Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. Hiromu Arakawa does. I only own the OC characters.
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The next morning, everything was a bit more rushed than usual. Breakfast was hastily scarfed down, the charred firewood thrown much farther than it needed to be. In a surprisingly short amount of time, the merry band started on their journey once again, their quarry in tow. Edward noticed that they had woken and left in the wee hours of the morning.
"If we hurry, we'll be able to make it by late afternoon," Salazar called out. Edward perked up at this. They were almost to their destination? It had only been two days.
"Oh, Chung can't wait to get home. Chung misses the library and tomato soup," the tailed young man said excitedly.
"It'll be nice to finally relax. This job wasn't almost worth the trouble," Roxy said, casting a glare at the bound alchemist on the bronze giant's shoulder.
"It'll all be worth it, don't worry. We'll be able to live among society again," Salazar responded. "We're very close."
The sun couldn't rise fast enough for Edward. It crept slowly across the sky, moving the shadows as it did. He willed with all his might for the day to go by faster. As soon as he was free from his bonds, he would try to find a way to escape. As long as they didn't take away his automail arm, it would be easy to get away with a little alchemy.
The sun reached its highest point in the sky, and still they walked. The forest slowly began to trickle away, opening up to a landscape similar to the one they camped in the first night. This one was more desert-like, the terrain more bumpy than smooth. The slight breeze kicked up particles from the sandy dunes. There was no vegetation in sight.
The sun began to sink, their shadows growing in length on the ground. Soon enough, the sun was touching the horizon. "We should blindfold him now, so he won't see the entrance. We're almost there," Roxy spoke up.
"Right, of course," Salazar agreed. The party stopped momentarily so that the thin, weedy man could move behind Bimbo, right in front of Edward's face. He reached up, and wrapped a white cloth around the blonds' eyes, tying it tight enough that so he couldn't open them underneath the blindfold. "No hard feelings, Edward. We just can't risk it," Salazar said apologetically. The young alchemist only gave him a muffled grunt in answer. He wasn't too worried, however. It would be easy to find a way out.
After a little while, the sun disappeared below the horizon. However, its light could still be seen from below the land. It was at that point that they stopped. Out of Edward's sight, Roxy bent down and placed her palm in the sand. A flash of alchemical light leaked through her fingers as an array sprang to life on the ground. All around them, the ground began to shake. For the blindfolded alchemist, he could only feel the tremor. For the life of him, he couldn't guess what it might be.
A hole slowly began to form, spreading out towards the group. It stopped right at their feet, revealing a dark pit. It was very deep, and from the center of it, a tower-like structure loomed blow them. Near the edge at their feet, a staircase spiraling downwards lead to the bottom. The group started to make their way down these steps. It would be awhile before they reached the bottom.
Once they finally did, the stars had begun to wink into existence from the hole above them. They stood next to a large doorway leading into the tower. As they entered the structure, the hole began to close up. Soon, the ground was smooth again, having given no trace that there ever was a pit in the first place. The opening that they had entered was blocked by a stone wall.
The tower was made of gray stones, much like the inside. However, Edward couldn't tell exactly what it looked like. He knew there was light lining the walls, whether natural or electrical, he couldn't tell. He knew they had gone down a lot of stairs after the ground stopped shaking. Could they be underground?
They went down what seemed like endless corridors, at least to the blindfolded teen on Bimbo's shoulder. The band of chimeras strode their way through the halls with ease, as if they had walked them countless times before. After what seemed like an eternity, Edward heard the creak of a door opening. He felt the movement of everyone entering the room beyond. After everyone was inside, Ed was set down facing the opposite of where he had been on the bronze giant's shoulder. "You can take off the blindfold now," came Salazar's smooth voice.
The white material was yanked off of the blond teen's eyes. He blinked several times in the somewhat dim light. The entire room was lit by candles placed around the room. The room itself appeared to be a fairly spacious study. Shelves of books lined the walls. Several charts of the human and animal anatomies were hung where there was space. The back end of the room held an oaken desk, the contents on the top reminding Edward of Colonel Mustang's back at Central headquarters. Sitting at the desk, looking at some papers in front of him, was a man.
He appeared to be a simple man, most likely in his forties or fifties. Definitely older than Mustang. He wore a white labcoat over his outfit. His brown eyes matched his hair, containing wisdom in their old age. Just from sitting down, it was hard to tell how tall he was. When he looked up to see Edward on his knees in front of his desk, he stood up slowly, drawing out his full height. If anything, he was about a head shorter than Alphonse in his armored body. He and Edward locked eyes for a few seconds before he turned his gaze to the chimeras still standing behind him.
"Well, I see that you're back."
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The tracks left by the stolen military vehicle still stuck out on the dirt road. Alphonse, Lieutenant Hawkeye, Colonel Mustang, and Sergeant Major Fuery kept an eye on them as they moved forward, followed by a few MPs who came to assist. They had decided to follow the trail as soon as it was daylight, in order to follow them easily. Al, of course, wanted to go out on his own, since his eyesight was better adapted to the dark, but Mustang wouldn't have any of it. He would not let Al get into any sort of danger on his watch. Hawkeye would shoot him for sure if he did that.
The search continued long into the day, their shadows growing shorter as the sun climbed in the sky. Coming across a bend in the road, the tracks seemed to veer off of the path, and into the brush. The signs of someone going off-road.
Hawkeye drew her gun from its holster, ready to fire. Alphonse tensed beside her. Mustang tightened his gloved hands into fists, hoping he wouldn't have to use them in such close cover. Fuery followed Hawkeye's example. Together, the small group moved forward, the MPs giving a wide berth. A little ways into the woods, they spotted sunlight glinting off a black hood, spilling between cracks in the leaves. Upon careful inspection, Mustang was able to deduce that the vehicle was empty. He signaled for everyone to relax as he moved towards the car.
Opening the backseat, he stared at empty space, as if picturing a blond midget clad in a red coat lying on the floor. He was so absorbed in his observations that he didn't notice Hawkeye was beside him until she spoke. "Is there anything of use, sir?" she inquired.
Mustang leaned back from the open car. "These people are better than we give them credit for," he answered. "They left this knowing we would find it eventually. And by the looks of it, they're already long gone."
"They move fast for a group of chimeras," Hawkeye noted to herself.
"We know that they're headed west. I'm sure if we followed them, we'll run into them eventually. Or at least, we'll find where they're holding Fullmetal," Mustang continued.
"Do you think they would have taken him across the border to Creta?" Fuery asked.
Alphonse had never thought of this possibility. If Edward was taken to a different country, would it even be possible to get him back? The thought made him fear for his brother. He hated the feeling that Ed might be hurt and need his help, and Al couldn't do anything about it. However, he was reassured by Mustang's next words. "Highly unlikely. These are chimeras that most likely escaped from Laboratory 5, so therefore, they would be Amestrian. No, they wouldn't flee with Fullmetal to another country. They would have to hide him out of the military's sight."
"What do you propose we do, sir?" Hawkeye asked, awaiting orders.
Mustang brought his hand to his chin in thought. "We should focus our search along the western border. However, we need to be careful. We can't spark a war with Creta, especially with the border disputes," he answered.
"Sir," Hawkeye affirmed, saluting as she did so. Fuery followed suit.
As Mustang's men left to make the arrangements, Alphonse approached the colonel, soul-filled eyes gleaming. "Colonel, have you been able to figure why these chimeras want my brother?"
Mustang, unfortunately, didn't have much of an answer. There were very few leads in this case, and they all led to a dead end. "I'm afraid I can only make assumptions at this point," he answered the large suit of armor. "There was a doctor working in Laboratory 5 who was famous for creating successful chimeras. Of course, none of the documents said that he was using human experiments, but I know the government hides certain things. However, this doctor had also been listed in the obituaries for several years."
If Alphonse had eyes, they would have narrowed. "So you're assuming that he's not dead?" he questioned.
Mustang nodded. "According to your brother's testimony, when you two decided to go conduct your own investigation, he had found out that Laboratory 5 had researched the creation of a Philosopher's Stone. They even succeeded in creating a few."
Alphonse was quick to catch on. "They want him to create the Philosopher's Stone?" he asked uneasily. If that was the case, Edward was no better off. Knowing him, he wouldn't give his captors what they wanted. And since he was at their mercy, they could do anything to him.
Alphonse's red eyes flashed. "That means that we have to find Ed, and fast," he urged.
"You still can't go rushing off. I can't take the risk," Mustang told the boy.
"Please, Colonel. We don't know what they'll do to him," Alphonse pleaded. He was clearly agitated.
"Absolutely not. I want to find Fullmetal as much as you do, but you can't help him if you become incapacitated as well. If you're going to help me, Alphonse, then you need to trust me. Is that understood?" Mustang berated.
Alphonse's fists shook at his side. With barely compressed frustration, the suit of armor bowed its head, reluctantly consenting to Mustang's wishes.
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Edward didn't know what to make of the man standing before him. Honestly, he didn't know what to expect. Probably a mad scientist, or something like that. Not this completely normal-looking doctor.
The man's face pulled into a deep frown as he looked at Edward again. "What is this? You trussed him up like a Thanksgiving turkey and left him like that the entire way?" he exclaimed, walking out from behind his desk to kneel down in front of the blond teen. "This is quite disrespectful for our guest."
Roxy frowned down at the man. "You told us he would be trouble in bringing him here. There was no time to explain, so we used precautionary measures," she defended.
"Yes, but I'm sure you could have used more humane methods," the man retorted. "Honestly, was this even necessary?" As he said this, he reached out and pulled the gag from Ed's mouth. However, the blond alchemist did not make a sound when it was removed.
"So sorry about that," the man apologized to Edward. "Sometimes they take things to the extreme."
"He almost got us caught!" Roxy objected.
"And I'm sure you got away without anyone following you. If you were tied up and gagged, would you just want to sit there and just take it?" the man countered.
Roxy gave up the argument with a low growl. The man turned back to Edward. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Howard Martin. I was a doctor and scientist working in Laboratory 5. My specialty was creating chimeras, preferably human ones. Of course, you already know what their real goal was."
Ed put on a scowl. "You seem to know so much about me, but I only learned of your existence two days ago. Tell me, why is that?" he questioned.
Howard chuckled. "It might surprise you, but I still stay in contact with the outside world. It sparked my curiosity that a boy was able to certify into the military, making him the youngest State Alchemist in Amestrian history. It really caught my attention that you went to go see Dr. Marcoh in pursuit of the Philosopher's Stone. Of course, it puzzled me to learn that you kept researching for the Stone afterwards. But, I believe you still got what you needed."
"If you worked in Laboratory 5, how come you don't know how to create the Philosopher's Stone?" Ed asked, wondering.
The scientist smiled. "Every department in Laboratory 5 was confidential. No department could know the research of anyone else's. Of course, creating the Philosopher's Stone was the top priority, not everyone was assigned to that task. Some people's talents lied elsewhere. Like me, for example."
Edward still wasn't entirely convinced about how this doctor appeared to him. "Why do you want to create the Philosopher's Stone?" he asked.
Martin looked at him incredulously. "To make them human again, of course," he answered, indicating the chimeras standing behind the young alchemist. "We were the ones who made them like this. I was able to save these few from the fate of all the experiments at the laboratory. Since we ruined what chance at life they had, I figured I owed them that much."
Edward observed Martin, studying his face. However, the scientist gave no inclination that he wasn't being sincere. He either was a man who was trying to right a wrong he had committed, or he was a pretty good liar. The blond teen took a deep breath, and sighed. "I'm sorry that I have to say this, but, whatever your reasons, I won't help you create the Philosopher's Stone."
"I'm certain that I could create it myself. I don't really require your help, but I would appreciate it. But you only need to tell me how to make the Stone," Martin said.
"I can't tell you that either," Ed answered.
Martin frowned again. "And why is that?" he asked, his voice gaining a deep undertone, making it more ominous.
Edward was slightly put off by the doctor's change in tone. "Trust me, it's better if you don't know," he replied.
Martin put his hand on his head and elicited his own sigh. "I wish you would have cooperated with me, Edward. But now, I'm afraid you give me no choice." He turned to the chimeras. "Take him to the room we prepared for him. I need to think about the best way to go about convincing our guest to tell us what he knows."
The chimeras complied, grabbing Edward by the shoulders to hoist him into the air. "Oh, and don't untie him. We can't have him cause any damage to this structure," the scientist added.
Edward once again had no choice but to let the chimeras carry him from the room, his last sight of Dr. Martin disappearing behind the wooden door, the doctor having his hand to his chin, as though deep in thought.
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Author's Note: Hello, once again! Wonderful day, isn't it? As promised, I have the fifth chapter ready for you today, plenty of time before I have to go babysit:P It's been hectic. I haven't had time to do much of anything. A lot of late nights has kept me sleeping later. When I wake up, I have to take care of the dogs, and then I don't have time until I have to go somewhere. But today's the last day I have to take care of them.
I'm going to my dad's this weekend, and the entire week, so I'll be working from there. I don't know when the next chapter's gonna be up. I have to unpack when I get there, and I haven't written the next chapter yet. We're actually reaching the end of the story here. There might only be a few chapters left. Honestly, I have no idea, since I've reached the point where I don't know where the story's gonna go. But I believe I'll persevere.
Again, praise is appreciated and constructive criticism is encouraged.
See you next time!
-The_Mayflower