Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Replacement ❯ Dead Things and Stolen Life ( Chapter 9 )

Disclaimer: I do not own FullMetal Alchemist, but I do own a very twisted imagination.

 

AN I: I'm making an apology to FullMetalYaoi because she's part of a FullMetal Alchemist RPG and she's been using the title Midnight Alchemist, however, I'm apologizing because I have to disregard her request that I “Change the Midnight Alchemist Thing”. I'm two chapters in already using the title and going back to fix it is a real hassle because I really need it as you'll see in this chapter. I was unaware of this and I apologize for stepping on your toes but I'm not really copying you for two reasons, one, I had no idea the RPG existed and am currently completely clueless on your character's reasons for the name, and two, your character is Katarin the Midnight Alchemist, while my character is Angelina Woodgrove the Midnight Alchemist. Still, I don't want you to think I'm doing this to antagonize you, I just want you to know that I wanted that name for a reason…if it really bothers you that I'm continuing to use that title please e-mail me at Mabelle7983@yahoo.com and we'll correspond about it. Please enjoy the chapter.

 

~*~

 

9 - Dead Things and Stolen Life

 

~*~

 

Al watched without his eyes as the woman patted the imitation. She smiled down at his armor, obviously unaware that it was empty.

 

“Take care of the body, I don't want anyone to find it,” she ordered and Al allowed the imitator to start dragging him away. “Don't forget his helmet.”

 

“Yes, Mother,” the imitator whispered and Al let it drag him into the woods. The imitator was reaching for his helmet when Al send a well trained fist into the imitator's back, however it seemed that the imitator was made from a poorer quality of metal than he was.

 

Al's fist went right through the back of his imitator and out the chest. Al looked at his arm as the imitator went limp and Al gulped.

 

“Are you done or not?” the woman ordered and Al began to panic. He lifted up the imitation only to find an empty suit of armor. Al looked back at the woman, rage burning up inside him…he knew what he had to do.

 

 

~*~

 

 

“…what do you mean? I told you a day ago to get those posters up!” VanBuren roared into the phone. “I don't care if most of the officers think she's innocent! She is the prime suspect and I want those Wanted posters up! Today!”

 

Maes smirked as he looked at VanBuren, the woman would go into labor any day at this rate. He looked over at Roy and caught his friend giving him the `I know you're up to something and you damn well better share' look. Of course, Maes wasn't a Lieutenant Colonel in Investigations because he spilled his guts at every glare shot his way, even if it was Roy, Hawkeye, and Armstrong giving him the look. To piss them off more he began to whistle as he worked. VanBuren had an amazing vein in her forehead that began to bulge and he wanted to see how big he could get it.

 

 

~*~

 

 

“So where are we going?” Envy asked and Woodgrove smirked as she kept walking.

 

“Envy, she'll tell us what we need to know,” Lust stated, secretly agreeing with Envy's question.

 

“We obviously cannot be found out, so welcome to headquarters,” Woodgrove stated as she stood in the remains of the building, it was clear that a fire had been the death of the structure. Lust and Envy shared a looked of disgust and disbelief.

 

“You're kidding right?” Envy asked and Woodgrove shook her head, giving him a disapproving look.

 

“I was one of the best State Alchemists back in the day, do you really think a few years would make me rusty?” she snapped as she placed her hands on a stone and Lust realized that a transmutation circle formed in alchemic light before the stairs appeared.

 

“You still need the circles,” she stated and Woodgrove looked at her with a dangerous smirk.

 

“A funny story, they were originally going to call me the Flash Alchemist until I did my first project,” Woodgrove stated as she started down the stairs, her fingers brushing the walls and alchemic light illuminating the stairway. “You see, I've got a talent with alchemic light and Light Alchemist was already taken.”

 

“Do you have a point?” Envy asked and Woodgrove smirked.

 

“My first project was under the dearly departed Brigadier General Gran. A weapon that had me temporarily stationed at Laboratory Five, would you like to know what that weapon was?” She stopped and all three got into defensive positions. One golden eye glared at Envy over her shoulder.

 

“What?” he snapped and her hand brushed the wall as she moved down the steps, no longer looking at the trio. A spike suddenly impaled the step in front of Envy and he stared at the woman.

 

“Lightless alchemy,” Woodgrove hissed as she turned at the three. “Now, I only included you three in all of this because we have a similar goal, seeing the elder Elric boy free.” With that the woman continued down the stairs in silence, the three homunculi staring at her back, Lust's hand was aimed, ready to pierce the Midnight Alchemist's heart just in case the woman dare try to double cross them.

 

 

~*~

 

 

“So, how are the others handling the search?” Ed asked and Havoc sighed, desperately wishing for a cigarette.

 

“When I was there we were basically marking off the houses in the area of the town where she's been dumping clothes, but I don't think we're in that area,” Havoc muttered.

 

“Why's that?” Ed asked, more for conversation than curiosity.

 

“It smells different,” Havoc replied. “The basement where we found your stuff smelt old, wet, moldy. That musty smell basements get when they've been flooded too many times. This one doesn't smell musty, it smells fresh, like it's never been flooded. Sweaty too, like it was made to last, deep in the earth.”

 

“Yea, like the sub-basement in Central,” Ed added and Havoc nodded in the dark as he pulled against his chains, more in something to do than a real escape attempt.

 

“Of course, we're nowhere near Laketon, people would notice me and the other chimeras too easily,” the Marcus-chimera stated and there was the sound of the stool moving. “I brought food. Mother still hasn't returned, I'm worried.”

 

“Why?” Ed asked, his curiosity perked.

 

“That last time Mother was away this long she…she took Joshua's body…she…she tried to bring him back,” the Marcus-chimera whispered.

 

“Joshua…like Joshua Woodgrove, the one that died in Ishbal?” Havoc asked and there was a shuffling.

 

“Yes…” the Marcus-chimera whispered and Ed felt a weight on his bed. “I brought some small fruit, just open your mouth.”

 

“What did she do with the body?” Ed asked and he felt a misshapen hand press against his cheek before a piece of fruit touched his lips, he ate it.

 

“She…she used a wandering man to animate the corpse, making a homunculi,” the Marcus-chimera whispered.

 

 

~*~

 

 

The three homunculi looked at the large room they entered and Woodgrove placed her hand on the wall of the room and suddenly the stairway was gone. There were two other doorways and Lust and Envy took note of all the books in the room. It was basically a large laboratory.

 

“So, what's the plan?” Envy asked, casually, although he was ready to attack in a moment. Woodgrove didn't answer, instead she removed her cloak to reveal a secondary cloak, it too, was removed to reveal a skintight outfit. Leather pants with various alchemic symbols down each leg, knee high leather boots, a black shirt that hugged her chest, alchemic symbols down her sleeves, and a thick braid of black-red at the back of her head. If it weren't for her gold eyes, she could have passed for a homunculus.

 

“Edward's still alive and I have a pretty good idea where his captor will be,” Woodgrove stated as she looked at a bookshelf filled with scrolls. She plucked one out of the pile and looked at it before walking over to a table and placed it down.

 

“This is the town?” Lust asked and Woodgrove nodded.

 

“Yes,” Woodgrove placed pins into the scroll and pinned it to the table. “The basic plan is for you and Gluttony to watch this bar.” Her finger was on a bar near the edge of the Hollows on the boarder of the town.

 

“What about me? Want to have me all to yourself?” Envy asked, transforming into Hohemheim and leering at Woodgrove.

 

“Hardly,” Woodgrove stated, not even looking at the homunculus. “You'll be playing with the police, sending them on wild goose chases around town while I confirm the location of FullMetal.”

 

“Why are you doing that?” Envy asked and Woodgrove gave him a look.

 

“Because I can't change my face whenever I feel like it and give the officers the slip…you can, Lust and Gluttony can blend into the crowd,” Woodgrove stated as she looked at the map. “Besides, you'd have to be able to use alchemy to access where I think FullMetal is being hidden.”

 

 

~*~

 

 

Al looked at the woman as she looked at the imitator's body and then at Al.

 

“I changed my mind, I'll help you bury it, I need you to help me with an errand before you replace it,” she stated and knelt down, drawing a transmutation circle into the dirt. She placed her hands onto the circle and then a deep hole formed. “Push it in already!” Al quickly did it.

 

“Yes, Mother,” he stated and the woman nodded before drawing another circle by the hole and the ground seemed unchanged.

 

“They'll never find him,” she stated as she dusted her hands off. “Come, I need you to help me get something to get that Traitor off my back.”

 

The woman marched in front of Al, walking into the graveyard and Al got a sinking feeling to his gut.

 

 

~*~

 

 

Envy smirked as he saw the group of familiar military faces, how could he pass up this chance, it was just too perfect.

 

 

~*~

 

Maes looked at the phone as it rang and then around the empty office. He sighed as he plucked it up.

 

“Detective VanBuren is out at the moment this is Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes speaking,” he stated.

 

“I know it's you, Maes, I just wanted to give you fair warning. I've got a rather decent body double running around causing mischief around town. I wanted to let you know that this body double is rather….eccentric, I don't really have good control over her so if she seems a loose cannon, I'm not doing that,” the familiar voice of Woodgrove whispered over the line and Maes looked around the room before reclining in VanBuren's chair.

 

“Really? I'll keep that in mind when the sightings of you start piling in. You do know you're going to put your sister into early labor?” he stated and there was a chuckle.

 

“I highly doubt it, you should have seen her pregnancy with Markie, her poor husband was following her with a bucket at six months thinking the same thing. If she's off her feet for a few days I've got no problem with that,” Woodgrove stated. “Keep your eyes open Maes. You'll know when and where I'll need you all.” With that the phone went dead and Maes smirked. Clever girl probably had a good location to watch the others leave the building without him. He looked out the window and noticed the back of a cloak vanish over the side of the building across the way.

 

 

~*~

 

 

Al stared in horror as he looked at the grave.

 

“She didn't want to bury it with the others since it wasn't part of the family anymore. Like marriage should keep it out of the Woodgrove Tomb,” the woman stated as she made a similar symbol in the dirt. Al watched, horrified, as the ground opened and the coffin was exposed.

 

“Get it out of there,” the woman ordered and Al swallowed nervously as he reached down to pull out the coffin. “No, no, you idiot, the body.” Al fought the urge to gag, the fact he didn't have a body didn't matter, as he opened the coffin to look at the skeleton. He stared at if for a moment before looking up at her. She sighed impatiently before tossing a bag at him.

 

“Don't you dare miss a piece,” she hissed and Al began to move the skeleton into the bag, bone by bone.

 

 

~*~

 

 

“She made a homunculus!” Ed hissed in shock and there was another piece of fruit at his lips, he didn't open his mouth this time. “How could she do that and not die?” The fruit was shoved into his mouth this time.

 

“Like I said, she sacrificed the wanderer, she used his life as the exchange…but…” the Marcus-chimera whispered. “You can't bring them back, no matter what. An…the Traitor destroyed him. It made her mad that Mother would do that to Joshua's body.”

 

“Who do you think she'll be bringing back this time?” Havoc asked and there was a long drawn out silence.

 

“The one that will hurt the Traitor the most. The one she loved more than the rest of the family,” Marcus-chimera whispered and Ed felt cold fingers of dread work down his back.

 

 

~*~

 

 

Roy looked up and the last person he expected to see was Woodgrove looking back at him from across the plaza.

 

“Hawkeye,” he hissed and there was the sound of a gun being cocked before Woodgrove smirked, it wasn't very pretty. “Take her down, not out.” The gun fired, but Woodgrove was already running for it.

 

“After her!” VanBuren cried and not only were Roy, Hawkeye, and Armstrong running after Woodgrove and VanBuren, but so was half the police force.

 

 

~*~

 

 

Envy was having a grand old time as he ran through the part of town the foolish ex-State Alchemist had called the Hollows. Guns fired and more than a few shots hit around head level, they either really wanted her dead or they were getting tired and sloppy. Not that Envy cared either way.

 

“Stop! Angelina stop!” a woman cried and Envy tried not to laugh as he began moving through back alleyways, quickly changing form to a bum and sitting down, head dangling in drunken imitation.

 

“Where did…she go…now?” an officer stated as he walked by with the Flame idiot. Envy fought the smirk as they passed him and then there was a call and the two took off again.

 

 

~*~

 

 

Al got out of the grave and stared at the bag. How could he have done this? Oh yea, Ed, she had Ed, she would take him to Ed.

 

“Go…find those military morons and kill them one by one,” she ordered as she pulled the bag out of his hands. “Now!” Al quickly got out of the grave and headed towards town, he felt her refill the grave and Al worried about what she intended to do with those bones.

 

 

~*~

 

 

Woodgrove stared at the grave, her eyes moved over the tombstone before placing a hand on the grave.

 

“What has happened?” she asked as she dug her fingers into the dirt, practically feeling the alchemic energy. “No…” Alone in the graveyard she screamed, holding her head and for once wishing for some of that medication.

 

 

~*~

 

 

Al rushed back to Laketon, only to find the office empty, he returned to the hotel, again, no one, he fought the urge to panic.

 

~*~

 

 

The trio of homunculi stood over the body that Gluttony had been chewing on.

 

“Where did you find this?” Lust asked as she pulled on the slightly gnawed on corpse.

 

“Far side of town, Lust, between the lake and the graveyard,” he whispered, drooling over the corpse.

 

“Is it what I think?” she asked and Gluttony smiled.

 

“It tastes of alchemy and death,” he giggled happily and Lush moved the flesh around. It felt freshly dead.

 

“How long has it been dead?” she asked and then Gluttony began to giggle even more. Envy raised an eyebrow.

 

“At least two years,” he laughed and clapped. “It tastes so good, so well aged.” Lust looked at Envy and the other began to search and then they found it. There, over where the heart would be, was the familiar shape of a snake devouring its own tail.

 

“Another?” Envy asked and Lust shook her head.

 

“Not quite like us,” she stated, staring at the mark and then down at hers. “It has the resurrection symbol. It was dead brought to life. Closer to Majhal's work with the substitution of another's life.”

 

“Can I finish, Lust?” Gluttony asked and Envy stared at the remains of the homunculus.

 

“So, someone here can make homunculi without losing anything of themselves, I wonder who that could be,” Envy purred and Lust nodded.

 

“And you didn't want to work with her,” Lust whispered.

 

 

~*~

 

 

The child walked down the street, his long blond hair hanging around his shoulders in tentacles that whispered of a young lifetime without bathing. The cloaked figure watched the boy child as he moved through the crowd.

 

The cloaked figure moved closer and closer through the crowd as the boy stumbled and fell, it was the perfect moment.

 

“Are you alright, honey?” the woman asked as she gently stroked the boy's shoulder.

 

“I'm fine,” he whispered, the hard edge of street life probably teaching him the dangers of strange people, but the child in him was looking at her with such hopeful eyes.

 

“Let me clean you up,” she stated as she walked the little boy to a nearby fountain. She ripped some of her cloak free and dipped it into the cool liquid before gently cleaning the little boy's leg. “You know, once I had a little boy, just like you?” The child looked up at her.

 

“Really?” he asked and she nodded, wiping away the slight blood before wrapping the strip of cloth over the wound. “Where is he now?”

 

“Someplace safe,” the cloaked figure whispered as she finished tying the cloth over his minor wound. “Would you like to join me for dinner?” The young street urchin's eyes glowed in joy and he nodded quickly.

 

“Come with me then,” the woman's hand was grasped by the much smaller hand and she smiled a smile that was so disturbing that if the street urchin had been looking at her face he would have screamed while urinating on himself. However, he wasn't looking at her face.

 

 

~*~

 

 

Lust, Gluttony, and Envy entered the lab, it was empty and there was an alchemic charge in the air, as if Woodgrove had performed something either recently or very strong.

 

“What is she up to?” Lust whispered and Envy shrugged as he plucked a book off a nearby desk.

 

“Oh, Lust, you have to see this,” he chuckled and tossed the book to the not-quite-human woman. Lust looked in the book and her eyes widened. It was a research journal, like Marco's only this was a very interesting research journal.

 

“This is how to make a homunculus on purpose,” she muttered as she read the results. “Strange, it mimics the chimera's the preacher made with the birds to sound like the dead humans. A mixing of the preacher and Majhal.”

 

“Think our partner did this?” Envy asked and Lust waved the book in front of Gluttony's nose.

 

“What do you smell?” she asked and the round little homunculus smiled, showing that no matter how harmless he looked, he was still a ruthless little killer.

 

“Yes, but there are two more scents on it…close, kin, a sister…mother…brother…close family,” he stated with a grin and Lust looked at the book.

 

“Should we be worried that we'll be ingredients in a resurrection attempt?” Envy asked and Lust shook her head.

 

“No, we can kill her too easily,” Lust stated and hissed as the floor beneath her feet sucked her down to her knees, doing the same to her two companions.

 

“You shouldn't talk about people so poorly. You're making my ears burn,” the cloaked form of Woodgrove stated as she entered the room, a bag over one shoulder and another bigger bag under her arms.

 

“Let us go or I'll kill you,” Lust stated calmly and Woodgrove nodded hitting her elbow to the wall and the floor released them.

 

“There, can't blame me for being cautious when you're talking about killing me,” Woodgrove stated before walking into the next room.

 

“So, what's in the bag?” Envy asked and Woodgrove looked at him before smirking.

 

“Supplies,” she stated before slamming the door behind her.

 

 

~*~

 

 

Ed and Havoc were gagged and in the darkness when the door opened and the woman entered with two sacks. She placed them on the floor and whistled happily as she placed one bag by the tub, pressing her hands against it and Ed stared in horror at the unconscious little boy. The bag had turned into rope that wrapped around his wrists and the foot of the tub.

 

“Mother…what are you doing?” the Marcus-chimera asked from the doorway and the woman smirked at him.

 

“Making a surprise for that traitor,” she chuckled as she walked menacingly towards the blind chimera. “Do you want to know what I'm making her?”

 

“Mother…you're…you're not going to do what I think you're going to do are you?” the Marcus-chimera whimpered and suddenly Ed didn't want to see this. He closed his eyes against it.

 

“What do you think I'm going to do?” she whispered and Ed's heart skipped a beat in fear and he prayed that he wasn't going to have a heart attack. Gold eyes opened in time to see her hand vanish into her bag and begin to pull something out. “Hold out your hand, Pet, and you'll know what I'm going to do.” The Marcus-chimera's hand shook violently as it was extended to the madwoman.

 

Ed, Havoc, and the Marcus-chimera couldn't stifle their screams even behind the inhuman beak and gags as the very human skull was pressed into the inhuman hand.

 

 

~*~

 

AN II: Well? Did you like it, hate it, want more of this sickness? Let me know what you think.