According to the note Dr. Marcoh gave them, all his information was located at the First Branch library. I remembered I had an acquaintance there by the name of Miss Sheska, who loves to read, so I decided to stop by her house to see if I had any luck there. I'm hoping that she ran into some of Marcoh's notes. I knocked at her apartment door. "Miss Sheska?" I called. "Are you home?"
I opened a door, surprised that it wasn't locked, to see a mountain of books greeting me There were towers upon towers of books stacked so high, that even if a feather grazed it the whole thing would tip over. "What the...?" I sputtered, sucking in my breath so I could be as thin as possible as I navigated through the labyrinth. "Miss Sheska? Are you here?"
"Oh!" A voice called, finally hearing me. "In here!"
I saw some scrawny arms waving in the room, gesturing that she was here. Careful not to bump into any of the towers, I slid my way around the small path between the books. "Miss Sheska!" I yelled. "Miss Sheska! Where are you?"
I turned around and was face-to-face with a brown-haired girl with glasses. I screamed out of fright. She screamed and fell backwards, bumping into one of the book towers and clumsily knocking off her glasses. "I'm so sorry!" I cried, helping her up. "Are you okay, Miss Sheska?"
"Yes, I am," She was squatting, feeling the ground with her hands. "Can you help me find my glasses? I'm blind without them."
I saw a pair of thin glasses on the ground and picked them up. "Are these yours?" I asked as I handed them to her.
She put them on and smiled, "Yes, they are! Thank you! What do you need--"
"Uh, Miss Sheska?"
"Yes?"
"Is that tower of books meant to be swaying?"
"Huh?"
She turned around and the mountain of books fell on top of us. "AH!!!" We screamed.
"Help!" Miss Sheska yelled. "I can't find my glasses or my hand!"
"Our hands are stuck above the pile of books!" I replied.
"HELP!!! SOMEBODY!!! SAVE US!!! I CAN'T SEE!!! THERE'S BARELY ANY AIR DOWN HERE!!! WE'RE GOING TO SUFFOCATE!!! WE'RE GOING TO DIE!!!"
"Stop screaming and thrashing around! You're going to use up more oxygen!"
"Okay...so what do we do now?"
"Uh...wait for help?"
*~*~*~*~*~
We sat patiently inside the pile of books, waiting for help. I waved my hand that was stuck outside the book pile like some surrender flag, which it technically was since I wore white gloves, hoping we draw the attention of anybody. But, I knew it was hopeless. All the neighbors were at work so no one would hear our hollers. I just hope Edward and Alphonse would come here once they've visited First Branch to see Miss Sheska, since she is infamous down there...
I heard the door to the room open. I nudged Miss Sheska. "Look, someone's here!" I whispered.
She smiled with relief and we listened some more to see who it was. "What is with this mountain of books?" Someone gasped. It was Edward. "Evie? Are you here? Where are you?"
"It there really someone living here?" Grunted another voice, as if they were also making their way between the books. It sounded like...Sergeant Brosh?
"Miss Sheska?" Called another voice, which sounded like it belonged to Second Lieutenant Maria Ross. "Are you here? Miss Sheska? Is Evelyn with you?"
I nudged her again. "Call for help!" I said.
"Is someone there?!" Sheska cried.
"Please, help us!" I yelled.
"Hm?" A hallow voice asked.
"Alphonse!" I gasped.
"Brother, there's someone...no...there are some people buried here!" Alphonse cried.
Everyone began to freak as I felt pressure above us. Did they dive onto the books? "Dig! Dig! Dig this place up!" Edward ordered. "Hang in there!"
The books above us began to lighten up and soon, I rose up like a zombie from its tomb, book on top on my head, gasping at the fresh air, glad I could breathe again. Miss Sheska emegred as well, leaping out from the pile of books and bowing down, apologizing like crazy, "I'm so sorry for giving you guys a scare! Sometimes, I get buried under a pile of books that I accidentally knock over from the towers, if you already figured it out. That's what happened today and Evelyn and I got buried. I thought I was going to suffocate down there! Thank you so much!"
"Ed...Al...Ross...Brosh...this is Sheska...from the First Branch library..." I panted.
Miss Sheska pushed me to the side and started squealing, "Oh, the First Branch, how I loved that place! You see, I loved books since I was born! But, I always ended up reading instead of working, so I got fired. I wanted a job so badly so I could get my sick mother to a better hospital, but I was a klutz at everything except reading. I am really a scum of the society!"
"Sheska...Ed and Al came here to ask you something..." I said, emerging again, a red mark on my check where she pushed me in her excitement.
"Did you every come across some research papers belong to a man named Tim Marcoh?" Edward asked.
"Tim Marcoh..." She pondered. "Tim Marcoh...yes, I have!"In fact, I've read all of them!"
"That's good news, they were at the library, right?" Edward asked again, excited.
"Yup!" She nodded.
"Also good news...but the library was burned down, so now we can't read the papers," Edward and Alphonse collapsed and sighed at the false hope they had.
"You know...I have this weird ability that I can memorize stuff I read," she added. "I memorized those notes after I them a couple of times. Would you like me to right them down?"
"Wait...you can?!" Edward sputtered.
"Yes, I can," she said. But, it may take me a couple of days to write them down since I've read them a long time ago, and not all of it may be accurate..."
"OH, THANK YOU!" Edward sobbed comical tears, shaking Miss Sheska's hand furiously as Alphonse cheered. "THANK YOU! YOU ARE THE BEST!!!"
*~*~*~*~*~
Miss Sheska placed a whole table full of notes down in first if us. "Tim Marcoh's research notes, copied word-by-word!" She announced proudly.
"Wow, this...this is really incredible!" I cried.
"Wow, there are really amazing people out there!" Alphonse breathed.
"These are really his notes..." Edward whispered, almost on the verge of squealing as he picked up one of the packets.
"Can I skim through one of them?" I asked.
"Sure!" Alphonse said.
I picked up one of the packets and flipped the cover page up. "100 Daily Recipes by...Dr. Marcoh? What the...?!" Ross and Brosh gawked when I read it aloud. "1 cup of sugar...wow, these really are 1,000 daily recipes, Ed, you should of been more specific on what notes you wanted...now we got to sort through all of this for what you guys want."
"So, all we have is a wild goose chase?" Brosh sighed, flipping through one of them as well.
"This is actually great!" Edward replied, as if these were exactly what he was looking for. "I wanted all of his notes." He picked up a stack then put it down. "Oh, wait, I almost forgot your payment!"
Edward took out a scrap of paper and tossed it at Ross along with his watch. "Maria, here's my ID and number, go to the bank and withdraw out that amount if money I'm giving to Sheska."
"Okay..." She replied as we carried the stacks of papers back to the car and drove to the Central Command.
*~*~*~*~*~
"Are these cookbooks really research notes about alchemy?" Brosh asked.
"Alchemy can be dangerous and misused if given to the wrong person," Edward replied. "That's why alchemists code their notes so that no one can know what they really mean. To some ordinary people, this is a recipe, but to us, they're full of information heavily hidden behind this code."
"If only the writer knows what they mean, how are you going to be able to decipher them?"
"With knowledge and insight. The rest is intensive, arduous work."
"Wow, that's mind-boggling."
I picked up of the packets, flipped to the first page and skimmed it once again. "I can agree..." I sighed, confused once again.
"Al!" Edward cried, already diving into and concentrating on his work. "There's a section on squab here!"
"Pigeons?" Al replied, turning around from the books he was examining. "You don't suppose that means..."
"Yeah, it might refer to the Green Lion, the philosopher's month. Did you bring over Flamel's Codex, or Lambspring's Concerning the Philosopher's Stone?"
"Of course!"
"All right. Look here. And here too, right?"
"You're right. And maybe here too."
"Yeah. All right, let's get to this!"
"Look at them," I laughed. "They're off in their own world already."
Lieutenant Hawkeye came in and Brosh and Ross saluted. "Joyce, Colonel Mustang wants you," she stated.
"N-Now?" I stuttered.
"Now," she repeated.
*~*~*~*~*~
"There has been sightings of strange shadows over at Fifth Laboratory," Colonel Mustang sated.
"Strange shadows...?" I asked. "What kind of shadows?"
"According to the patrolling soldiers, they appear to be shadows of moving suits of armor. The soldiers there are convinced that the place is haunted."
"I highly doubt the place is haunted..."
"I do as well, which is why I'm sending you there to investigate the matter. They're some theories that we already came up with to explain the strange phenomenon. Either the moving suits of armor have somebody inside, playing a prank, or they are in the same situation as Alphonse here."
"Right," I nodded, before remembering something. "Wait, isn't Fifth Laboratory off-limits to all soldiers, right?" I fretted. "Then they will most likely not let me in!"
"Just tell them you are on the order of me to search the place," he assured.
"And if they don't?"
"I'm sure you will find some sort of loophole to respond to the situation."
"Okay, then..."
*~*~*~*~*~
I arrived at the entrance of Fifth Laboratory and the guards there, blocking the front entrance. "I'm afraid the place is off-limits to a soldier like you," One of them said. "Go home. It's late."
"I'm here on the order of Lieutenant Colonel Mustang," I stated, holding out my pocket watch. "I am Evelyn Joyce, the Clockwork Alchemist."
"Sorry Miss, alchemist or not, or sent by the Colonel, we can't let you in," One of them repeated.
I bit my lip, trying to think up of another way without breaking in. A little spark ran through my body as I remembered what the Colonel said the patrolling soldiers believed about the place. "Well, you got to let me in," I cheekily smiled. "This place is haunted, right? I'm here to see if it is or not. And if it is...well, don't you rather have the ghost take my soul instead of yours?"
The soldiers paled, one of them even turning blue. They stepped to the side. "R-Right this way, M-Miss..." They stammered.
I stepped in, a devilish grin on my face. "Thanks," I snickered.
*~*~*~*~*~
I walked through the long and empty corridor, eyes looking back and forth to spot anything suspicious. All that filled the hallway were my footsteps. It was dark, nothing lighting the way. There were some candelabras, but all of them had burnt out or melted candles left behind, indicating that this place hasn't been used in a very long, long, long time.
Eventually, I came at a crossroad. "Which way to go..." I muttered, looking down at both roads.
One of them had a light peeking through the end, and I decided it was best to search there first. I went down that road and turned up in a big room. Fresh candles lit up the place, indicating that it has been used, or currently being used. A giant transmutation circle sat in the center, old and dried bloodstains splattered all over. I took a step back in shock. "What the...?"
I heard a voice behind me, "Dearie, you aren't supposed to be here."
I turned around, narrowly escaping death by a axe-wielding, fur-lined tunic-wearing suit of armor. In the empty sockets for eyes, two pink dots appeared, telling me that there was something inside of it. "What are you?!" I shouted, pulling out my sword and striking it.
It blocked my attack with its axe, which I noticed now had some old, dried blood on it as well. "Just a guard here," it stated. "I see you've caught the attention of the other one here as well."
"Other one...?" I muttered as I turned around, having to jump away as another suit of armor, this one wearing pieces of cloth on its armor almost like a chiton brought its sword down as if it was going to me from behind but ended up crossing blades with the fur-tunic one.
I drew out both swords, ready to take on the two. the two charged straight at me. I held out one sword to block the axe-wielding one will engaging in a short sword-dance with the chiton-wearing one. The axe one began striking at my sword and I blocked the other as I pushed the tunic one back. Once I had pushed the other back, the cloth one began to jab at me and I jumped to dodge the attacks. He landed a cut at my forearm and I cried, gripping the wound, blood already soaking the shirt. "You know," I panted. "You two are really agile for wearing big, heavy suits iof armor."
"That's because we don't have anything inside," the axe-wielding one stated. The two began to close in on me and I took a step back. Shit... I though. I've got to distract these guys and make a run for it. I need backup!
Sheathing both swords, I clapped my bloody hands and slammed them on the ground, creating an explosion. The suits of armor shouted, trying to coordinate an attack and trying to find me in the smoke and fire. I snuck away quietly, arriving back at the corridor I came out of from.
Suddenly, a hand appeared over my mouth, covering it along with my nose with some sort of cloth. Suspecting it had chemicals on it, I tried not to breath but due to the panic of having both my airways covered, I freaked out, inhaling whatever was on the cloth.
A strong smell entered my nostrils and I began to feel sleepy. Chloroform... I thought as I swayed in my kidnappers arms.
"Don't worry," the kidnapper assured me in a sweet voice that was laced with poison voice. "We'll take good care of you..."