Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Replacement ❯ Suspect Revealed ( Chapter 11 )

Disclaimer: I do not own FMA but if I did, Ed, Roy, and Scar would all have much less clothing that was MUCH more fitting.

 

 

~*~

 

 

11 - Suspect Revealed

 

 

~*~

 

 

The little boy with light brown hair and gold eyes giggled as his mother carried him down the street his large eyes shining like gold as she kissed his neck, making him giggle that shrill giggle only very young children could achieve.

 

“Mommy!” he cried as he wrapped his only arm around his mother's neck. Slowly the world around them swirled into darkness and the woman gasped as the small boy was in a hospital bed, his breathing labored as he looked at her through pain filled gold.

 

“It hurts, Mommy, why does it hurt?” he cried and the woman howled as she reached for the boy, only he was being pulled away or was she being pulled away? It didn't matter because he vanished into darkness and a creature that was not alive or dead, neither human nor corpse reached for her.

 

“Look at what you did to me!” he cried and hands unable to rot unable to heal wrapped around her throat and began to squeeze.

 

“Joshua!” she screamed.

 

 

~*~

 

 

“Joshua!” Woodgrove screamed as she sat up and was met by Envy's stare. She gasped a few times before managing a glare. “And you would like something, Sin?” He smiled as he looked at her, his long dreads slowly vanishing behind the photo-excrement that marked his transformation. Woodgrove stared at him, trying not to hyperventilate at the sight before her.

 

“Why did you do it?” Envy-Joshua asked and Woodgrove glared at the homunculus before smirking.

 

“Do what, Envy?” she asked, the terror of her nightmare still fresh as she stared at the image of her resurrected brother.

 

“Make that thing?” he stated as he pointed to the creature in the corner that stared at her before staring at its hand.

 

“We need a distraction for that bitch, that will do,” she explained and he glared at the woman before shrugging.

 

“Then why did you make thing?” Envy-Joshua asked as he indicated his body.

 

“Make the Joshua homunculus?” Woodgrove asked with a strange tone.

 

“Yes, why did you make this, we found it in the woods, had to keep Gluttony from eating it,” Envy replied and Woodgrove looked away.

 

“I don't think I'll respond to that question,” she stated as she got up and stretched, there was an audible pop and she winced. Envy noticed the way she sighed, it was an old pain, how boring it must be to be human.

 

“Should we have let Gluttony eat it then?” Envy asked and the Detective shrugged.

 

“I wouldn't know, I'd have thought it would be nothing but dust by now,” she sighed.

 

“Oh no, it was delicious, full of alchemy and decay,” Gluttony giggled as he appeared a moment before Lust.

 

“Was it now?” Woodgrove muttered and the more intelligent homunculi noticed the way her brow quirked before she headed into the next room, the creature following her, making whimpering noises.

 

 

~*~

 

 

Ed stared at the creature as it walked around the cell, the woman was bathing Havoc and from the grunts and moans, she was doing more than just cleaning his lower areas. Ed was trying to ignore that as best he could as he stared at the creature, it looked human enough, save for the mark on the back of the neck, hidden behind the light brown hair.

 

It moved around the room, touching and stroking things, slowly getting closer and closer to Ed. His hair stood up on end as it stroked the headboard. His eyes widened as flesh that looked alive but felt dead stroked his forehead as empty eyes regarded him.

 

“Get away from him,” the woman snapped and Ed fought the urge to close his eyes around the living corpse even at the sight of Havoc's semen across her chin. The creature moved quickly, more agile than he thought it could. It stared at Ed and his skin wanted to crawl.

 

 

~*~

 

 

Maes and Tom made a great team, Roy felt a bit put out his best friend had made another buddy as if their mission was completed. Still, it was funny to watch the two men sing the rather dirty drinking song together, the whole thing, all five verses, even better to see Hawkeye and Armstrong blushing like schoolgirls at some of the language.

 

“Are you two quite done?” VanBuren growled as she glared at the group from over her pile of paperwork.

 

“Well, I'm out of juice so I suppose I'll go wander,” Tom said and for once Roy caught that planning look on Maes face.

 

“We'll accompany you,” Roy said and Maes smirked, okay, maybe that planning look was planned for Roy, damn, he was feeling so clever too.

 

“Alright, the more the merrier,” Tom said and the group gathered their jackets, opening the door to find Al.

 

“Alphonse, where have you been?” Hawkeye asked and the suit of armor stood there.

 

“I found something we might want to check,” Al stated, watching VanBuren as she screamed into a phone at someone. “Come on.” With that the group left.

 

 

~*~

 

 

Lust stared at the target, her eyes never leaving the woman as she worked. Gluttony rested his head in her lap and Lust glared at him, she hated it when he did that, he always left drool stains on her dress.

 

The target was agile for her state and Lust looked at the similarities between her and Woodgrove. The physicals were a similar shaped face, that hair, and most definitely the voice. Lust looked at Gluttony as he yawned, his breath stank of carrion, she hoped he hadn't eaten a house pet again, that always brought about suspicion.

 

 

~*~

 

 

Envy watched Woodgrove as she worked with the creature, it was slow but intelligent, it learned the tricks she taught it and eagerly ate the treats she offered. Envy felt sick when she hugged it. The horrid laughter the creature emitted would haunt Envy for the rest of his unnatural life.

 

“Why am I here?” he asked and she ignored him for the millionth time before standing up.

 

“You're not going to be for long. That body you found, I want you to watch it. I suspect that it's going to be found soon and I'd like you to come and tell me the moment our dear friends find it,” Woodgrove stated, pulling some pins from her hair. “I'm going to get ready.”

 

“Ready for what?” Envy asked and Woodgrove looked at him.

 

“The end of this whole mess,” she stated calmly before entering a room with the creature, the door vanishing in a blast of alchemic light.

 

“Hmmm,” Envy sighed before heading out of the lab.

 

 

~*~

 

 

The group entered the clearing, surprisingly, Tom was the one to lead, not Al, as if he knew where they were going.

 

The body was face down, the bare back exposed that something had been chewing on it, something with a big mouth. The simple black pants were from an old military outfit. The light blond hair was mostly dark, as if it had been buried not long before they had arrived. The tanned skin was dirty, covered with clumps of mud.

 

The group stood around the body and Tom pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and covered his mouth and nose before turning the body over. The face was handsome and very similar to Tom's. Who was currently on the ground, scurrying back away from the body with a look of abject horror on his face.

 

“That's not possible!” he hissed, the color rushing from his face so fast that Roy was certain he was going to pass out. “Joshua's been dead for nearly ten years, he should be nothing but bones!”

 

“Joshua, as in your brother?” Hawkeye asked as she approached the body. The face was peaceful, dirt was clumped on the eyelashes. However, it was not his face she was looking at, but a large hole in his chest, about the size of a fist, there were strange burns all around it. “I thought he died in Ishbal.”

 

“That's just it! He did! Joshua died in Ishbal with the first of the troops sent in to suppress the uprising. But that's him!” Tom hissed as he managed to get to his feet.

 

“That mark on his chest, did he have a tattoo?” Al asked and the group stared at the mark. The Oruboros was wound around the symbol of resurrection. Tom stared at the mark.

 

“No, Joshua didn't have a tattoo,” Tom whispered as he looked at the corpse. “Still, I didn't want to believe her.” That caught some attention.

 

“Who is this her?” Maes asked, even though he had a good idea.

 

“Angel, a few years ago, about the last time I came home, she told me that she did something that wasn't possible. When I asked her…she told me she killed something that was once our brother. I thought she was joking, but…this thing…” Tom's eyes were haunted. “…this is Joshua, the scar along his temple, I gave him that, only I would know it was there.” The various military members looked close, and so faint, you wouldn't know it unless you looked closely at the edge of the hairline, there was a line of pure white, even under the dirt.

 

“This is your brother,” Al stated in a cold voice. “This isn't a proper homunculus though, it was cheated somehow.”

 

“But how?” Roy muttered as he looked at the mark, the mark was part of the array, he had no doubt about that. Still, how could a body be perfectly resurrected.

 

“She said it was him,” Tom whispered as he got up. “She told me she checked the grave after and it was empty. Whoever did this, used his real body.” Roy and Al, both knowing a bit about human alchemy froze.

 

“That could explain the physical likeness, but what was he like mentally?” Al wondered aloud.

 

 

~*~

 

 

Woodgrove sat in the dark, her eyes on her creation, too much like the Joshua-thing she had destroyed years ago. Envy had told her they had found the body, her eyes closed. Dealing with homunculi, Hohemheim had to be laughing at her from somewhere, still, they were proving to be useful, even if annoying. She sat in the dark while the creature chattered at her, it was disgusting to use her alchemy in such a way, but when fighting fire, you had to use fire, how lucky was it the Flame Alchemist was in Laketon. Still, the memories came unbidden.

 

 

~*~

 

 

“An….gel,” the creature stated as it approached a younger Angelina Woodgrove, its face in some attempt at joy. “An….gel.” It was clearly work to talk and the seasoned cop dropped her gun as she backed away from what she thought was the Lion-eyed Killer.

 

“No…” the breath left her in a shuddered gasp, her hands over her mouth as she shook her head.

 

“An…gel,” the effort that went into those two syllables was felt through her entire torso. “Help….me.” Then horror grew to terror, for those that never experienced the two, it is impossible to understand the sight of seeing a beloved family member, alive and dead in the same moment, begging for help.

 

“It's not possible!” she hissed and the creature walked over to her, the movement of the body was fine, it was clear that more time had been spent on the muscles than the vocal cords and internal speech organs, including the diaphragm.

 

“Plea….se….help….me….An…gel&# 8230;” the effort that went into the message was enough. The creature stood up and handed her the gun again. “On…ly….ho…pe….plea…se….kill̷ 0;.me…” The expression on her face made her seem like a hideous mask meant to scare others.

 

“No…Joshua…” she sobbed, the gun shaking in her hands as the cold but living flesh of the creature moved her right hand to the pocket where she had always kept her chalk and slowly she realized the truth.

 

“Alchemy….I have to use alchemy to do it…” the realization was met by some unrecognizable emotion in the reanimated corpse eyes before her. For a moment she realized it was relief.

 

“Plea…se…” it whispered and she nodded as she opened the clip, pulling a bullet from the chamber.

 

“I will, Joshua, I'll set you to rest,” she whispered as she drew a circle on the bullet, she could only guess from the mark on his bare chest what exactly she had to ask from her alchemy, but it should be enough to put her brother to peace. The clip was empties and she placed the single bullet back in. The gun cocked and she stared at her brother.

 

“An…gel…” he whispered and she knew the tears were running down her cheeks more than felt them.

 

“I can't do this, Joshua, I can't kill you!” she sobbed, the gun bouncing with the movement of her shoulders with her sobs. An icy cold hand stroked her cheek.

 

“You…can…you…are…strong…gest& #8230;.you…can….An…gel…” it whispered. The look in its eyes was so close to the look they held in life.

 

“I love you, Joshua, I missed you so much. I'm sorry,” she closed her eyes as she pushed the barrel into his chest, below his sternum.

 

“I…love…you…An…gel…we…w ill…see…each…oth…er….a…gain…̶ 1; the message was ended with another brush of cold hand to her cheek. Then the loud explosion of the alchemy infused bullet escaping the pistol.

 

Angelina `Angel' Woodgrove dropped her gun and then fell to her knees before the body of her brother. She drew a circle on the ground, making a shallow grave. It would have been deeper, but her eyes were blurred by the constant tears.

 

 

~*~

 

 

“Come,” the woman said and the creature looked at her before nodding. “Time to make our enemies scream. Don't worry Alexander, Marcus, Mommy will make that Traitor scream apologies, she will regret crossing me. She should have given up long ago.”

 

Ed stared at the woman, that look was in her eyes, that enraged, insane look that meant pain, however, this time pain was meant for someone besides Ed and Havoc.

 

The figures of the two chimeras and the Marcus-chimera stood in the doorway.

 

“Say good bye to Alexander and Marcus, Pets,” the woman ordered as she took the creature's hand, leading it out of the room. The two chimeras muttered good byes and Ed wondered if they were going to suffer with their lives for this woman's madness, not that they hadn't suffered enough.

 

“I am sorry, Replacements,” the Marcus-chimera whispered and Ed wondered what he was sorry for.

 

 

~*~

 

 

Tom sat on the grass as he retold his sister's experience with the Joshua-thing, his eyes closed as he used one hand to massage the bridge of his nose, the other dangled between his legs as he rested its elbow on his raised knee.

 

“She told me it while we were drunk and I thought it was a side effect of her medication and the alcohol, but now, dear God, she's been holding this in for so long,” Tom whispered.

 

“I only know of one alchemist who dealt with using alchemy to reanimate dead cells, I think her name was Angela Winter,” Roy muttered, only Maes noticed the way Tom's body froze up.

 

“Angela Winter was our mother,” Tom whispered. “We all studied her work, Angel and Catherine debated it for weeks on end.”

 

“What do you mean?” Al asked.

 

“Angel stated that you couldn't bring back the person, only the memories physically stored in the brain,” he whispered, staring at the corpse. “Catherine couldn't accept our mother could be wrong and said you could bring back a person. However, I thought it was just a memory hiccup. She didn't say anything the day after anyway.”

 

“We should have a talk with Detective VanBuren,” Maes stated and the group nodded.

 

 

~*~

 

 

Envy, Lust, and Gluttony watched as Woodgrove and the creature drew arrays on the building, each one made with loving care.

 

“What will this do?” Envy asked and Woodgrove smiled.

 

“Leave a trail of breadcrumbs,” she whispered, moving on to the next array. The creature's arrays were sloppy and running into hers, but that was to be expected.

 

 

~*~

 

 

VanBuren was not happy when the group walked in, her eyes were flashing as she glared at her brother.

 

“She's started several fires,” VanBuren growled. “The buildings were all empty and in the Hollows but what I loved was the pattern that the houses made.

 

“What was the pattern?” Tom asked, the look on his face was set since they buried the Joshua-thing's remains.

 

“They made an arrow into the graveyard,” VanBuren huffed, her hand alternating rubbing her belly and back.

 

“Sit down, Catherine, you're getting worked up and might risk the baby,” Tom stated and the woman's face drained of color, she quickly sat down. Slowly her brother knelt in front of her. “Breathe with me.” The two did a similar breathing exercise before VanBuren pointed to the wall, the map of the Hollows was there with dots that clearly made an arrow towards the graveyard.

 

“Why the graveyard?” Tom whispered.

 

“Not the regular graveyard, it's pointing to a certain grave,” VanBuren whispered. The group remained quiet as Tom's eyes widened.

 

“Have you checked it?” Tom hissed and VanBuren shook her head.

 

“I was waiting for you…I didn't trust any of my men,” VanBuren whispered.

 

“Who's grave?” Hawkeye ended the spell and the two siblings shared a look.

 

“Angel had been fighting with our mother before her son died,” Tom stated.

 

“It was big, Mother went so far as to deny Angelina the right to bury her son in the family crypt,” VanBuren whispered.

 

“So Angel had him buried on a spot of land she picked out, the far end of the graveyard, very few graves, she used to take him there for picnics,” Tom whispered.

 

“Let's go see why she's left us a trail,” Roy stated and VanBuren shook her head.

 

“I'll stay here, it'll look suspicious if I vanish,” she whispered and for a moment, Roy could see the worry and the guilt. VanBuren was regretting her accusation of her sister. Still, he wasn't quite convinced that the runaway detective wasn't the kidnapper, she certainly fit the profile.

 

“Sounds fine to me,” Tom said before walking to the door.

 

“I'll lead the way,” he stated before heading out the door. Al looked at the map before realization slowly dawned on him.

 

 

~*~

 

 

Envy watched the woman climb the tree, her body firm and toned, he would have to try out her form in detail later on. She looked at wherever it was she was leading them.

 

“I wonder what she's up to?” he muttered and Lust shrugged.

 

“As long as we save the Fullmetal brat from death I don't care,” Lust stated and Gluttony nuzzled her legs. Envy often wondered what it was about Lust that had Gluttony all over her like some amorous puppy. She barely tried to push him away when the Midnight Alchemist landed on the forest floor.

 

“So what's the plan?” Envy asked and she looked at him as if seeing him for the first time.

 

“She's got at least two chimeras wandering the grounds, she's sitting on her porch,” there was a tone.

 

“Is something wrong with that?” Lust asked and Woodgrove nodded.

 

“She hates being outside, she'd only wait on the porch when expecting company,” Woodgrove whispered.

 

“Does that change the plan?” Envy asked and Woodgrove nodded.

 

“We're not going to attack before Mustang's group arrives. We're going to stay back and wait,” Woodgrove stated and the group moved into the darkness, the human blending with the homunculi and her creature.

 

 

~*~

 

 

Ed felt the alchemy around him, something powerful was being set up. Alchemy was specific, you could almost feel the difference between alchemists when they were using their skills. He could feel at least two people performing alchemy and he wondered, was rescue finally on its way.

 

 

~*~

 

 

The grave was open, the ground bulging at the side like it was about to burst, but Roy knew that alchemy had opened the grave, the dirt pushed to the side, causing the bulge.

 

“Oh my God,” Tom whispered as he stared at the open, empty coffin. “His body's gone. Who would do that?”

 

“Do you think it's possible Detective Woodgrove lost her mind, taking the child to reanimate since she knows it is possible?” Armstrong asked and Tom shook his head.

 

“Angel would never disturb her son's body, she told me that night that the Joshua-thing, wasn't him. Like a reflection without a mirror. She told me that if she ever found another like him she'd kill it before it could speak. Someone's out to get her,” he whispered as he took a step from the grave and Maes looked down.

 

“There's a letter in the grave,” he stated as he climbed down. “This looks new.”

 

“It is. I helped her take the body out,” Al whispered and the group stared at him in shock.

 

“Alphonse, why didn't you tell us this earlier?” Hawkeye demanded and the metal armor shuddered.

 

“I don't know, I guess, I had to tell Winry and Aunt Pinako. I wasn't sure what to tell you, especially since she thought I was someone else,” Al whispered.

 

“Al, I think you better tell us everything from the beginning,” Roy stated and soon enough they knew what Al knew.

 

 

~*~

 

 

The woman sat on her chair waiting, the Traitor was coming. She could smell the bitch as she rocked back and forth. Her eyes studied the forest, the Traitor wouldn't come from the forest, oh no, that bitch was smart, was clever, too clever.

 

“Took after her father,” the woman hissed and the Marcus-chimera shivered behind her. The creature was sitting at his feet, playing with his deformed foot.

 

“What do you want me to say, Mother?” he asked and the woman hissed.

 

“I want you to tell me if you smell her,” she growled and he lifted his nose, highly attuned from a near decade without his eyes. The air particles sifted along the sensitive membrane in his nose. Then there was the scent of roses and lilies.

 

“Well?” she demanded and the Marcus-chimera whimpered.

 

“She's close,” he whispered and the woman laughed.

 

“Oh, Angelina, you will regret coming after me,” the woman chuckled, it made the Marcus-chimera's hair stand on end, all over his body. Her hand reached out to stroke the soft, fine hair of the creature.

 

 

~*~

 

 

Tom stared at Al, his eyes wide and the look of disbelief and horror showed.

 

“What is it? Do you recognize the description?” Al asked and Tom nodded.

 

“It's not possible, but…it's not impossible,” he whispered.

 

“I'm pretty sure whatever you're thinking is possible,” Roy stated and Tom looked up, not very pleasant.

 

“We have little to no time if Angel let us know about this,” Tom stated. “I know where the kidnapper has to be. This way!” He ran into the woods and the group followed him. Maes was glad he had his extra blades on him while Hawkeye was wishing she had brought more then seven clips. Al was hoping beyond hope that Ed was alive.

 

 

~*~

 

 

Woodgrove drew the circle in the ground and when she placed her hands on it a hole appeared, no light, only a hole. She drew a circle and the creature drew it. A plain shackle was on her ankle and she drew the circle on it. The creature drew the circle on her shoe and she made the negative sign. The creature drew the circle on the shackle and she gave it a treat.

 

“What are you doing?” Envy asked and the woman looked up at him.

 

“Getting Edward Elric free,” she explained before doing it again. She began speaking to the creature and it began to imitate her voice.

 

“You are the ones Mother spoke about,” a voice hissed and the group froze. “If I bring your heads to Mother, she'll make me human again.” With that the chimera struck.

 

 

~*~

 

 

The Marcus-chimera shivered before scenting various people, one had the scent of flora and gunpowder, another had the scent of books and a child, another of sweat and healthy foods, one of armor, another of ash, and the last held the scent of foreign spices and an underlying odor of sweaty leather.

 

“Thomas,” he whispered and the woman sat up.

 

“Thomas!” she hissed and then there was the sound of a chimera screaming in attack. “No, not now! Thomas wasn't supposed to be here!”

 

“He is,” the Marcus-chimera whispered, secret dark joy filling his empty soul at the thought of his mother getting her just deserts by the Traitors.

 

 

~*~

 

 

Woodgrove shoved the creature down the hole and turned to the chimera as Lust attempted to pierce it with her claws, strangely her claws couldn't pierce it and Woodgrove stared before she realized.

 

“It may look like a mix of only two creatures, but there are three and I'd bet money that one was an armadillo,” she cried and Lust snarled as she fought the chimera as it attacked again. It barely avoided Gluttony's mouth, animal instincts obviously letting it know that the small creature was very dangerous.

 

“Take care of it!” Woodgrove hissed as she closed the hole behind her creature.

 

“Take care of the one responsible!” Lust shot back right as the second chimera attacked.

 

 

~*~

 

 

There was a large explosion and the group ran faster towards what looked like a large farmhouse, something from the old days when wealthy landowners could sit on their porches and watch the poor people that worked for them labor over their crops.

 

Several trees burned around the front of the house and the group stared at two forms faced off across from each other. Both about the same height as they stood in the center of the yard, fires burning around them.

 

“Angel!” Tom cried and Armstrong grabbed him as the two women turned to look at them. Woodgrove was clearly the one in the tight black, leather outfit, looking completely ready for battle. The other woman looked almost identical to Woodgrove, save for about twenty more years of life. The woman's hair was black, dead, dull black, unlike Woodgrove's hair, which looked as red as dried blood in the dusk and firelight. This woman had eyes of a light brown, something that could never be mistaken for the burning gold of Woodgrove's eyes.

 

“It's not possible,” Tom cried and the woman smiled, it was clearly the smile of a disturbed individual.

 

“But it is Thomas,” the woman chuckled in a voice the matched Woodgrove's perfectly.

 

“Who is she?” Roy demanded as Tom stared at the woman in complete and utter horror.

 

“She could be Detective Woodgrove's twin,” Hawkeye whispered and there was a huff from said Detective.

 

“Hardly, Lieutenant Hawkeye,” Woodgrove stated as she stared at the woman and the military group stared at the two as they faced off.

 

“Who is she?” Roy demanded, losing all semblance of calm.

 

“Why don't you show some manners, Angelina,” the woman chuckled, it was dark and distorted.

 

“Fine then,” Woodgrove stated in a cool and calm voice. “Roy, Alexander, Riza, and Maes, may I introduce to you Angela Woodgrove, my mother.”

 

 

~*~

 

AN: Sorry I took so long getting this out, but my grandfather passed away April 27th and needless to say, I've been busy. I've finally gotten back to writing.

I hope you're all shocked. That's right, Woodgrove is innocent, it's her mother, who if you remember `died' on the lake, meaning Marcus is Woodgrove, Tom, and VanBuren's little brother, Baby. Go back and look it up, if you look at the explanation for her mother's death you'll see it's fishy, plus there was the photo of Baby's funeral where Woodgrove is glaring at her mother. So, did I blindside you? Did anyone actually catch those hints? If not, can anyone guess what's going to happen next? I bet some of you can.