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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
- 5
- 6
- 7
Six
"We've got all but one of the targets in a safe house," Mallory was explaining to Ed and Alphonse as they hurried down the street. Around them was a flurry of activity by the military, cars positioned as road blocks and soldiers standing ready with their guns drawn and held at the ready. It seemed like an over the top reaction by the military, but based on what Ed and Alphonse had learned from the files and scenes, there wasn't a reason to take a chance. And with night falling, the chances of an attack happening, along with the killer escaping, was an all too real possibility.
"And you're sure Rhys Houck is still in the building?" Edward asked, trying to keep up with Mallory's strides.
"He never clocked out, and as far as we know, he hasn't evacuated with the others when we put in the call."
"So we can safely assume he's still in there." Alphonse said. "And we can probably safely assume the killer's in there too."
Edward scowled. If the killer really was in there, then their job would get just a little bit harder. It would probably mean they'd have to split up - one would save the intended victim and the other would try to stop the killer. Providing, of course, the victim was still on this side of living.
The three of them hurried up to the barricade that had been formed by military personnel and wooden horses in front of the main doors. Edward didn't bother to look at their faces; everyone who had a hand in this case knew what kind of person they were up against, and what would happen if they failed. They also knew what the cost could be for their success. Ed and Al hurried up the front stairs with Mallory, and there Ed stopped the portly soldier from opening the door. "Al and I will go in alone. It's better for alchemists to fight alchemists, and I don't want you or anyone else getting caught up in the crossfire." Ed said.
Mallory frowned but nodded. There was disbelief that two kids - even if one was a State Alchemist - could successfully fight and win against a ruthless killer. It was a disbelief most people held about Edward and Alphonse, at least until they got to know the boys. Mallory curled his hand around the door's handle. "Be careful in there."
Ed smiled. "Don't worry about us. We'll be just fine."
Mallory nodded and opened the door, letting Ed and Al slip through and into the building.
The front hall was eerily quiet and frightening even with the lights still on. Ed could see a receptionist's desk and a few offices that were dark. A staircase wound up to a second floor, and there were a set of two elevators set into one of the walls. There were papers strewn everywhere, a sign that people had left in a hurry. Edward and Alphonse made their way slowly through the main hall and up the stairs. No one was on the first floor; they'd been evacuated first. The second floor was much the same as the first - a few offices and a receptionist's desk, but now there were also laboratories encased in glass walls that held beakers and other things. None of the items Ed could see were for alchemy, but then, it was a secret project these people were working on, so it wouldn't be obvious about its location.
"Ed," Alphonse said softly, "do you hear that?"
Ed strained his ears to try and hear the same sound his brother was. He almost dismissed Alphonse's words as fear getting the better of him, but then he heard the soft tread of boots on the floor. The sound was still far away from the brothers, but steadily moving closer. Ed nodded. "I hear it." He said in a whisper. "It might be him."
"Or it might be Rhys."
Ed looked around the second floor, trying to find a good place to hide and try an ambush on whoever was coming. The brothers hurried down the small hall they were in and found a foyer where the walls were cinder block instead of glass. Edward gestured for Alphonse to hide around the corner and he hid against the opposite wall. The footsteps continued to grow louder and both Elrics realized the person was heading their way, slowly but surely.
Ready? Ed mouthed to his brother.
Alphonse nodded.
Ed crouched low and prepared to unleash his alchemy on the floor, his intent to trap the person's feet. The footsteps paused just down the hall from them, hesitating for the briefest of moments before moving closer.
A man in a black hooded jacket appeared at the threshold of the two cinder block walls. His hood was pulled up over his face, obscuring it from view. He wasn't tall, but he was certainly a little taller than Ed was. He wore gloves on his hands and thick-soled boots. Ed managed to catch a quick glimpse of pale skin before he unleashed his alchemy.
The floor beneath the man's feet turned from solid linoleum to a liquidy sort of plastic amalgamation. The man looked shocked for the briefest of moments and then he leaped clear of the floor. Alphonse moved then, his fist heading for the man's chest. The man dodged to the side and grabbed Alphonse's wrist, and to both Elrics' surprise, spun Alphonse around and almost threw him down the hall. The man looked at Edward, hesitated, then bolted up the next set of stairs.
"Go!" Alphonse yelled. "Don't let him get away, brother!"
"You better be right behind me!" Ed yelled back, then gave chase. He bounded up the stairs two at a time, then emerged out into another laboratory. Ed stopped to look down at the door he stood on, and made out the sign of "authorized personnel only". Ahead of him was the man in black and Ed could see the silhouette of another person with him.
Rhys Houck wasn't an imposing man, kind of mousy with short dark hair and thick glasses. For a moment, Ed couldn't believe he was an alchemist, let alone a State one, but then he knew looks could be deceiving. Rhys noticed Ed then and cried, "Help me! Please!"
Any other plea was cut off as the man in black grabbed him around the throat and lifted him off the floor. Ed let out a soft growl and clapped his hands together, then slapped them down on the metal door. A spear formed from the metal, and Ed launched himself toward the man in black, spear leading. The man saw him coming and side-stepped his attack, grabbing the haft of the spear as it passed by. There was the crackle of alchemical light and Ed yelped as his momentum carried him and the bottom half of his spear into the window. The man dragged Rhys away from Edward and hefted the spear.
He never got the chance to use it.
Alphonse's alchemy hit the man from behind and then the linoleum hand closed around Rhys, whose scream was cut off as soon as those fingers curled around him. The man in black looked toward Alphonse and hefted the spear again. Edward scrambled to his feet and ran at the man in black, swinging his end of the spear. The two pieces met with a resounding clang.
Ed grinned up at the hidden face of his enemy. "You're pretty good. Too bad you messed up now."
The man said nothing. Instead he shifted his weight and bore down on Ed's part of the spear, his hand coming in fast for Ed's automail shoulder. Ed was forced to dodge and disengaged from his enemy and danced back as the man came on, the spear in his hand smoothly transitioning to a sword. Ed's eyes almost popped out of his head. The transformation had been seamless, flawless, barely a hint of alchemical light. To have that kind of skill with alchemy, to be able to do such a thing...
There was only one explanation.
"You have a Philosopher's Stone, don't you?" Ed asked, an excited note in his voice.
The man's shoulders twitched. Then he came on, his blows heavy. It was all Ed could do to defend himself, and he found himself being driven backwards across the room. Each time he tried to make a move he was blocked. It was almost like the man knew what he was going to do before he decided to do it. It didn't matter, though. Ed knew he was providing the distraction for Alphonse, so his little brother could get Rhys to the safety of the military downstairs.
The man seemed to realize this and whirled. He ran toward Alphonse, who had released the alchemy around Rhys. Rhys saw the assassin coming and yelled a strangled warning to Alphonse. Ed started running too, because he saw that sword swing up and angle itself to take off Alphonse's arm and Rhys' head. Alphonse reacted far faster than Ed had expected his little brother would. He moved to kick out at the man's legs, and when the man leaked to avoid the kick, he punched him in the solar plexus. Or tried to. The man brought the sword between him and Alphonse's fist so the armor' knuckles hit the metal instead if flesh and bone. The force of Alphonse's attack still flung the man backwards. He hit the floor in his back, lost the grip on his weapon, and rolled backwards until he skidded to a stop. He lay motionless for a moment, stunned.
"Come on!" Ed yelled, grabbing for Rhys and pulling him for the stairwell. The man wordlessly followed, terrified by what was happening.
"Ed! Look out!"
There was a crackle of alchemical light and the doorway to the stairwell started to close as the cinderblock wall began to merge together. Ed poured on all the speed he could, dragging Rhys with him. He leaped through and cleared the ever-shrinking hole in the wall, pulled Rhys through behind him, and whirled to look for Alphonse. He saw his little brother locked with the assassin, and barely heard "Go, brother! I have him!" before the two walls merged together, cutting Alphonse off from Edward. Ed stared for a moment, then grit his teeth and turned to Rhys. The man lay on the floor, cowering and useless.
Growling and grumbling to himself, Ed grabbed Rhys by the front of his shirt and forced the man to look at him. "You're one lucky guy. I'm going to get you out of here, and then I'm coming back for my brother. And if he's hurt, I'm going to make sure you pay for it."
Edward pulled Rhys to his feet and dragged him down the hall, not wanting to acknowledge the ache in his chest at leaving Alphonse behind with a killer.
- 5
- 6
- 7
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Time's Scar