Waiting: Mother Arc: Chapter 15

Alphonse was brooding. He hadn't seemed like the brooding type, but Mei could think of no other way to describe it. The normally sociable boy was sitting off to one side as she conversed with another alchemist, a solider who specialized in stone and minerals. She kept expecting Alphonse to jump in with insights like he normally did, but so far he was keeping quiet.

Working with Major Carter was an interesting change. He might not be as quick as the Elrics, but his work with stone gave him a unique perspective on qi lines. He professed to having felt something when doing large-scale transmutations in the ground, but had never known what it was or how to access it. He was eager to find out if those were in fact the energy lines she had spoken of during the demonstration.

Alphonse, meanwhile, sat watching them with his knees pulled up to his chest and an uneasy frown on his face. It was a good thing Major Carter didn't require detailed explanations, because Mei was finding it quite distracting. More than distracting—unnerving. He had been like that the whole morning without any explanation.

It was just before lunch, as the major was gathering up his notes and getting ready to leave that Alphonse unfolded himself from the ground. He took a long look at the scrolls Mei had spread out, before turning to meet her eye. "Princess Mei—why are you here?"

"Why am I—" She stopped herself, frowning. "To learn, of course. I thought I had said that—"

"I don't think so." His voice was quiet, but had an edge she wasn't used to hearing from him. "You came here for a reason. A specific reason. What is it?"

Carter looked between them. "Alphonse-kun, what—"

"Wh—" The princess scowled, trying to collect herself. "I don't have to explain myself to you! My reasons are my own."

"I won't allow your reasons to put people in danger!" he snapped back.

She gaped at him. She must have misunderstood what he'd said. "Danger—I'm not putting anyone in danger—"

"You will." His words had a quiet certainty. "If you came here for the same reason as Ling, you will."

"Ling!" Anger flared at the name of her rival and before she realized what she was doing she closed the space between them. "You spoke to him—when? What did he say?"

Al sidestepped and turned, neatly keeping just out of her reach. "It doesn't matter. I'll tell you the same thing I told him: forget immortality. The only thing you'll find is death."

Mei went still, the cold lump in the pit of her stomach almost enough to douse her temper. Searching was one thing, but finding—"You know about immortality."

"Aren't you listening? The whole thing is cursed—it's a death trap!"

"I need to help my clan! I need—"

"Forget it!" He sliced a hand though the air. "Find another way."

"You don't understand—" She made to grab his arm but he blocked her. She twisted her hand away and reacted without thinking but he blocked that, too, before returning a strike, one meant to knock her arm wide and open her guard. She deflected and jumped back.

"You don't understand." Alphonse's guard was up, but he seemed calm. As if this wasn't unfamiliar territory for him. "Neither of you do. If you keep pursuing this I will stop you—however I must." He sighed, slowly relaxing. "I don't want to, but I will. I'm not going to let it happen again."

They regarded each other for a long moment, as Mei tried to figure out what to do. What she needed was here, almost within reach, but if she grabbed too quick it would be snatched away.

Alphonse sighed, then abruptly turned and walked away across the courtyard.

"What happen?" Mei called after him. "Alphonse—let what happen again?"

His only response was to wave over his shoulder. She wasn't sure if it was an simple acknowledgement, or a dismissal. The princess bounced on the balls of her feet, wanting to run after him but afraid it would only make the situation worse. Edward's temper she could deal with, he was easy to understand. Alphonse's ran much deeper under the surface. At the moment he was unpredictable, and she couldn't chance ruining her best lead.

* * *

Yu stepped back from her window as Alphonse walked by, one hand over her mouth. She had been too busy with her own worries to watch the alchemy discussion today, but Alphonse's raised voice had shattered her concentration. Once she heard what he was saying, any chance of getting her concentration back evaporated.

She sat down and started at the surface of the table. Immortality would factor prominently in Mei's ultimate goal, of course she had known that, but how would Alphonse know? More importantly, why was he talking about it with such authority?

Mei snapped at gathered crowd in Xingian, telling them to remember their duty, while the young major was stuttering out an apology. He sounded as baffled as Yu felt.

Yu rubbed a hand over her face, then flipped over the piece of paper she had been using to take notes. She started to write, but then paused after only a couple strokes, trying to wrest some coherency out of her scattered thoughts. After a long, fruitless moment she set her elbows on the table and let her head rest against her hands.

It pained her that her last meeting with her son had shaken her so badly. When she'd set out on this trip, she had known it would have more than one purpose, but she hadn't expected her duties to the princess and her ties to her family to put her in such conflict. Now she didn't know what to think. She didn't know her son. One thing she was certain of, was that the letters she'd gotten over the years had given her a very filtered view. That was only inevitable, but how much of it had been deliberate, how much had been benign, and how much had been her own unwillingness to see, she still wasn't sure. Whatever the motivation, it meant that her son was not the man she had thought he was, not quite. Just how firmly he would stand in opposition to the princess now, she couldn't say.

Yu sighed and rubbed her eyes once more. That much was a personal matter. Other things needed her attention right now.

Picking up her pen, she started in the center of the page, making a notation that signified a goal or end result, and beside it a symbol for immortality. She paused; that wasn't exactly right. That may be what the emperor wanted, but she couldn't imagine that any of his children truly wanted their father to live forever. Mei might not have aspirations for the throne herself, but she had no love for her emperor-father or his rule. She stood a better chance by making sure the succession went to someone sympathetic to her clan. But to gain favor at the present, she would need to bring back something that looked like immortality—looked like, but wasn't.

Such as a legendary item steeped in so many rumors, it was impossible to tease fact from fantasy.

She wrote a notation for stone and linked it to the one for immortality.

That was all well and good, but how did the Elrics fit into it?

Princess Mei seemed convinced that those two boys held the key to what she needed. In the beginning, she had been drawn by their obvious skill, but their wide field of knowledge had quickly become apparent, and it wasn't a simple matter of book-learning. Getting them to open up, however, was proving to be a challenge. And now Alphonse had all but stated outright that he did indeed have the knowledge Mei sought, but with such a threat attached to it that it was clear he would never willingly help.

But why? Just what did he know? He'd called it a death trap, and he didn't strike her as the kind to use hyperbole. Something must have happened in the past, something terrible. Her mind flashed to what she'd learned about the tragedy in Liore.

Across from immortality, she wrote the symbol for death.

* * *

Each office had its own, unique dynamic. Breda was still learning this one's, but one thing was clear: Major Carter was a bit of an outcast. He'd seen nothing unpleasant in the way the other soldiers treated him, but they weren't exactly warm and friendly, either. For the most part, they ignored him, which was unusual enough for a small office like this.

Breda sat back and watched as his office mates left for lunch in pairs and small groups, passing the young major by without regard. Carter had returned to the office about a half hour before and was clearly distressed about something, but he was barely spared more than a glance or two.

The treatment was disturbing but not surprising. Breda estimated Carter to be about the same age as Ed, but with a fresh-faced idealism that Ed had always lacked. He'd probably gone from private or corporal to major overnight thanks to the state alchemy exam. Not only was this bound to cause some resentment among the regular soldiers, it meant that Carter had never gotten the conditioning that moving through the ranks provides. As far as Breda could tell there wasn't any strong ill will, but no one seemed to quite know what to do with the kid. But the way that everyone seemed to have decided that ignoring him was the best way to go didn't sit right.

Breda waited until the last of the office was well on their way, then stood and moved to Carter's desk. "Something eating you, Major?"

The young man jerked his head up from where it had been resting on his fist. "What?"

Breda grinned. "Definitely something on your mind. Come on, let's hit the cafeteria before all the good stuff is gone."

Carter glanced around in surprise at the empty room, then nodded, flipping his notebook closed and tucking it into his pocket as he stood. Breda sometimes wondered if alchemists kept their notes with them out of paranoia, or just to have a writing surface handy. Either seemed likely.

Breda chatted with him as they made their way through the line, trying to engage him with the latest office gossip, the sports scores—hell, even the weather—but Carter's mind was clearly somewhere else. When they were seated with their trays the older man finally broached what he suspected was the cause. "You were over at the embassy this morning, right?"

"Oh—yeah." Carter poked at a vaguely meat-like lump on his plate. "It's mostly just the Elrics going over there now, so I figured it wouldn't be a problem. . . ."

Not good enough. The older man debated for a moment, then went for the quickest way to get a scientist to open up. "I didn't even know there were other kinds of alchemy. Is what the Xingians use really that different?"

Immediately the kid's eyes lit up. "Well, yes and no. They still deconstruct and reconstruct matter like we do, but the energy for the transmutation comes from a different source. The princess explained it as lines of energy that are like the blood in our veins. . . ."

He went on to talk about lines and keys and something that went right over the other man's head. Breda stopped paying attention to the words, occasionally making the appropriate noises to keep torrent coming. The point was to get Carter to let down his guard. Sooner or later he'd let something useful slip.

"Major," he interrupted when Carter paused for a bite. "Maybe I've missed something, but why did the princess come here?"

Uncertainty flicked across the young man's face. "It's . . . funny you should ask that."

Bingo.

"Oh?"

"She didn't exactly say why, but. . . ." He drifted off, staring down at his plate with a tight expression.

Breda decided to try a different tactic. "I've heard the rumors, of course. If they're trying to take over the country, they're being awfully lazy about it."

Carter huffed a laugh. "Being pretty oblivious about it, too. There's being circumspect, and then there's simply not caring. Princess Mei's asked a lot of questions about alchemy, and some about history, but the current government or politics never come up." He grimaced, and Breda waited. "Lieutenant—how well do you know the Elrics?"

"Well enough. Why? Is Ed causing trouble?"

"Not lately, not that I've heard. Actually, he wasn't there this morning. This was Al. . . ."

"Al's causing trouble?"

"Well—" He hesitated. "He asked the princess why she was here, but—I've never seen Alphonse-kun lose his temper before."

Breda held up a hand. "Wait, hold on. Al? Al lost his temper?"

Carter laughed nervously. "Yeah, I was pretty shocked. I'm not even sure what triggered it."

"It must've been something pretty important to make that kid snap. What'd she say?"

"Well . . . Al asked her why she was here, but . . . I guess he didn't like her answer." He stopped and started down at his food again, hesitating a moment before taking a bite.

Breda pushed his tray to one side and folded his arms against the table. "Look. Al doesn't lose his temper over just anything. You've probably realized that. But when he does get mad, it's a good idea for the rest of us to take notice, because it usually means there's something big going on. You get me?"

"Yeah . . . yeah, I can see that."

"It's the same with Ed. Those boys are a good barometer for how serious a situation is."

Carter looked up, startled. "Edward-san? But he loses his temper all the time."

Breda waved a hand. "Yeah, he flails around and yells like a madman. That's for trivial stuff. I mean when he gets really mad—honestly and truly angry. It doesn't happen often, but trust me, you'd know when it does."

"Huh."

"So what was it the princess said that got under Al's skin?"

"Well—" He hesitated again, glancing around. "That's just it, I can't figure it out. He asked her why she was here, and she said it was to learn. But he challenged that—and then he said he wasn't going to let her put anyone in danger. It was out of the blue."

"Hmm." Breda frowned, tapping a finger against the table. "I doubt that."

"Maybe so, but I can't imagine what triggered it."

"What did he say, exactly."

Carter was silent for a long moment, his features pinched and troubled. Speaking more to the table than to the man sitting across from him, he finally answered, "He said, 'I'm not going to let it happen again.' he didn't explain, just told her to find another way. Said he would stop her if she kept pursuing—whatever it is she's pursuing."

"Damn." Breda sat back, and rubbed a hand over his face. "I'm not sure I want to know," Internally, he was wondering just which part of the events of four years ago was coming back to bite them.

* * *

"Al?" Ed poked his head into the bookstore's back room. The owner, an older woman named Beth, had motioned him toward the back with a concerned look on her face before he'd even had a chance to say anything. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"What?" Al blinked up from the ball of fuzz he had cradled in his hands. "Oh, is it lunchtime already?"

Ed folded his arms and leaned against the doorway, frowning down at his brother. "Yeah, it's lunchtime. Why the hell are you here and not at the embassy?"

"Oh. . . ." Al rubbed the kitten's ears. He smiled as the kitten nearly twisted itself off his hands in trying to lean into his fingers, but the expression was distant. "I just came here to think." Looking up again, he lifted his hands for Ed's inspection, causing the tiny animal to wobble and mew. "What do you think of this one, nii-san?"

Ed raised an eyebrow, wondering if there was some way to beat a retreat without being obvious. "Um . . . it's a cat," he said, slowly. "Why are you asking me what I think of a cat?"

"He's really sweet," the younger boy continued. "See, he just loves attention."

"Al. . . ." Ed dropped his face into his hand, partly from exasperation but also to hide his smile. "We already have a cat."

"Don't you think Maggie could use a friend? I read an article that said cats do better when there's two of them. They act out less and are less destructive because they have someone to keep them company and someone to play with."

Sighing, Ed dropped to the floor next to his brother and reluctantly reached out a hand to pet the tawny bundle of fur. "So why this one?"

"Well. . . ." Al tipped the kitten into Ed's lap (ignoring the dual squawks of protest), and reached over to pull a black and white kitten off a nearby shelf. "Alice wants to take this one, and Beth's sister was talking about taking the calico, and one of our customers likes the little black one, so. . . ."

Ed rubbed the kitten's chest as it hooked its claws into his glove. "In other words, this is the one no one wants."

Al huffed, setting the black-and-white down by its multi-colored sibling. "You don't have state it so plainly."

"He's a cat, Al. He's not going to get a complex."

"How do you know? Maybe they don't understand the words, but that doesn't mean—" Al broke off and twisted around, then laughed and leaned forward to let the black kitten climb up his back.

Ed smiled, gently tumbling the tawny kitten around his lap as he watched. This was how things should be. His little brother laughing and playing with kittens, the most pressing thing on his mind whether or not to take one home. This was the kind of thing that made everything they went through worth it.

It was tempting to pretend that there really was nothing else to worry about.

Ed shifted the kitten to the floor and disengaged his gloves. "C'mon Al, I want lunch."

"Yeah, okay. Could you grab her? I don't think I could reach."

The kitten, having successfully conquered Mt. Elric, was busy trying to kill the ponytail beast at the top. Ed scooped it up and unhooked its claws while it growled little high-pitched kitten growls.

"Isn't she cute?" Al laughed. "She's so feisty."

"Yeah—ow!—sure." He yanked his left hand away and scowled, setting the kitten on the floor. "Can we go?"

"Yes, yes." Al gave the kittens all one last pat, then leaned over and reached under the bottom shelf to pet a cat Ed hadn't noticed.

"Is that the mother?" he asked as they stood to leave. "Who's going to take her?"

"No one, yet." Al explained. "Beth-san was talking about keeping her as a store cat. She seems to like it here."

"Well, as long as she doesn't piss on the books, I guess."

"Nii-san! Don't be vulgar."

Ed waited until they were at the caf. He might have held off even longer, but Al was obviously upset. He was trying to act like everything was normal, but he'd never been good about hiding things, even when he hadn't had expressions to betray him.

"Blowing up at people for no reason is supposed to be my thing, Al."

He looked up in surprise at the non-sequitur, then sighed, glancing off to the side and smiling ruefully. "I guess you would've gone to the embassy before coming to the bookstore."

Ed leaned forward and lowered his voice. "I know the kinds of things that trigger you. But did she actually admit to something, or—?"

Al set his elbows in the table and rubbed his hands over his face. "It wasn't Princess Mei. Not really."

"Then who—" He broke off as the waitress arrived with their food.

Al watched as the food was set down, giving the girl a distracted smile as she left before he turned back to his brother. "Mei didn't say anything, not directly," he repeated, looking resigned. "But Ling did."

Ed jumped, his sandwich slipping out of his hands and slumping back onto the plate. "Ling? You mean that jackass was there again—no . . ." he interrupted himself, narrowing his eyes and leaning against the table. "Not this morning. Last night?"

Al nodded, guilt twisting his mouth. "Sorry I didn't say anything. It was so late when I got back. . . ."

Ed shrugged off the apology and set about re-stacking his sandwich. "So what'd he say?"

Al at prodded his salad with the fork. "He said . . . he's looking for immortality."

Ed's sandwich hit the plate again. "What?"

"No, sorry, that's not quite right." He stabbed a couple pieces of lettuce, the greens becoming an outlet for his frustration and annoyance. "He's looking for the path to immortality."

"What the fuck's the dif—oh." He shoved a hand through his bangs, mindless of the state of his glove. "He wants something he can wave around to make himself look good."

"I guess. He said he wanted to help his clan."

Ed grunted, slapping his sandwich back together and finally taking a bite.

"You really shouldn't take such large bites, nii-san."

He grunted again.

Al sighed, still mutilating his salad. "I guess we should have expected something like this. I mean . . . word travels."

He forced the bite down. "Maybe. Bit late to do anything about that now, though. What about Mei? She actually say that's what she's after, too?"

"No . . . but she didn't deny it, either."

"Fuck."

They both fell silent. Ed stared at his suddenly unappetizing sandwich. Al continued to jab at his salad.

"What now?" the younger boy said after a long moment.

"Now?" Ed repeated. "What can we do? Keep an eye out and make damn sure it doesn't happen again."

"Yeah." After a moment, he added, "You have mayonnaise in your hair, nii-san."

* * *

On their way out of the cafeteria they passed by a group of soldiers from their office. "Oi, Carter," one of the men called out, leaning back from the table. "You gonna fill us in?"

"Give us a chance to pick sides this time," another man added with a snicker. "Or at least duck out of the way."

Breda saw Carter's jaw tighten briefly before he turned to their office mates. "There's no sides, and I'd hardly be the one to go to if there were."

A third soldier nudged the first one. "He'd never tell us, it'd break the alchemy pact."

The group broke into laughter and Carter continued on by.

Breda paused to give the men a critical look before following the young major. The exchange had been lighthearted enough, but the exclusionary edge behind it made him uneasy.

"Are they always like that?" he asked as he caught up to the alchemist.

Carter shrugged. "No . . . well, not really. It's the embassy," he insisted. "They don't really know what to make of it."

Breda snorted. "So is the embassy responsible for that 'alchemy pact'?"

"Oh, that." He glanced away, running a hand through his hair. "No, that's just something . . . I dunno where they got that."

"I guess having so many alchemists in one place could make people nervous. Nobody seems all that bothered by the labs in Central, though."

He laughed. "The research alchemists keep to themselves. The Elrics aren't exactly known for that. And the Brigadier General. . . ." he drifted off. "Well, you know the rumors. You don't . . . people don't forget they're around, not like with the researchers."

"So now that they're here, everyone assumes you're taking up with . . . whatever people think they're doing?"

"Something like that. The embassy's just adding to it, I guess."

Breda sighed. "I'm in an office of conspiracy nuts."

The young man's laugh had an edge of uneasiness to it. "Maybe, but . . . can you blame them?"

"I dunno," the lieutenant shrugged as they started back for the office. "I'm not sure I like everyone around me jumping at shadows. Kinda starts to make me nervous."

Carter grimmaced and glanced away.

"What?"

The young man took a moment before answering. "Nothing. Just. . . ." He glanced sidelong and then away, before muttering, "You'd have a hard time convincing anyone there's nothing there but shadows."