Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Calling of Kurai ❯ Beyond Comprehension ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA, Yadda yadda yadda. The original characters are, of course, mine (meaning that my brother and I made them up) being original. Don't sue, you won't get anything.

 

AN: I am so sorry. I won't make excuses about why it took so long for me to finish this chapter. Life just does what it wants sometimes, no?

 

As for the chapter itself, all I have to say is don't jump to conclusions and just sit back and enjoy it as much as possible. I do know where I'm going with this story.

 

Again, sorry for the lateness, and enjoy.

 

Calling of Kurai

Chapter 4: Beyond Comprehension

 

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“Who are you?” Havoc asked the girl as she started to approach Breda and him.

 

Smiling a cruel, wide smirk, she answered, “He named be Tetsu otome, but you can call me Tetsu.”

 

“What do you mean `he'?” Breda asked, trying his best to analyze the situation and stall for time.

 

“Kurai.” Tetsu gave a twirl and in a sing-song voice added, “Calling, calling, Kurai is calling, souls of restless, souls of weak. Power, power, eternal power, eternal life for all that seek.” Finishing with another twirl, she suddenly shot a spike out of her stomach towards Breda, who barely moved out of the way in time. Tetsu retracted the spike back and frowned, “What's wrong? Don't you want to see your blood?”

 

“Look Miss… Tetsu, right now my blood is inside my body, where it belongs, and I intend to keep it there.”

 

Tetsu smirked at his comment. “Well, I think it'll look better on the outside, gushing from your chest, covering your body and soaking your uniform.”

 

Havoc and Breda paled a bit. “….You are demented.”

 

Shrugging, she held up her hand and transformed her fingers into spikes. “Maybe a little bit, but that doesn't matter right now. Right now,” she smirked wickedly before continuing, “I'm going to have fun.” Havoc and Breda jumped out of the way just as the spikes shot out of her hand and clear through the wall they had been standing in front of.

 

Hearing her laughter again, they turned to see her changing her fingers into spikes, ready to fire again.

 

“So that's how she does it,” Breda said aloud to Havoc, slightly out of breath.

 

“Huh?”

 

Breda pointed to Tetsu, “The spikes. She can transform parts of her body into spikes and fire them at will.”

 

Tetsu smiled at him, “Oh, cute and smart. I knew I was going to have fun with you two.”

 

As she jumped in the air, Havoc aimed his gun, ready to fire.

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Sergeant Kenny Brosh sighed as he sat down for the first time in six hours. “Another dead man. That's the tenth today.” He looked over to Second Lieutenant Maria Ross as she continued to write down information about the man. “Who do you think could have done this, Ross?” Ross suddenly stopped writing on the paper, but she didn't speak. She seemed as though a very disturbing though passed through her mind. “Ross? You okay?”

 

“It's oddly familiar, isn't it?” Brosh stood up and went over to her.

 

“What do you mean familiar?”

 

“This large scale destruction, all the deaths. There's no way a normal human being could have done anything close to all this. It's almost as if we're dealing with the same thing the Elric Brothers were involved with years ago.”

 

“You mean the people back at Laboratory Five?”

 

“Yes. Could it be that …” Ross didn't get to finish her thought as gunshots were suddenly heard in the distance. “Someone's being attacked. Let's go!” She started off in the direction of the shots.

 

“What? Oh, right!” Brosh yelped before running to catch up.

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Rolling to the side, Havoc ejected the bullet cartridge from his gun to load a new one. “Damn, nothing affects her. It's like she's made of Iron or something.” He grunted in pain as a spike cut into his upper arm.

 

Breda ran over to look at Havoc's arm. It wasn't too serious of an injury, but it was still something to worry about. They were both covered in small cuts across their faces, arms, and legs: it was as if she was just playing a game with them, prolonging the kill.

 

Hearing Tetsu's demented laughter again, they both looked up.

 

“I'm having so much fun with you guys. All the others don't put up much of a fight. I haven't been able to kill many men with all the work I've had to do, but you guys are making up for it easily.

 

“Work? You mean the disappearances or the murders?” Havoc asked.

 

“Both.” Breda stated, getting Havoc's attention before continuing, “The spikes, the cut windows, the murdered men.” Looking back to Tetsu, he asked, “They've all been pulled off by you, correct.”

 

“Only in this area of the city. That one guy took care of the Southern area, and while Widow said she was just going to look for information, I think she did some work around Main Street.”

 

Breda's eyes narrowed, `That one guy?'

 

“What about the missing women?” Havoc asked, “You didn't mention them.”

 

She rolled her eyes. “I hate women. They're not cute at all.”

 

“Then why are you capturing them?”

 

“We were told to.”

 

“By who, this Kurai guy?”

 

Tetsu frowned and shot the spikes from her fingers. Havoc yelped and tried to dodge. “I hate nosy men, even if they are cute.” Havoc tried to move away as she started to advance towards him, but found that he couldn't get very far. Looking down, he found that one of the spikes, about three inches long, had hit the cuff of his jacket and had him pinned to the wall.

 

“Damn it,” reaching down he tried to pull the spike out of the wall only to find it stuck. “Hey, Breda, a little help here... Breda?” Breda was nowhere to be seen. “Breda?! Don't abandon me here, you coward!” He tried harder to pull out the spike but only succeeding in cutting the palm of his hand.

 

Tetsu's sadistic laughter brought his attention back to the matter at hand. Grabbing his free hand and moving it to the wall, she changed her fingers into spikes again. Moving her hand away, the spikes held his other hand firmly in place. Havoc looked from his caught hand up to the woman smirking so close to his face. “Much better. You can't run away from me like your friend did.” She traced a newly formed finger across his jaw line. “My, you're a lot cuter than that other soldier. Maybe I should have killed you first.” Turning her finger into a spike again, she quickly made a small cute across his cheek. Flinching slightly, Havoc glared as she leant down and licked the blood away from the cut. Stepping back she laughed and twirled again, “I'm having so much fun, but,” she held her hand up right above his heart, her sadistic grin widening, “I think it's time to speed things up a bit, don't you?”

 

Havoc closed his eyes, sweat pouring off his brow. `There's no way to get out of this. I'm going to die. How…' His thoughts were interrupted by a blaring car horn. He opened his eyes just in time to see Breda jumping out of a speeding car seconds before it plowed into the startled Tetsu. “Breda?! What's going on?”

 

“You didn't think I left you here, did ya?” Breda smirked and covered his head. Havoc was about to ask what he was doing when the car exploded. After the sound of the explosion died down some, Havoc returned his attention to Breda.

 

“Well, what am I supposed to think? Tell me when you're going to do something before you just randomly disappear next time.” Breda just smirked at him. “And stop smirking! Who are you trying to be, the Colonel?”

 

About to comment, the sound of screeching metal caught their attention. Eyes widening, they saw a blood covered Tetsu pushing the car away from her. Breda reached into his coat and pulled out a grenade he had picked up earlier and threw it at her. Not knowing what it was, she caught it just as it blew up.

 

“A grenade? Did you have that the whole time?”

 

“Of course not, I picked it up when I got the car.” Breda took hold of one of the spikes and began to pull as hard as he could. “Damn. Hold still, I'm going to go get help.”

 

“Sure I'll hold still. Not like I have much of a choice in the matter.”

 

Breda turned to go when Ross and Brosh ran into the street. Seeing Breda, they ran towards him.

 

“We heard gunshots. Is anyone…” Ross, noticing Havoc's state, ran over to help Breda pull the spikes out. Brosh looked at where the grenade had gone off before helping as well.

 

“What happened?” Brosh asked, still looking at the fire as he pulled on a spike with Breda.

 

“I blew up the attacker,” Breda simply said. At their looks, he added, “She was trying to kill us; I didn't have much choice in the matter.”

 

They both looked from Breda to the fire and then back to Breda.

 

“You ever hear of the term `overkill'?” Brosh asked almost jokingly.

 

Havoc coughed at the statement, moving his now free hand up to help pull the remaining spikes out. “Overkill nothing. The girl deserved it.”

 

“A girl? You were attacked by a girl?”

 

“Hey, don't you say anything. You didn't see what happened. She shot these spikes out of her body.”

 

Ross looked up as they pulled the last spike out of the wall. “So it is like before then.”

 

“Before?” Breda asked as Havoc checked his arms for any serious wounds.

 

“Remember those people the Elric brothers got involved with?”

“You mean Furher King Bradley and those people?” Breda asked. “You think this might be related?”

 

“I have… to admit…,” Everyone turned, eyes wide with fear, towards the fire. A mangled form stepped through the fire. Bones could be heard cracking into place and the flesh re-healed over the visible muscle as the form slowly reshaped into the body an angry young woman. “That… REALLY hurt.”

 

“There's no way…,” Breda took a step back as Tetsu took a step forward. Brosh and Ross took out their guns and aimed them at her. “You should be dead.”

 

“And here I thought you were smart. It'll take more than that cheap attempt to kill me again.”

 

Ross moved forward a little, “So it's true… you're a homunculus.” Tetsu gave her an annoyed look. “Were you involved with those at Laboratory Five? The ones who kept attacking the Elric Brothers and killed Brigadier General Hughes?”

 

“I have no idea what you're talking about. I don't know anything about any labs or brothers.” She transformed her fingers into spikes and extended them out until they were about two feet long apiece. “You fools talk as if there are only a few homunculi in the world.” The four took a step back as she continued to approach them. “Do you honestly believe that only a few humans try to play God?”

 

“What …” Havoc didn't get a chance to ask what she meant before she interrupted.

 

“ENOUGH! I'm tired of this. You have all lived long enough.”

 

“Um uh…” Ross looked around and quickly pointed off into the distance behind Tetsu, “Look, a Snipe!”

 

“What?” Tetsu spun around and looked behind her for the `snipe'. Not seeing anything she turned back, “I don't see…,” only to see that the four were gone. “Oh no, the snipe scared them away. Damn, widow's not going to be happy about this.

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“A homunculus?” Roy looked up from the paper he was writing to the four soldiers who stood before his desk. He had only gotten back to HQ a few minutes before when Havoc and Breda, covered in various places with small bandages, had burst in followed by Ross and Brosh, who just seemed to be out of breath. They reported fighting with a young woman, no older the 18, with short black hair that had the ability to shoot spikes from her body. The description matched the one Falman's eyewitness had reported. “You think a homunculus is in the city, randomly capturing women and killing men. You're joking, right?”

 

Breda stepped forward. “We're not joking, Sir. Other than the fact that she survived being blown up, she basically told us that she was one.”

 

“Basically?”

 

Ross was the one to step forward this time. “I asked if she was involved with those from two years ago. She said that she wasn't and that we were fools for believing that there were only a few homunculi or that only a few people decide to play God.”

 

Roy's brows knitted together as tried to comprehend what they were telling him. “Decide to play God…”

 

Riza looked up from her the report she was writing. “I guess that is something to think about.” Everyone's eyes turned to her as she continued. “Surely there are more than five or six people desperate enough to bring back a loved one from the dead.” She looked back down at the paper and continued to write. “Didn't the Elric brothers' Father tell you anything about the homunculi, Sir?”

 

Roy turned in his chair slightly to get a better look at Riza. “He told me that homunculi can't exist on their own, that someone controls them.”

 

“Do you think it could be the same person, Sir?” Riza looked up and made eye contact with him. “These events are completely different from those we encountered in the past.”

 

“Kurai,” Havoc said aloud. “The person she mentioned was named Kurai. Then she did this little dance/song thing before attacking us.”

 

Breda nodded. “It's an odd name, that's for sure. I wonder if it could be the same person.

 

Roy continued to look at Riza before turning back to those in front of his desk. “Havoc, Breda; I want you write down the details of what you've seen.” Havoc and Breda saluted and quickly got to work. “Second Lieutenant Ross, Sergeant Brosh; I'd like to ask that you return to the city and continue the work you were doing before. Don't tell anyone what you've seen if at all possible. The last thing we need to do is panic people even more than they already are.”

 

“Yes sir, Colonel Mustang.” Brosh turned to leave but stopped when he noticed Ross hadn't moved. “Ross?”

 

“Colonel Mustang, if anything turns up, will you inform us?”

 

Roy raised an eyebrow at her question. After considering it for awhile he smiled. “Very well, if something comes up, we'll tell you.”

 

“Thank you Sir.” She saluted again and left with Brosh.

 

Havoc looked to Roy. “You seemed kind of hesitant there Sir. Is something wrong?”

 

“I was just wondering how many people are going to get involved this time.” Everyone stopped their writing as he stood up and walked towards the door. “I'll be back soon.”

 

Riza stood up. “Where are you going?”

 

“I'm going to report what we've found so far to General Hakuro.” Seeing Riza walking towards him, he added, “There's no reason for you to come, Hawkeye.”

 

“I know, but I'm coming anyway.”

 

Roy sighed, knowing that he'd be fighting a losing battle to argue with her right now. As they left the office, Roy ran the information through his head, trying to figure out how he was going to explain what was going on. He knew he'd already be at a disadvantage, what with General Hakuro disliking him so much already.

 

“He has to listen to reason, Sir.” Roy looked down at Riza as she walked in step with his strides down the hallway. “He knows that something is going on. He can't just say that you're lying and send you away.”

 

“I know, Hawkeye.” He sighed. `But that doesn't mean that he won't try.'

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“You what?!” Tetsu visibly jumped at the harsh tone of the woman before her. “Not only did you randomly talk about your mission to these strangers, but you let them get away?”

 

“But Widow, It's not my fault!”

 

“Yes it is. If you would have just killed those men at the start instead of playing around with them, we wouldn't have this problem.”

 

Tetsu looked down at the ground, knowing that was true. “But… but if that woman hadn't pointed out that snipe I would have gotten them.”

 

Widow paused before speaking. “A what?”

 

“A snipe. It was fast, too. By the time I turned around, it was gone. It must have been scary though. When I turned back, they were all gone.”

 

“You …” Widow sighed deeply rubbing her temples, “are an idiot.” She held up a hand before Tetsu could talk back. “You said that there was a woman with them.”

 

“Yes. She was stupid, nosy, and demanding. I hate her the most.”

 

Widow smirked. “Well, I think it's time we show these people exactly what they are dealing with.

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Roy stood before the desk of the General Hakuro, who looked Roy up and down with untrusting eyes. Hakuro still did not think much of Roy. Over two years ago, Roy had received the rank of Brigadier General by the Furher King Bradley. Shortly after, he arranged an attack in the north against the military. Hakuro had taken his troops up to fight against him, only to find that it had all been a trick to lure the military away from the Furher.

 

A few months after he had killed the Furher, Roy had resigned from his position and became a corporal in the far, snowy north. Hakuro had been happy to see him leave, thinking he'd never have to deal with the traitorous man again. However his hope was short lived when the armored soldiers attacked Central and Roy heroically returned to take control of the situation.

 

The higher-ups had been so pleased by the fact that he had returned and led them to victory that they offered him his old position of Colonel. Hakuro had been against it from the start, telling them that Roy would only cause trouble; that he'd end up turning traitorous against them military again. Lt. General Grumman had spoken up in Roy's defense saying that the Furher had been behind all the wars in the past; that Roy had to remove him from office or else there would have been more bloodshed.

 

In the end, Roy was allowed to return to his old position, despite Hakuro's wishes. Ever since Hakuro had found ways to make Roy's work harder. Sending more paperwork in his direction and making him and his men redo entire reports for pointless reasons saying things like `you've used the wrong type of paper for this kind of report. Do it again.'

 

It was blatantly obvious that the General did not trust, or even like, Roy at all. It was the man's obvious distrust that bothered Roy. He had begun giving his report when Hakuro stopped him.

 

“A metal eating creature, a young woman who can shoot spikes from her body, an entire street covered in spider's web: these are the things you bother to tell me.”

 

“Sir I…” Hakuro interrupted, standing to his feet.

 

“Enough. What makes you think that you can just waltz in my office and spout these childish lies as if it's the truth?”

 

“Childish… This is the truth, Sir. My men have seen these things, I have seen these things. It's…”

 

“It's nothing but a lie. You can't find out what is going on and instead of admitting to your failure, you make up this ridiculous story instead.” Roy held his ground as Hakuro walked up to him. “Anything else you'd like to throw into this idiotic fairytale you call report, or would you like to tell me the truth?”

Roy closed his eye and took in a breath. “There was a name mentioned by the young woman. A `Kurai'.”

 

“Kurai?!” Both Roy and Hakuro turned towards the voice that had spoken. Roy jumped when he saw a man step forward from the wall; he hadn't even noticed him. He was about half a foot taller than Roy and had an average build. His dark hair was neatly trimmed and his sharp, black eyes seemed capable of piercing the hardest stone. “Are you sure the name mentioned was `Kurai', Colonel… Mustang, was it?”

 

Roy shook his head and nodded. “Yes, that was what my men reported.”

 

“Ah yes, I forgot you were here.” Roy turned back to Hakuro who looked bored simply by the man's presence. “This is Colonel Kasai. He's from a part of the military in the far northeast. He came with some silly request for our military to help with.”

 

“It is not silly, General Hakuro. My troops have been wiped out by the some unknown force. From the sound of Colonel Mustang's report, your problem is the same as ours.”

 

Hakuro rolled his eyes. “I've already agreed to take some men up to investigate that town, but I refuse to believe your story anymore than I will his.” Turning back towards his desk, he continued, “I will personally take one hundred men up to your city and see if we can find anything of value to us, though I doubt it. You, in the mean time, will stay here and assist Colonel Mustang with his little fairytale of a report.”

 

“But,” Kasai walked forward, “this is my responsibility. I need to go with you.”

 

“You would only get in my way. I don't need any extra baggage to drag along.” He sat down at his desk and pulled out some paper. “Colonel Mustang, you are to keep this man under surveillance at all times.”

 

Roy looked from Hakuro to Kasai and then back. “You act like he's a prisoner, General.”

 

“Until we get this mess sorted out, he is, though I do suppose leaving him in a traitor's grasp is a bit foolish.” Noticing Roy's glare he smiled and stood up. “You seem upset. No matter, he will be staying here with you as you and your men clean up the city and find a real reason for these occurrences. Now that we are finished, you are both excused.” He looked Roy dead in the eye mockingly. “I suggest that you get to work, Colonel Mustang.” Roy, still glaring, saluted and left, followed closely by Kasai.

 

Just outside the door, Kasai let out a small laugh, “Charming man, isn't he?”

 

“Yes, if only we all could be as kind and thoughtful as General Hakuro, the world be a much better place,” Roy replied, sarcasm dripping from his words. Seeing Riza stand up and walk towards them, he gestured to her. “This is my First Lieutenant, Riza Hawkeye.” Riza courteously bowed to Kasai; he returned the gesture. “Hawkeye, this is Colonel Kasai, from the Northeast area. Now if you'll follow us, I'll show you the office, and you can tell us what has been going on.”

 

“Very well, Colonel. Though you may not want to believe what it is I know.”

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“Around 500 years ago, no one truly knows exactly when due to the change from the old dating system based on the Birth of Christ to the one we use now, a legend was created in a small village known as Fallen Grove. A man, by the name of Jonas Kurai created a theory using the forbidden arts of alchemy.

 

You see, Kurai was a doctor who saved many lives with his knowledge of medicine. Though he had lost his wife to an accident, he still had his only child, who always stood by his side and who he loved more than anything in the world. The villagers loved him and every day they praised him as a saint for saving their loved ones. Everyone was happy.

 

But that happiness never lasts, now does it.

 

A powerful sickness swept through the village and took the lives of many people. One of the lives taken was that of his child. He was so distraught from losing his daughter that he refused to leave his house. The people begged him to come out and try to help them, but he told them that he was busy researching a way to bring back his child. He poured himself into his alchemy research. He barely ate, drank, and slept for many years.

 

Then one day, he succeeded in creating an elixir known to some as `the red water'. Using the red water, he formed a large stone capable of calling lost souls into it. No matter where the person had died, the souls would be called to the stone. It was as if they came hoping to be put to rest from their cruel fates.

 

Kurai used the stone and performed the first perfect human transmutation. Bringing his child back from the dead, he presented proof of his stone's power to the village.

 

They thought he was a god and they swore to worship him forever. Thus the Cult of Kurai was born.

 

Since then, many have traveled to the village, hoping to learn how to succeed in creating perfect reconstructions of their lost loved ones. Using Kurai's stone, they could call the soul of any person directly to them and create a perfect living being better than the original: a homunculus.

 

Yes, there were those that chose to perform human transmutations on their own. They would use the formula for human transmutation, most would die, others would lose apart of their body, but in the end, they would only succeed in creating a misshapen monster. They are the creations of those who decide to play `god' and yet these false `gods' cast them aside in disgust and fear. Most of these `monsters', as some would call them, are found and killed as they plead for help. Others make their way to Kurai's homeland, where the cult still resides and gives new life and forms to these creatures, these homunculi, using the red water. The cultists claim that it is Kurai himself who names these creatures and gives them purpose.

 

There are others who learn Kurai's teachings and use them for their own purposes: Eternal Power, eternal life. They use their knowledge to start wars and create mayhem, all for their own selfish needs. Perhaps they seek to create the Philosopher's Stone, perhaps they succeeded. In the end, no one can match Kurai's ability.

 

Now, here in the present, these cultists still use Kurai's stone to call lost souls of the dead from all parts of the world, creating Homunculi with amazing abilities and perfectly attached souls.

 

“Calling, calling, Kurai is calling, souls of restless, souls of weak. Power, power, eternal power, eternal life for all that seek.”

 

This is Kurai's promise. This is Kurai's truth.

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“That is the story, or as much as I know.”

 

Roy sat behind his desk in the office. Kasai, having finished his story, was standing in the middle of the room waiting for a response. Riza, Havoc, and the others sat at their desks, some contemplative, some terrified, all quiet.

 

“Amazing.” Roy stood and walked to the window and looked out at the soldiers lining up to leave with Hakuro. He frowned as he saw the arrogant man shouting orders. “To believe that something like this has been going on all this time.”

 

“Colonel Kasai?” Kasai turned to Riza who had spoken. “How is it that you know so much about this cult?”

 

“Yes, I assume that it is a little strange that I know of these things. However it is easy to explain.” At Riza's `go on' look, he continued, “Recently, at the outpost where my men and I are currently stationed, we've been getting messages from Kurai's cultists. They were warning us to stay out of the way of Kurai's purpose. We, of course, had no idea what they meant. A few days later, we were attacked by the cultists. Many of my men died, but with the remaining men I had, I snuck into the city of Fallen Grove.”

 

Fuery interrupted Kasai with a question. “Fallen Grove, you mean the village where Kurai lived?”

 

“Yes, though now it has become a small city of about a thousand people or so. While only a few are a part of Kurai's cult, many of the citizens celebrate his life as a holiday.”

 

“Holiday?” It was Havoc who interrupted this time. “You mean that they don't worship the guy, but use his life as an excuse to throw a party?”

 

Kasai thought carefully before answering. “Yes, I believe that is one way to put it. The people of Fallen Grove hold a monthly festival, in honor of Dr. Jonas Kurai.”

 

Riza, deciding to get the explanation back of track, interjected again, “You and your men snuck into Fallen Grove?”

 

“Yes, you see, the people of Fallen Grove, though not followers of the cult, do have records of their city's past. They are very friendly and kind and gave me a book telling me about Kurai's life and the beliefs that follow him.”

 

“It's weird,” Breda said aloud, “I've never even heard of this city.”

 

Falman decided it was his turn to jump into the conversation, “Fallen Grove: Precisely 50 miles south of the northern border and 40 miles west of the eastern border. Due to its location, the city is rarely visited by outsiders. One must ride a train to the city of Silver Wick, and then travel by foot through the rugged Shori Mountains about 20 miles. After that, one must get on another train and to the city itself, about a half day's ride.”

 

Havoc rolled his eyes. “Thank you o' great walking dictionary. Whatever would we do without you?” He said sarcastically before taking another drag from his cigarette.

 

Fuery sat forward in his chair, “But these cultists. They sound scary. What `purpose' could be so important that they kill soldiers just to keep them away?”

 

Breda nodded. “It's something to make you wonder, right? What could it be?”

 

Havoc jumped up, suddenly looking panicked. “What if…,” Fuery, Falman, and Breda all turned towards him, “What if… they're the ones who are capturing the women? What if they're going come up with some kind of evil plan to… to…,” the three leaned forward some, “to torture us men by taking away all the dateable women?!”

 

Kasai looked at Havoc unbelievably. He was about to say something when Breda jumped up from his seat. “Wait! What if these cultists are all women? And they're planning on collecting all the women into one large army and wiping out all traces of men!” The other men gasped loudly and all started talking at once about what the women would do once they took over the world.

 

Kasai turned to look at Riza, who had given up on even listening to the current conversation in favor of returning to her book. He then turned to Roy who was still looking out the window as if nothing was happening.

 

“These are the people you trust to work under you?” Roy, still facing the window, nodded. “You act like this behavior is normal.”

 

Roy turned from the window to smirk at Kasai. “Something tells me, Kasai, that normal for us would absolutely terrify you.” Again, Roy turned to the window, watching the reflection of Havoc chasing a terrified Breda with Black Hayate shouting about the `women's army of dogs'. “And I wouldn't want it any other way.”

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One week later,

 

“Clean up in the city has proceeded as planned. Reports from East City HQ, along with Central's reports, indicate that a total of 52 men have been killed, and 112 women have been are missing. The last report from the North City HQ states that all but 23 people were either killed or captured. There have been no further reports from that area. As far as information about General Hakuro and the troops he took to the city of Fallen Grove, nothing has been reported in.” Riza finished up her report and waited for Roy to answer.

 

Roy rubbed his temples. `It's been a week. Surely they should have sent word of what was going on by now.' Roy was positive, after hearing Kasai's story, that the slaughter of his troops and the events in the three cities were related. “Have there been any sightings of the attackers since last week? The metal man or the woman, perhaps even the one who's responsible the web we found?”

 

Riza shook her head. Everyone in the room was quiet. Tired from the long hours of work trying to find out what was going on. Kasai stood up. “Don't you think we should do something more? I want to get back up there and see things through for myself. That idiot doesn't know what he's doing.”

 

“Colonel Kasai,” Riza started, “I know that you are worried, but you need to calm down. We…,” shouts from the hallway were heard, interrupting what she was about to say.

 

The door burst open and a panting Kenny Brosh entered. His right hand covered his left shoulder, which was bleeding. “Colonel Mustang!” He ran up to Roy's desk.

 

“Sergeant Brosh,” Fuery jumped up, “you need medical assistance.”

 

“Never mind that,” he yelled at Fuery before turning back to Roy. “Colonel Mustang, Lieutenant Ross, she's been captured.”

 

Roy jumped up from his desk. “What?”

 

Kenny panted; he had obviously been running for quite awhile, before continuing. “They attacked us again, in the north area of the city while we were investigating.”

 

Breda, having gotten some water for Brosh to drink walked up to him. “They? You mean the woman who attacked us before, but who was she with?”

 

Brosh drank the water quickly before replying. “Yes it was her and an older woman with long black hair. We fought back as much as we could, but the older woman shot spider's web out of her mouth and hit Ross. Then she took Ross and climbed up the wall, like a spider. The younger woman hit me in the shoulder and then left with her.” He covered his face with his hand. “It's all my fault, I should have done something more.”

 

Everyone looked at each other and then to Roy. Roy stood up and walked over the Brosh, placing a hand on his shoulder. “It's okay, we'll get her back.” He looked at Riza, “Hawkeye. Get me a map with the northeast area on it.” She saluted and quickly found the map he was wanting. Taking it from her, he unrolled it on his desk. “We're going to Fallen Grove. Just us: we don't need to involve anymore soldiers. However,” he folded his hands in front of his face, “we can't go as soldiers, if anything happened to Hakuro and his men, it's because the military was not welcome. We'll have to pose as civilians.”

 

“Yes but,” Kasai stepped forward this time, “Fallen Grove isn't visited very often by outsiders due to the difficulty of its location. Wouldn't it raise more questions if a group of civilians just decided to come?”

 

Everyone thought about Kasai's question. He had a point. If they just walked into the city without any reason, people would get suspicious.

 

“Perhaps I can be of some assistance in that area!” Everyone startled at the booming voice that came from the open doorway. Turning they saw a large, muscular man with blonde hair surrounded by pink sparkles.