well, uh, he's..." the Colonel panicked.
"Colonel...let me explain," Edward sighed.
"Brother..." Alphonse not-so-subtly whispered to Edward, tilting his head at me. Edward made an oh face.
The Colonel got the message as well. "Um...Clockwork, why don't you step outside for a bit?" He suggested.
"Eh?" I whined. "What so secretive about what Ed has to say that I can't know?"
"Evelyn...it's..." Edward started, unsure how to put it as.
"Hmph," I turned my head away, pouting. "As your bodyguard and best friend, I have rights too! I should know!"
"Clockwork, as an order from your superior officer, please step outside for a bit," Colonel Mustang said sharply.
"Fine," I sighed, pushing back my chair and getting up, taking a few steps back before turning around and plugging my ears.
"Clockwork!" Colonel snapped.
"Alright!" I threw my arms up in defeat as I trudged out of the room and opened the door.
As I shut it, I glanced back and saw Colonel rubbing his temples. "If there's one thing I learned about parenting it's patience with your kid..." he grumbled.
"Tell me about it..." Tucker chuckled back.
*~*~*~*~*~
I rocked back and forth on my feet, waiting for the four to finish. Tucker finally opened the door and let the three out, escorting them somewhere. Deciding now I could be wth then, I followed them into a large library with a lab. In the lab part there were shoveled with jars full of various animal parts in preservative liquids as well as caged Chimeras. "Oh, his embarrassing," Shou laughed. "I'm popularly regarded as some authority on Chimeras, but the truth is, it hasn't been going all that well."
He led us to another room which was a huge library, which was organized unlike the bookshelves in the living room. "Wow!" Edward's eyes widen.
"This is my materials room," Shou said. "Feel free to look around."
"I'll start with this shelf!" Edward said.
"And I'll start with this one!" Alphonse added.
"I'm going back to work now," Colonel Mustang stated. "I'll send someone by this evening to pick you two up. Clockwork, it's time to go back."
"Whaaaat?" I whined again. "But who's gonna be there when something happens?"
"Clockwork, they're in a contained room with a very skilled alchemist," Colonel assured. "I highly doubt anything would happen. And if something were to happen, they have all the protection they need."
"So you're saying I'm not tough enough to protect them in a freaking library?" I pouted.
"That's not what I--" Colonel started, a vein forming from my whining.
"Actually," Tucker cut into our argument. "I have been seeking someone to watch my daughter and her dog. If your daughter--"
"Niece," Colonel corrected.
"Niece, I apologize," Tucker continued. "If your niece isn't content to go back with you, I am more than welcome to have her here and watch the kid."
*~*~*~*~*~
"Well this is awkward," I grumbled. Nina sat, cross-legged next to me as her dog was sleeping next to her. I had my knees pulled to my chest ad we already spent a good hour just staring at each other intently, as if we were taking a silent examination of each other.
"...you like books?" I asked her, just to break the silence. "How about we get a book from here and--"
"Daddy's library doesn't have any books for me," she explained.
"Alright then. I think I saw you had a large yard. How about we got out and--"
"No."
"Well then, what do you want to do?"
Nina got up and waddled away, peeking around some shelves. "Hey, leave them alone!" I reminded. "They're busy at work--"
But when I peeked around the corner, Alphonse was staring back at her. She gasped and hid behind the shelves again. "Hey, it's okay," I assured. "Alphonse here is a nice boy in a suit of armor to protect himself."
"Like...a knight in shining armor?" She asked, a small sparkle to her eyes. Just like Grace.
"Yeah," I smiled back.
Nina peeked around the corner again and grinned at Alphonse. He put down the book he was reading and hosted Nina up onto his shoulders, jogging in place so she bounced up and down on his shoulders. "Way up high!" He laughed.
"Al! What are you doing?" A voice yelled. Alphonse stopped what he was doing and turned to the source of the voice. It was Edward. "You're supposed to be reading!"
"Nina looked like she wanted to play," Alphonse justified.
"Well, she can do that with Evelyn. And Evelyn, yore doing a lousy job at babysitting--" Just as Edward was about to scold me when an all-to-familiar shadow loomed over Ed. It was Alexander again. It jumped on Edward and he screamed with shock again.
"Alexander says he wants to play too!" Nina giggled as Alexander licked Ed's face.
"You got some nerve," Edward smirked as he got up. "They say that a lion uses all his strength to hunt even a rabbit. So I, Edward Elric, will use my whole body and soul to take you on, you beast of a dog!" Edward chased down Alexander. I facepalmed. Alphonse sighed as Nina laughed on his shoulders.
*~*~*~*~*~
"Ed, what are you doing down there?" Havoc asked. He was part of the usual squad of soldiers that Colonel created his team from. He probably sent Havoc here to pick us up.
"Let's just say I'm taking a little study break," Edward choked from underneath the dog, another loss at wrestling most likely due to his height.
"Well, after all that studying, you must be dog-tired," Shou laughed as I groaned at the pun he made. "Take a rest. Come back tomorrow if you need to."
"Are you coming back?" Nina asked.
"Of course," Al said.
"Let's play some more tomorrow," I smiled.
Edward, Alphonse, and I walked to our ride back home while Havoc was talking to Shou.
*~*~*~*~*~
"So your mother let two years ago?" I asked. Edward Alphonse, Nina and I sat in a circle as Nina was telling us about her family.
"Daddy says she went back to her parents' house," Nina explained.
"It must be lonesome around here," Alphonse said.
"It's fine," She hugged Alexander, stroking his light golden fur. "Daddy is nice to me, and I have Alexander! But lately, Daddy has been in his lab all the time. I am a bit lonely."
Edward suddenly shut his book. He got up, yawned, stretched, and rolled his shoulders. "Ah, my shoulders a stiff," He groaned.
"Brother, you should get some exercise," Alphonse suggested.
"That's a good idea," Edward grinned as he pointed at Alexander. "Hey dog!" He yelled. Alexander got up when he heard he was being called for. "You look like you need some exercise!" He barked.
"Why don't you come with us?" I asked. Nina broke out into a smile and nodded.
*~*~*~*~*~
Soon, we were outside. Nina was chasing us while riding on her dog like a horse. Edward turned his automail arm into a puppet version of him with alchemy and started chasing us around. Nina went and slid down Alphonse's back as if it was slide. I made her a flower crown with the flowers growing in the garden, like what my sister used to do to me. Then, someone grabbed my shoulders. "Boo!" They yelled.
I screamed and dropped the flower crown. I whipped around to see Edward laughing. "You shoulda seen your face!"
I growled and was about to slap him when Alexander came to my rescue and jumped on Edward. "Is this what I get for scaring you?" He asked hoarsely. I smiled and laughed, nodding. As I looked back at Nina, who was laughing at Edward, I saw Grace again and I smiled softly. It was like the old days back at Resembool again.
*~*~*~*~*~
Nina was asleep with her dog, exhausted from today. Tucker sighed, getting sentimental as we all gathered in the kitchen, waiting for our ride back. "Our life before earning my state certification was terrible," he explained. "We were so poor. My wife couldn't put up living like that, so she left us. I have to pass the assessment, no matter what. I don't ever want to go back to those days again."
"Don't worry, Dad!" Nina groggily said, waking up. "If they say no, Alexander and I will get mad at those important people."
"Nina, you sure are confident," I laughed.
"Hey, Nina," Tucker asked. "Do you want to play with Daddy tomorrow?"
"Really?!" She gasped.
"Yeah."
"Hooray! Alexander! Daddy is going to play with all of us tomorrow!"
Alexander barked back a reply. Edward, Alphonse, and I smiled. Man, I never knew how much I missed those old days until now.
*~*~*~*~*~
Edward rung the doorbell at the Tucker's house. It looked like it was going to rain soon, so we hoped that they'll open quick. Nobody replied. I knocked on the door and it opened. "The door isn't locked..." I muttered as we stepped in. Inside was cold and lonely. No sign of anyone here. In fact, it looked like the house was abandoned. "Hello?" I called, "Nina? We came back to play!"
"In here!" Tucker yelled at us from somewhere.
We entered his lab. There he stood with a Chimera. It looked like to be a light golden creature with blank, white eyes and matted brown hair. Tucker was smiling. "I did it," He smiled. "This is the finished product. A Chimera that understands human speech." He turned to the Chimera. "Look there. Listen to me. That's Edward."
"Ed...ward..." the Chimera muttered.
"Yes, good!" Shou petted its head.
"That's so cool!" I said. "It really talks!" Edward kneeled down by the Chimera to get a closer look.
"Yeah," He laughed. "Now I won't have to lose my state certification."
"Ed...ward..." The Chimera looked at Ed, "Ed...ward...Ed...ward...big...bro..ther..."
Big brother?
What?
Edward's eyes widened in realization as he stood up from kneeling at the Chimera. "Mr. Tucker," he asked. "When did your wife leave you?"
"About two years ago," He replied. "Why?"
"When did you make your first talking Chimera and got your state certification?" Edward asked another question.
"Two years ago, also," Tucker replied once more.
"I'm going to ask one more question," Edward's face dropped before lifting it back up, an angered expression on his face. "Where are Nina and Alexander?!" He demanded.
Tucker didn't answer as he looked away before gritting his teeth. "Damn it, I hate it when people like you catch in so quickly!" He yelled.
Edward slammed Tucker against the wall and held his elbow over his throat. "First, you used your wife as a Chimera experiment to get your license!" Edward yelled as he began to punch Tucker for every sin he committed. "Then, Nina and Alexander are gone! And now we find out you fused them both to make a Chimera! There are limits to animal experimentation, after all!"
Alphonse and I gasped as we gazed at the Chimera, finally catching on. "It's easier to use humans, right?" Edward screamed.
"What are you getting so upset about?" Tucker laughed as he chocked on blood. "Mankind's progress has been the result of countless human experiments, right? If you think about it that way..."
"Shut up!" Edward screamed. "Do you think you can get away with something like this? Toying around wth a person's life like this?"
"A person's life?" Tucker laughed manically. "Yes, a person's life, indeed. Just look at you, Fullmetal Alchemist and your brother. You had plenty of experience messing around--"
"No!" Edward screeched, punching Tucker some more. His glasses cracked and flew off.
"We both are one in the same!"
"No, we aren't!"
"Yes we are! We saw the opportunity in front of us and took it, even though we knew it was taboo!"
"No! I don't...Alchemists don't...I'm not....I'm not..."
Edward was losing it in his blinding rage. "Edward!" I screamed, in fear he would kill Tucker and then we would have an even bigger problem at hand.
"Brother!" Alphonse yelled in sync with me.
I grabbed Edward from behind and hugged him, restraining him. "Any more, and he'll die!" Alphonse shouted.
Edward took a good look at Tucker's face. He was black and blue and his face was swollen in several places. The Nina-
Alexander Chimera trotted up to their father. "Daddy?" It asked, nudging Tucker with its snout, having vague memories of the wretched man being her father. "Are you hurt? Daddy, are you hurt?"
"Is..is it reversible?" I asked hoarsely.
"I'm sorry," Alphonse shook his head. "Even with our power, we can't return you back to normal."
I covered my mouth in horror with my hand as tears welled up. Alphonse petted the Chimera to comfort it. "Let's play. Let's play," it repeated like a broken record.
"I made it," Tucker sighed with relief, insane now. He held his pocket watch in his hand. "I can retain my State Alchemist license!"
Edward scoffed and kicked the pocket watch out of Tucker's hand. Tucker desperately climbed after it and cradled it in his hand. "A State Alchemist! Like hell you are!"
"Let's play," Nina-Alexander Chimera repeated again.
Edward glanced back at the wretched thing Tucker had created before screaming, "DAMN IT!!!"
*~*~*~*~*~
It rained harder than when we had arrived. It's pouring, actually. Matches the atmosphere of the house after we saw what had happened. Colonel Mustang stood outside, talking with some military personnel as he secured the perimeter so Tucker couldn't escape and they could arrest him. Alphonse and Edward were sitting at the porch stairs, depressed as I stood next to them. He and Hawkeye stepped out of the house and trudged down the stairs slowly in the rain. "If there was ever an act of the devil's work in this world, this case would definitely have to be it," she mumbled.
"The devil, huh?" Colonel,Mustang remarked. "Then again, State Alchemists must be willing to act, and not refuse when ordered to take another's life. As far as dealing with other's lives, Tucker's actions and our own positions are not all that far apart. And we chose this path, knowing that full well. Isn't that right, Fullmetal?" He and Hawkeye stopped beside our positions on the stairs.
"You will probably come across other cases like this one later on," Colone ,Mustang continued on his merry way down the stairs with his Lieutenant. "Are you going to come to a standstill like this each time when it happens? Look at Evelyn-she's taking the event better than you are."
That's cause I'm faking this straight face, I thought grumpily as I tried to remain emotionless, rain drops hitting my head and sliding down my face. At least it hid the few tears I shed. I thought back to my promise I made with my certification. Even with all this power I had, I still was powerless when it came to saving a little girl's life. It was like Grace all over again.
"Whether we get called Dogs of the Military or cursed as devils, we're not devils, let alone gods. We're human," Edward said as she stood up, turning his head up to face the crying sky. "WE'RE HUMAN!!!" He repeated, screaming so everyone could hear him.
Mustang and Hawkeye were already at the bottom of the stairs and chatting with the guards stationed at the gates of the house. "We can't even save one little girl," Edward cursed. "We're just insignificant humans."
Easy for you to say, I thought, glancing back at him, showing life for the first time in hours. I looked down sadly. You've never been responsible for the death of your sibling.
"Fullmetal! Clockwork!" Colonel yelled. "We're done here. Are you coming?"
"Right!" I said, going down the stairs as I approached my uncle, sneezing as I did so.
"Geez, kid, you didn't have to fake you weren't cold," he sighed, patting my head.
I sniffled, rubbing my nose. I'm glad at least he didn't see me grieving over Nina's death as well. Putting his hand behind my back, he lead me away back to Eastern Command as we returned home, another day done and another mission accomplished.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Oh my god...watching that scene made me cry like crazy.