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Time's Scar	By : RotSeele Category: Fullmetal Alchemist > AU - Alternate Universe Views: 828 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. I do not make any money from this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Time's Scar
- 2-Two
- 3-Three
- 4-Four
- 5-Five
- 6-Six
- 7-Seven
- 8-Eight
- 9-Nine
- 10-Ten
- 11-Eleven
- 12-Twelve
- 13-Thirteen
- 14-Fourteen
- 15-Fifteen
- 16-Sixteen
- 17-Seventeen
- 18-Eighteen
- 19-Epilogue
- 13
- 14
- 15
Fourteen
Elric led the way toward Olivier's warehouse, moving slowly and with care, as if he were seriously hurt. He had to make Olivier believe he was hurt, since the trap that had been laid for him by his younger self had managed to foil his plans. He didn't doubt for a second that Olivier had already moved Alphonse, so the only way to get him back would be to capture Olivier and force him to tell them where the younger Elric was being kept. It wasn't going to be easy, and a few buildings might be destroyed in the process, but one had to expect that kind of thing during a battle with alchemists.
Behind him, keeping a good distance, were the younger Elrics and Roy. Mustang was keeping an even greater distance so if they needed help, he'd be able to reach either team in time. Once Elric managed to get Olivier out, or one of Olivier's goons out, Ed and Al would join him in trying to wrangle their target and Roy would make sure no one was able to escape. Then the four of them would get the answers they wanted, so that they could put a stop to the Académie's plans and get Alphonse back.
Elric stepped into the open before the warehouse's main doors, looking at the old building with a little bit of trepidation, but he took a soft breath and started to head inside. He had to trust the others to do their jobs, and ironically enough, he was worried about his younger self and his little brother would falter at the last minute. Then he bit back a smile. He had to trust Ed to do the right thing. He'd be doing the same if their roles were reversed.
The warehouse was dark when he entered, but he could sense that there was someone there. He didn't know who it was, but he was sure it wasn't the person he wanted it to be. He looked left and right, trying to see how far he needed to step in in order to make sure the doors wouldn't be slammed shut behind him and leave him cut off from help. If the others had to bust their way in here, Elric was fairly sure they would end up being caught off guard by anything that might be engaged with him.
"Olivier!" Elric called out. His voice echoed in the building. He wasn't answered, and he wasn't surprised. He took another step forward, doing his best not to over-exaggerate his "injuries". "Olivier, are you here?"
It took a moment before he was certain he wasn't alone. He looked up toward the walkway where someone was moving, and he looked up to see the woman who had attacked Alphonse in the alley. He thought her name was Erika or something like that. He hadn't bothered to learn the names of Olivier's underlings, mostly because they had nothing to do with his deal with Olivier. Erika stared down at him in that superior way of hers, her arms folded across her chest. He realized she was probably hiding the alchemical circle that was tattooed on her hand.
"What do you want?" Erika asked, her voice harsh. "Olivier won't deal with you anymore. You failed in your task."
"Is that what he said?"
Erika scowled. "You failed. You no longer have any use for us. We'll take good care of your brother."
Elric gave a lopsided smile. "So does that mean you're going to kill me?"
"Of course. You were given a task. You not only failed in that task, you also fell for a trap set for you by a fourteen year old boy."
"And? So I got tricked. It happens. So, here's the new deal. You tell me where Olivier is holding my brother, and you get to stay on this side of the living a little longer. I've killed quite a bit of people for you. It wouldn't be hard for me to add one more bloodstain to my hands."
She stared at him, as if she didn't believe him at all. Her frown became a scowl. "Who are you to threaten me, boy? Don't forget what I'm capable of."
"What, alchemy?" Elric laughed. "Please. You learned how to do it in a week or two. I've been doing it for nineteen years."
Erika's scowl deepened. "Olivier was right. Without the proper incentive, you turn rogue quick enough."
Elric stopped laughing and his smile became strained. "I won't ask again. Where's my brother?"
Because he knew it was coming, Elric managed to avoid the worst of her attack. Erika's alchemy still blew off half the front of the building, but the strike was so wild that Elric managed to get out of the way and retaliate with alchemy of his own. That was the signal to the others waiting outside. He heard Alphonse moving to intercept Erika as she ran for freedom and quickly gave chase to her as well. He spun around a blind corner and nearly was clotheslined to the ground. A man stood there, dressed in army fatigues and a deep scowl in his face. Elric saw the alchemy circle carved into his palm a second before the ruby light of alchemy blinded him.
A clap sounded in the split second after, and Elric heard a grunt as the man no doubt took the brunt of Ed's alchemy. Elric shook his head to try and clear his eyes, and saw that Ed had transformed the metal wall into a series of spikes, each one longer and thicker than his arm. Between them stood the man in army fatigues, the hand with the alchemy circle pinned to the opposite wall by a spike that nearly split his hand in half. Elric looked over at his younger self and saw in those gold eyes the same determination that had been in his when he swore to take lives to get Alphonse back.
"You okay?" Ed asked.
Elric picked himself up and brushed himself off. "I'm fine. Where's Alphonse?"
"Chasing down that broad with the Colonel." Ed replied. "Figure if we catch both of them, someone's going to talk sooner or later."
Elric nodded. He looked at the man pinned to the wall. "Hear that? It's probably in your best interest to tell us what we want to know."
The man hawked and spat at Elric's feet. "I'll never betray Olivier."
Elric smiled and it didn't quite reach his golden eyes. "Everyone says that. They won't betray their leader, or they won't betray their friends and loved ones. But you know, eventually everyone's betrayed in one way or another. But no matter. I don't need you to talk willingly."
Ed frowned as he looked at his older self. "What are you planning to do?"
"You really want to watch?"
"Someone's got to be here to stop you when you start to go too far."
Elric regarded Ed coolly and shrugged. "I won't hurt him. Too much."
Ed watched as Elric stepped forward. He clapped his hands, then passed his left hand over his right, shaping the automail of his right hand into a blade. Ed had done this plenty of times himself, much to Winry's chagrin, so that in itself wasn't unusual. But it was what Elric did next that had Ed paling a bit. The older version of himself set that blade against the spike that pierced the man’s hand. Then Elric said, "Here's the deal. I'm going to ask you a question. You're going to give me an answer. If you don't, I'm going to start with the first knuckle of each finger and work down. When I reach your wrist, I'm going to take your skin off, then each layer of fat and muscle until I reach bone."
"Can you do that?" Ed asked, his voice a little tight.
"I've done it before, with varying degrees of success." Elric responded. "But practice makes perfect, as they say."
The man's eyes bugged out of his head as Elric moved the blade to the first knuckle of his thumb. He inhaled sharply at the feel of metal on his skin. "I won't talk." He hissed. "Torture me all you want."
"Where is Olivier?" Elric asked, apparently ignoring the man. When he didn't talk, Elric twitched his hand. Ed turned green as blood sprayed. The man held in the howl as his thumb dropped to the ground. Elric set the blade against the next knuckle. "Where's Olivier?"
The man pressed his lips together. The second half of his thumb quickly followed the first. Ed swallowed hard to keep from being sick. Elric seemed to have no sympathy for his victim or for his younger self. Ed hadn't believed it when his other self had told him what he'd had to do to survive, how he'd had to turn a part of his humanity off to complete the tasks he'd been assigned. He'd killed people. The alchemy had made it impersonal, but Ed was looking at a side of himself now that even he knew lurked in the dark depths of his soul. He'd do anything for his little brother, and he knew that being a State Alchemist would mean he'd have to do things that would scar his soul. He forced himself to watch Elric work, because this was a side of himself he had to reconcile with.
"You're almost out of fingers." Elric crooned after a while. He paused as explosions sounded from outside the warehouse. He focused on his prey and smiled. "Sounds like your friend's having a hard time."
"She'll never fall to you." Panted the man, his face pale and sweaty.
"It's not me she has to deal with right now." Elric said. "So, let's keep going. Where's my brother?"
The last bit of the man's pinkie finger fell to the floor, splashing in a growing pool of blood. The man howled this time, straining and struggling against the spikes holding him in place. Elric watched him dispassionately. He lifted the blade away and cleaned it on the man's shirt. Ed swallowed hard. He looked at the man. "Why don't you just tell him?" He asked. "Certainly it'd be better just to tell him than lose your hand, right?"
The man looked at Ed pleadingly. When he looked at Elric, and saw the blank gold-eyed stare, fear entered his eyes. Elric lifted the blade and set it against the man's palm. "Your skin's next. I'll be careful not to cut any nerves."
The man shuddered. "Okay! Okay okay okay okay!" He panted harshly. "Olivier's got this base outside Central. He's had it for a while. He does his experiments there, trying to perfect the alchemy you invented."
"Why?" Elric asked. "He's got me playing his assassin, I get that. But why does he want that alchemy? Only two people can perform it - me and my brother. And Alphonse only knows a few sequences."
The man shrugged. "I don't know! I swear! Something about merging worlds, I don't know!"
"Is Alphonse there?"
"As far as I know! Olivier keeps him close. Like the kid's his security blanket or something!"
Elric frowned deeply. He stepped back and kept frowning. Ed watched him for a long moment, then asked, "Should we let him go?"
Elric shook his head. "One more thing - why are you and Erika here?"
The man's lips thinned. Once more, Elric took his automail blade to the man's hand, shaving off a thin layer of skin from palm to wrist. The man shrieked and strained against his bonds. Elric's mind raced. Why send two of his "best" here? Was it to stall them? If so, they'd done a poor job of it. Elric and the others had split into teams in order to combat such a thing. But something didn't sit right. Elric looked at the pale, sweating man like he was a puzzle. It had been too easy, Elric decided. Too easy to catch this man. His younger self had done it, even. And Roy and Alphonse had chased after Erika, intending to catch her and interrogate her just like he and Ed were doing, though without as much bloodshed.
It hit Elric then that this, too, was a distraction. This man was nothing but a pawn, fodder sent to satisfy Elric's need to find out where Alphonse was. He was meant to distract them, to keep Elric from chasing down Erika.
Erika, who knew the armor was special to Elric. Who knew the armor was something, someone, important.
Elric snarled. "She's here to get Alphonse, isn't she?" He grabbed the man's shirt collar in both hands. "Isn't she?!"
The man smirked. "Two halves make a whole right? If your brother knows what you taught him, then his brother knows what yours doesn't. Together, they'll get Olivier what he wants."
Edward let out a soft noise. Then he bolted from the hall, running as fast as he could to the door he'd used to enter to get outside. He didn't know if Elric was behind him and he didn't care. He didn't care what the other him would do to the man they'd caught. All he cared about was reaching his brother.
Edward ran, skirting the corner of an alley that looked like it had been scorched with fire. He followed that trail, seeing signs of Al's own alchemy here and there along with Roy's. He saw signs of other alchemy, alchemy belonging to Erika. And then he reached the end of the alley and saw nothing but a pile of rubble that used to be a building. Ed stood panting, then hurried toward the rubble, yelling for his brother. There was no answer.
The rubble shifted then and for a moment, Ed hoped against hope that it was Alphonse. But Roy hauled himself out of the rubble, swiping blood out of his eyes. He looked at Ed and grimaced. "I'm sorry." He said. "I'm sorry, Ed."
Edward felt a cold fist grip his heart and managed somehow not to fall to his knees. Olivier now had both younger Elrics, and their only consolation was that they now knew where he was. Or where he would be, if he didn't change locations. Edward looked up when he heard Elric's footsteps and looked into his older self's haunted golden eyes.
Elric nodded slowly. "We're going to get them back."
Edward heard the dangerous note in Elric's voice, and he realized that his expression probably matched the one Elric was wearing.
I hope you're ready, Olivier. This is the last time you get to use the Elrics in your game.
- 13
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Time's Scar