Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Set in Stone ❯ It's Not Rocket Science ( Chapter 6 )

`Til The Sun Shines

 

Chapter Six

It's Not Rocket Science

 

`The optimist says `we live in the best of all possible worlds' and the pessimist fears this is true.'

- Anonymous

 

“How's the search party going?” Mustang asked.

 

“Not very well, sir. They haven't found anything. They must've disappeared into the crowd, it's not like we had a description of their faces. Also the train's set off again; there was no sign of Ed anywhere.” Second Lieutenant Fuery relayed.

 

Mustang sighed. After interviewing the other passengers on the train, they had come to the discovery that both Havoc and Ed had `fallen asleep'; though with Ed it could very well be true. After that, a group had come, looked like they knew the two of them, and somehow taken off with Ed.

 

They were in the office again, the 6 desks in the middle and Mustang's at the front. After getting off the train, they had stopped all movement on it, from loading to getting off, but the group seemed to have beaten them to it, and nobody could find any sign of them anywhere. Falman had taken Havoc to the hospital.

 

“What's the news from the Hospital?” He asked, not missing a beat.

 

“They're…unsure.” Fuery replied hesitantly.

 

“Unsure, how?” he growled.

 

“They've confirmed that he was poisoned, but it's not anything they recognise. They called in a doctor who specialises in toxins and drugs, but he's not expected to reach Central until tomorrow some time.”

 

“What time.”

 

“Well not until late, the trains were held up because we had to stop the one we were on from leaving.” He replied. “They don't think that he's going to get any worse, but they can't say because no one's ever been treated for this before.”

 

“Any news of Fullmetal? Anything, a complaint about yelling shrimps, the zoo saying they think they lost their little yellow haired monkey?” he asked, quite fed up with all the bad news.

 

“No, sir.” Fuery replied, “Nothing at all that could be Ed or anything relating to him.”

 

“Call up the newspapers. Get it on the front page. And tell them to have a spare article. I don't want to have to do it unless it's absolutely necessary.”

 

“Get what on the front covers sir?” he asked uncertainly.

 

“I don't know The Fullmetal Alchemist, from legend to life and back again. Just make sure they know he's back and that he's missing. If he's poisoned as well, then he needs medical treatment. We need to find him as soon as possible.”

 

“Yes, sir.” Fuery replied, saluting and walking out of the room, he stopped at the door. “Sir..?” he asked hesitantly.

 

“What is it Fuery?” Mustang asked, already scrawling furiously at the paperwork caused by this latest fiasco.

 

“Should I inform Alphonse?” he asked. Mustang stopped writing, “I know they're fighting, but if Havoc gets worse…”

 

“Yes, good idea, don't want him reading that in the morning. Get Scheiska to go and speak with him.” Fuery nodded and exited the room, almost bumping into Falman.

 

“What's going on? I thought you were at the hospital?” Fuery asked. “Is it Havoc?”

 

Falman nodded grimly. “He's not getting better, whatever this thing is it's attacking his nervous system, they've got him on a ventilator. I've got to go tell Mustang.”

 

“Yeah, alright.” Fuery said quietly, but he had already headed into the room, and a moment later the two of them rushed out again.

 

“Cancel the spare article detail, Fuery.” Mustang said, and he could've sworn he heard Mustang say quietly. “I'm not about to have a sub-ordinate die on me.” Before he rushed off down the hall. “And go and pick up that specialist from whatever town he's in, it'll be quicker than a train!”

 

 

Knock, knock, knock

 

Al looked up from the object he had been working on, and looked towards the direction of the front door. The person knocked again, and he stood up, opening it just as Scheiska was about to knock again.

 

“Give me some time to get to the door Scheiska.” He joked.

 

“Sorry, I'm just a little nervous; Fuery's just dumped a hell of a lot on me.” His face went from joking to concern.

 

“What's happened?” he asked, opening the door wider. “Come in.”

 

“I don't know the whole story, but Havoc's in the hospital, and Fuery was almost having a panic attack. Something about driving all the way down to somewhere as well as having to do a whole lot of other things, the whole unit's been swamped with work. All because of your brother.” She said, sighing.

 

“Oh no,” Al said, a sinking feeling in his stomach. “What's happened?” He repeated.

 

“Well, they were coming back from Risembool, after Ed had his automail attached,”

 

“Automail, I thought Rose said that he didn't need it anymore?” Al said, still completely in the dark when it came to the four years they had spent together.

 

“Well, that's what we all thought, but when he came back his arm was a fake, and it didn't move, so he went and got a new automail arm.” Scheiska said thanking him for the coffee he handed over. “They had some trouble on the train and Maria, you know Maria Ross?” she asked.

 

“Yeah, I know her.”

 

“Well her daughter met him on the train, and told Lieutenant Ross. So she of course, along with Sergeant Brosh, wanted to see him. When they got down to the carriage he and Havoc were in, Havoc was unconscious and Ed was nowhere to be found, Mustang stopped the whole train. They've only just got started again. There's absolute chaos down at HQ, Havoc's conditions been worsening, Fuery had to drive down and pick up the specialist doctor because now the trains are late.” She took a huge gulp of the coffee.

 

“Ed's missing?” Al asked quietly. “Again?”

 

Scheiska looked at him worriedly. “Don't worry Al, they'll find him. They're putting a huge article in the newspaper for tomorrow morning; they've got heaps of people on it.”

 

“He's got the same thing as Havoc right?” he asked.

 

Scheiska looked down. “How did you…” she asked.

 

“He wouldn't leave Havoc there if he was in trouble, and I doubt he'd be going anywhere sometime soon, he just got back.” Al said. They both sat in silence for a while, before Alphonse spoke again. “The last thing I said to him was `A lot can change in 15 years'. What if he gets really sick, and the last time I talked to him we had a huge argument. What if we never find him? What if…what if he dies?” Al asked.

 

“Calm down, Al.” Scheiska said, “He's coming back, he's going to be fine. You know Ed, he's a fighter, when has a stupid argument between the two of you ever stopped him? If you want you can come back to HQ and see if they get any news. Or the hospital, you'd be sure to get it there. We don't even know if it was just Havoc that was poisoned or not.” She said in a soothing voice.

 

Al shook his head. “I'm sorry, I'm being stupid. I'll wait here, just could you call me as soon as they hear something, I'll probably come over tomorrow, but Michelle's expecting me home.” About half an hour later he was waving her goodbye. “I'll come by tomorrow, if you hear anything…”

 

“Of course, maybe we can get together on better circumstances soon, huh? I've haven't talked with you in a while.”

 

“Sure thing Scheiska, take care of yourself.” He said.

 

“You too.” She replied. “Say hi to Chelle for me okay?” He closed the door once she had disappeared around the corner.

 

“What have you gone and done now Ed?” he asked the empty air around him. He sighed, scribbled a fast note and stuck it on the fridge, grabbed his coat and stepped out into the cool evening air.

 

 

Ed was vaguely aware that he was awake, but he was quite content to keep his eyes closed, and pretend he was still asleep. Just relax and listen to the noise of the train tracks beneath him. His eyes shot open, where were the train tracks, and why wasn't he swaying slightly with the train?

 

He couldn't see anything; he held out his hand in front of his face and couldn't even see the outline of it. He tried to call out, but his voice wasn't working, he clutched at his throat, before realizing that wasn't going to help. Where am I? He thought looking for anything in the pitch black surrounding. He tried calling out again, but got no response.

 

Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his stomach; it felt like his ribs were broken. It was then he noticed other pains in his body, his back, his face, his ankle felt like it was sprained, and he had an strong voice telling him not to move his automail. He reached up and felt his forehead, just under his hair but drew back quickly when it sent a sharp pain shooting through his head. He could feel something wet and sticky on his hand.

 

What's going on? What happened? Wasn't I on the train with Havoc? He thought still looking wildly around him, where's Havoc? He shivered, he was freezing, and he fell to his knees, and landed in glowing white snow. Snow? How long has it been here? He was getting colder and colder as time went by, still no one showed up, nothing moved, the trees swayed gently in the wind.

 

Trees? What the hell? He tried calling out again. “Lieutenant?! Havoc?” but still no noise escaped his lips. Am I dreaming? That's got to be it, but then…you can't feel pain in dreams.

 

“Al…Al..?” the name came out as a harsh whisper, but it was noise nonetheless. The whisper echoed around him, in the vast empty space, and he noticed the full moon shining over him. That wasn't all there before, was it? Maybe I was temporarily blind or something. He thought rationally, standing up, still shivering horribly.

 

“…Hello..?” a harsh whisper once again. And suddenly voices answered the echo.

 

“Hey isn't this that guy from the newspaper, he doesn't look too good. Quick, call an ambulance.”

 

“No, I need my brother.” He tried to call, but his voice had stopped working again, and the room was thrown into pitch black again. One figure stood out though. A lone girl, standing in the distance, staring at him. I know her, he thought, taking a step forward. But his legs wouldn't carry him further.

 

“No, I need to get to her”, but still nothing came out, silence was his response. “Sophia!” he called and the yell echoed around him. The girl turned, opened her mouth, but the words were not her own.

 

“Brother!”

 

“Where did you find him? He looks a mess. Where's that bloody specialist?”

 

“I just got here, where are - oh Jesus, Edward?”

 

“Sophia?” he called again.

 

“What's he muttering? You know him?”

 

“Just help him, please. He's the only family I've got left.”

 

She shut her mouth again, and the voices faded, and Ed's legs began working again. He ran, towards the figure, as fast as he could but he wasn't getting any closer. “Wait!” Black hands reached out, grabbing the child, and pulling her back with them. She cried out.

 

“Help!”

 

Ed began panicking. “No! Don't take her!” he called, and the cries echoed around him. But it was too late and she was taken by whatever force had grabbed her. “Sophia…” he whispered, once again surrounded by nothing but dark.

 

He fell to his knees, and then collapsed into the cold ground, which had once again become snow. He was faintly aware of darkness rolling across the mountain like a plague, and he let the shadows take him.

 

 

“How's he doing?” Al asked, yawning. He'd stayed up since they'd brought in the beaten, mumbling Ed.

 

“Which one?” Mustang replied grimly. “They're both as bad as each other.” He sat down on the uncomfortable hospital chair beside him. “You should go home, get some rest.” He said, watching him yawn once again.

 

“I wouldn't be able to. I'll stay here.” Al replied. “You can go if you want, I'll call you.”

 

“I doubt I'd get much sleep either. Sure is quiet at this time.” He said, and he was right. There was hardly a sound, apart from the beeping of machinery.

 

“”How'd he end up like that?” Al asked softly, obviously speaking about Ed.

 

“We're lucky they found him when they did.” Mustang remarked staring at the roof.

 

“I don't get how I missed him, I scoured every single alley and street and drainpipe in the city the other night. I could've gotten him in here earlier.” Al replied berating himself.

 

“I doubt it Alphonse. Your brothers always had a knack for attracting trouble, you used to as well. Maybe the automail and armor acted as a magnet.” He joked with a smirk. “Plus, if I had watched the two of them closer none of this would've happened. They were in the carriage next to me.”

 

“Just wait until Winry arrives, you should have heard her on the phone this morning.”

 

“Yesterday morning.” Mustang corrected.

 

“Really?” Al asked, “I probably should've warned her about the article.”

 

“At least she won't be fretting over where he is now.”

 

“No, now she'll be fretting over the fact that he's in the hospital with some unknown disease.”

 

“It's not a disease.” Mustang reasoned.

 

“The fact that he's in here is good enough for her, she doesn't care what it is, just how serious.”

 

“Ah, well I suppose that's all that matters when you're not treating it.”

 

“We're lucky Fuery picked up the specialist, I'd hate to think of how bad the situation might've gotten.” Al said, yawning again, his eyes drooping, but his mind not letting him rest.

 

“If I hadn't seen you standing next to him, I would've thought he was you.”

 

“What! No way, he looks heaps different to me.” Al argued tiredly. “Okay maybe he's little like me.” He said when Mustang raised an eyebrow to him. “But you only thought it because you were panicking.”

 

“I wasn't panicking, Roy Mustang does not panic.” He denied.

 

“Well fine, because everything else was chaotic.” He said, rolling his eyes. “D'you think he actually knows Ed, or just recognised his face from pictures?” Al asked, genuinely curious.

 

“I'd have to say, the pictures flatter him much more than what he looks like now.” Mustang said grimly.

 

“Maybe we met him, when we were traveling. I mean, I suppose even if we had met he wouldn't recognise me, would he?” he said, “I hate not being able to remember, maybe I could help, or…I dunno,” he sighed. “Sometimes it's frustrating.”

 

“Well, Fullmetal's the only one who knows now. He's the only one apart from you who was there for the entire journey.”

 

“I feel like I don't even know him anymore, he changed so much in those four years, and now he's come back and I don't know anything. I suppose it's difficult for him too.” He mused.

 

“Because it always use to be a burden the both of you shared.” Mustang supplied. “And now he's got to carry the weight himself.” He chuckled. “Because he's too damn stubborn to ask for help.”

 

Al laughed. “He's always been like that, even before Mom died.”

 

“Excuse me, Major General Mustang?” both of them looked up at the young nurse in front of them, who had obviously been handed night duty. Hooray for her. “Major Havoc's awake, sir.” She said, speaking in low tones so as not to wake any of the patients. Mustang and Al were up in an instant, and straight into Havoc's room.

 

“Hello answers.” Havoc crowed when they both came in. “How on earth did I get in the Hospital? Last I checked I was on a train.”

 

“It's a long story.” Al said, but couldn't help but smile at the fact he was awake, if not at his best.

 

“Al, haven't seen you in a while, what're you doing here?” he asked. “Is it something really bad? Am I dying?”

 

“No you are not dying.” Mustang said, rolling his eyes. “Alphonse is waiting for his brother to wake up, because the two of you went and got yourselves poisoned.”

 

“Poisoned, I knew there was something funky about that train water.” He said, glaring at nothing in particular.

 

“I suppose that answers the question of where it came from.” Mustang said. “Great now I've got to order for the train water to be tested.”

 

“I don't think you'll need to worry about that.” Said a voice from the door. The three of them looked and saw the specialist doctor from earlier.

 

“Are you still here? I would've thought you would be asleep at a Hotel or something.” Al asked him.

 

“Well when the nurse told me my patient was awake, naturally I thought I'd come check it out.” He replied. “I'm glad to see my theory's working. But the fact that it is means that someone deliberately poisoned the drinks, it's not something that could just accumulate, my best guess would be someone was after the one of you, and had to poison both drinks to make sure they got the right one.” He said, going around to Havoc and checking the various machines. “The fact that Ed was kidnapped shortly after would suggest they were after him.”

 

“Kidnapped?” Havoc questioned. “But he was sleeping right across from me. Is he alright?”

 

“We found him.” Mustang replied. “But he's not in the best shape. He's been worse, but it's still not something I'd like to repeat anytime soon, I'm not going to have free time for a week.” He sighed wistfully, imagining the pain in his wrist in the days to come.

 

“Someone had already given him some of the medicine that stops the poison from spreading.”

 

“What? He was already treated?” Mustang asked.

 

“Well, I don't think they wanted him to die did they? They would have the antidote ready.” The doctor replied.

 

“You seem to know an awful lot about this.” Mustang said suspiciously.

 

“I'm a doctor, I specialise in toxins and drugs. A.k.a. Poisons. I deal with this kind of thing all the time.”

 

“I suppose…” Mustang said.

 

“I didn't poison him, if that's what you're getting at, there are much better poisons that they could've used, and I don't really think that you would've needed to call me up if I had done it. I wouldn't want to make myself a suspect.” The doctor said. “Plus, Ed's an old friend of mine.” He added.

 

“You do know him?” Al asked. “Did we help you, when we were traveling, I don't remember.”

 

“No,” he smiled, “I met Ed about 13 years ago, or around then.” The three others exchanged glances; he's been missing for 15. “We used to work on rockets, in Germany.” He held out a hand to Al. “I've heard of you, you're his brother right? Alphonse?”

 

“Yeah, Alphonse Elric.” He said, shaking the hand. The doctor smiled at him, and introduced himself.

 

“I'm Alphons Heiderich.”

`A consultant is someone who takes a subject you understand and makes it sound confusing.'

 

So, we see the introduction of some movie people, I finished watching it, can't wait until September 26th when I comes out, although I don't know if it does in Australia. I'm gonna have to order it. My computer was being stupid and wouldn't load the media miner site so I couldn't upload this earlier sorry, and yeah I like to rant. My dad says it's a problem lol probably is. I'm totally stuck on the chapter I'm writing right now, and I think the story is getting less interesting as I write it so I'm gonna fix that.