The Truth Within the Truth: A Fullmetal Alchemist RP

[CrazyBlaze]

James saluted back, "Lt. Colonel James Heldon but you already knew that. Thanks for the pep talk 2nd Lieutenant," an idea passed through James' mind. "2nd Lt. I need to ask a favor. I need you to go to the Library here and find anything on homunculus. Anything with a slight mention. Bring those books here. Also anything that mentions a red stone or a Philosopher's stone. Anything with even a little mention," James pulled out his silver watch. "If they resisted show them this watch. But be careful. Try and be discreet. We don't want to alert everyone about this. Thank you."

James stumbled back to his room.

"Okay everyone. Lets recover. I'm sure its not going to be too long before the taskmaster sends us back out. Lt. Banagher. Get me paper and a pen. I have a report to write and drawings to make. I need a new gun. So I need to make a new circle. Also I think we should call our group The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare because lets be honest. We don't play fair."

 

[CJ1145]

Mira Banagher saluted James, happy to be of service, and took the watch before darting around to corner to seek out the Library.

A few moments later, the man that was apparently either her brother or her husband stood up and nodded at James' second request. He was out of the room for no less than a minute before he returned with the items that Projecting had requested. "Here you go, sir." He said with a friendly smile as he handed the stuff over. He sat back down and calmly watched the others. For the moment, they seemed busy, so he wasn't going to interrupt their conversations just yet.

 

[Fragrance of Mtn Dew]

Marlin sat in the waiting room at the hospital, recording the days events in his journal. He had learned that the Homunculus called Lust had killed Amaud after the others encountered him so he had no mission at the moment, but it didn't feel right to continue his research while his comrades were so badly wounded. So... Lust had no qualms about killing Amaud, yet did not want us harmed. He was a state alchemist too, so I wonder why that is? Perhaps it has something to do with the information he took from the Fuhrer. I suppose it's too late to look into that now thought...

Eventually Marlin sighed and closed his journal, having recorded everything he could think of. It was unfortunate, but he didn't have nearly enough information to draw any meaningful conclusions and he had no idea where to start looking for ideas. As far as he knew, Homunculi weren't even supposed to exist after all.

Marlin decided to put it out of his mind for the time being and go check on the others instead. He saw Tasha Elias and Isaac outside of the room where Victor was in surgery and approached just as the doctor was telling them that things weren't looking so good. Marlin couldn't help but feel a little guilty that Victor had been attacked and almost killed while he was standing right there and had done little to help. He had been so preoccupied with the things Lust said, he hadn't even thought to help until it was too late. ".... I can't continue on like this... I need to focus... Or else the consequences could be worse next time..." He muttered as he stared off towards the operating room.

 

[CJ1145]

While Banagher was up, he went digging around and found the brown suitcase that Leo was talking about. With more of an effort than he expected to make, the Lieutenant lifted it up and shuffled over to Leo, dropping it into his lap with a heavy sigh. He hunched over, hands on his knees, and took a few gasps. "Jeez, man, what've you got in that thing?"

[hr]

As Marlin continued to watch the operations going on in silence, a figure walked by, casually whistling to itself. When it passed Deep Blue, however, the individual slowed down for a moment, taking in the visage with shock and fear. He recognized the passing man as one of the gangsters from earlier. With a suddenly doubled pace, the youngster hustled around a corner and out of sight. His whistling sounded a bit more frantic and sputtering now.

[hr]

Two figures walked over to Tasha, Isaac and Elias during their conversation with the doctor. They coughed a bit to bring themselves into the conversation. They were a couple, definitely. A woman in her mid-50s with a bit of graying, sandy hair and glistening blue eyes. Her face was taut as ever, though, save for a few wrinkles on her forehead. The man, however, they recognized instantly. His face was exactly the same as Victor's, those large and timid-looking eyes now dulled a bit by age. He was balding, but it was the exact same shade as his son's.

"Please, excuse us..." the woman said. "but we were told... our son was up here." There were tears welling up in her eyes. The man wrapped an arm around her shoulder, trying to console her so she wouldn't break down crying on the spot. After she seemed to collect her senses, Victor's father went off with the doctor to speak in private. In the meantime, his mother approached the trio.

"E-excuse me..." she said. She had her son's stutter; or, vice-versa, they supposed. "Do you know my son? Victor?"

 

[JdaS]

Anton took a deep breath before he began.

"I'm here alone because a large majority of the team is hospitalized. Amaud is dead sir. We had him cornered and mostly disabled when he started talking. He spoke of a family member he wanted to bring back to life. Of your offer of a post researching a way to bring the dead back to life. His last words were about your plans to use alchemists as... Human sacrifices for some nebulous purpose."

Anton paused. He was on thin ice. He could feel it.

"Then, he died. Killed by a woman, monster, called herself Lust. A homunculus, she claimed. Along with another, Gluttony. They were... Like something out of a nightmare. The woman's nails could extend and cut through skin and steel. The man... ate Corporal Kendrall's arm. We failed. I failed. I make no excuses."

Anton had never failed a mission from the Fuhrer before. His trademark smile was notably absent at the moment.

"My other assignment has provided no cause for alarm, however. Leo Mensti has the attention span of a child. He is difficult to follow but seems loyal. What I saw from the others suggests the same. However... Octivir's accusatory speech and his subsequent death might have stirred some... Unpleasant thoughts in the more critical minds in the unit. It might serve you well to be prepared for some questions."

The liutenant fell silent. He waited for the Fuhrer's acknowledgement. The silence was crushing and those few minutes felt like hours.

 

[Jedoro]

"Do you know my son? Victor?"

"Yes, ma'am," Elias began, turning to face the couple. "We were with your son when he received his injuries. I can't go into details, but he held off the enemy long enough for us to break contact. His actions saved several lives today, including mine." He turned his head back to the operating room.

"Your son's a credit to the uniform."

 

[TheIronRuler]

Leo felt the weight of his bag crush his knees. "Thank you", Leo barely managed to say. He moved the bag to his right and rested it on the edge of the bed. He opened it and saw all of his things in place. His vials, schematics and machines were all tightly fitted in their own pockets.

He pulled out what appeared to be a small handgun, a small black vial attached to what should have been a place for a magazine and the back of it having a connection to a wire leading to a large battery. Leo pushed the trigger and saw the gun shake in his hand, a small needle pointing out of it. "This, my friends, is a family heirloom. Well, I bought a new one two years ago after it broke, but it still looks the same...", Leo smiled and placed the gun back in the bag.

"I need to draw some new circles for my hands", Leo continued. He wiggled his feet and looked down at them. "I will fix those when they are healed. The next time the ***** tries to take me out I will have my backup". Leo looked up at the group and smiled, "I also have an instrument over here... Anyway, how long am I supposed to be stuck here?", he asked the others that may know more about his condition.

 

[Viking Incognito]

Vlad was in his private study on the north side of town, scanning through dozens of books and notes from the library. He had consumed nearly three cups of blood in the last hour, some of it his and some of it not. His hair was a mess compared to it's normal graceful styling and his eyes were wild.

He had been searching for proof that it couldn't be true, but it was. What he had seen those two monsters do, cross-referenced with dozens of sources all pointed to one terrifying conclusion. Homonculi were not just some scary story for young alchemists. They were real. And they were out for blood.

Vlad sunk back into his chair and let his head fall backwards so that he looked up at the ceiling. He raised his left wrist to his mouth and bit his fangs into it, sipping his own blood. After a few moments he stopped and caught his breath.

"God, look at you." He said to himself. "What a disgrace."

The Vampire alchemist stood and took a deep breath. He walked into the bathroom and splashed some water on his face, then combed his hair back. He re-buttoned his shirt and walked back into the lab were he hung his coat on a hanger and began to straighten up the mess. Lastly he washed the smell of blood from his mouth thoroughly and got rid of the two empty transfusion bags.

Now that he was presentable, he decided to take a trip to the city HQ. He needed to talk with the Fuhrer.

 

[Averant]

Amon hummed to himself as he wandered the halls of the hospital. Since his would was limited to his shoulder, he was allowed to move freely, so long as he didn't strain himself.

A lot was on his mind after his little fiasco. He knew he shouldn't get overconfident, he really did. But he honestly thought he could have taken Lust on. He'd been watching her, all that time, from the shadows of the catwalk. She didn't seem like much of a fighter, and long range attacks with her claws made her awkward.

Amon sighed. It was the thrusting attack which got him. Ironic, really. The more he learned of her, the more he saw himself. And it galled him, because he KNEW how to beat himself. He knew his weaknesses, his strengths. His only problem was his speed. The only thing was, how on earth could he improve that? Even with months of training, YEARS on the frontline... He'd have to ask around the team. Maybe someone knew of a way to improve his reaction time.

Amon turned the corner and continued on. There was something else that was bothering him. Octivir had said something about the military... That the military was a lie. That bothered Amon. The military was his idol. It was his purpose. Normally he wouldn't have put stock into the ramblings of someone like Octivir. Such talk was often used to sow doubt in those who had no faith in the people they served. However... Octivir had been silenced because of what he was saying. Not because he was causing trouble, not because he was dangerous to the team.

Octivir was silenced because of what he was saying. Not ignored, not refuted. Silenced.

That was, in Amon's case, the largest mistake whoever had sent those creatures had made. By silencing Octivir, they'd inadvertantly added credence to what he was saying. Which meant that if Octivir had said that the military was a lie...

But it didn't make sense. The military was the cornerstone of Amestria. It was the entire reason that this country hasn't been conquered, time and time again.

Amon paused. Time and time again...

Now that he thought about it, wasn't it rather odd that the military WAS the cornerstone of Amestria? It seemed like it would be rather hard for a nation to be perpetually at war with EVERYONE around it. It should have been a simple matter for Amestria to get at least one ally on its side. Aruego, for instance. Even Xing, if they tried. But they weren't on good terms with Aruego, or Xing. In fact, if Amon rememberd his history correctly, the only reason they HADN'T gone to war with Xing was because of the massive desert dividing the two.

Amon walked the halls of the hospital, no longer humming.

 

[JokerboyJordan]

"Anyway, how long am I supposed to be stuck here?"

"No idea fella, but if you want I can go ask a doctor. Although you might prefer... a nurse?"
Roland said with a wink and a coy smile.

"Too soon?"

He gave a small giggle as he sat down and picked up a newspaper from the side table.

"But seriously, it takes time for these things to heal. After all, she did break your hea...I mean stab you through the feet"

Roland stared down at his newspaper, the temptation to burst into laughter was too much, but he managed to contain it, letting only a few more mumbled phrases escape his lips. They were too quiet to make out.

"There's nothing in here about the collapse of the warehouse, nor about the death of Octivir"

Roland let out a long sigh.

It's to be expected, the Fuhrer keeping things all hush hush. Nobody could've predicted this outcome.
Two men are now dead, for knowing too much. And now, two immortal monstrosities. Who shouldn't even exist, are keeping us alive for some kind of "sacrifice"?
For God's sake Roland... what happened to finding a nice, easy girl, and living a life of luxury at the military's expense?


[hr]

"Also, I think we should call our group The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, because, lets be honest. We don't play fair."

"Hmmm, whilst I agree with the sentiment, I prefer Bradley's Bastards..."

A obnoxious smirk spread across his face, as his eyes rose above the paper to address James.

"We can put it to a vote if you'd like?"

 

[TheIronRuler]

Leo tried to smile at Roland's joke, but the thought of him so close to Solaris sickened him. "It was a shame, she could have been a nice girl if it weren't for her murderous friend and superiority complex. And she's not even human...", Leo sighed and looked at the window overlooking the city. "I wonder what kind of excuse they will use... Spontaneous Demolishing crew sounds viable...", Leo wondered off in his mind and tried to think of a way he could use to fight those monsters more effectively.

 

[JokerboyJordan]

"It was a shame, she could have been a nice girl if it weren't for her murderous friend and superiority complex. And she's not even human..."

"Don't worry about that psycho *****, I'm sure there's plenty of girls out there who'd just love to be with a guy like you..."

He tried his best at a reassuring smile. Roland rose from his seat and walked over to Leo's bedside. He took a gander at the contents of the suitcase, it was full to the brim and was overflowing with junk and items that made no sense to him.

"So... you're going to tattoo yourself 'eh? Are you sure that's a good idea? What if one is wonkier than the other? I know that'd kill me on the inside if I had an imperfect circle..."

Roland quickly shut up. It was unlike him to reveal his habits to other people, let alone someone like Leo, who he had only known for a short period of time.

"I've been thinking. I might need to modify my circles. The voltage and current needs to be adjusted, otherwise the damn thing might backfire and fry my internals."

 

[TheIronRuler]

"To tell you the truth", Leo began to say but stopped for a moment, reaching out to the bag and pulling out a metal flask, "When I work on myself I drink. I do best when I have a sip of this, but my customers didn't like that...". Leo handed Roland the flask and looked up at him.

"Sure, I can do that. Get me the schematics and I will draw on you... I'll be sober, honest!".

 

[Fragrance of Mtn Dew]

Marlin heard the whistling near him but paid it little heed. He had more pressing matters on his mind. The whistling finally caught his attention when it changed, becoming more strained and nervous sounding. He turned just in time to catch a glimpse of the man whom he recognized after a bit of thinking. "... One of the ones from earlier... I gave them no wounds, so what is he doing here...?" Marlin wondered aloud.

It seemed like he was acting rather suspiciously just like their first encounter, so Marlin decided to follow after him just in case. He rounded the corner quickly, trying to catch up and called out to the man. "Stop right there!"

 

[JokerboyJordan]

Roland opened the flask and took a whiff. The smell almost knocked him off his feet, it was overpowering, as if just the scent alone was enough to get someone drunk.

"People drink this?!" Roland said with a look of sincere bemusement.

He took a small sip. He instantly felt his brain cells dying.

"Well I need your best work, so I'm afraid you'll just have to be blind stinking drunk to work on my circles!"

He handed Leo back the flask, he felt lightheaded, and the lights in the room seemed fuzzier than they were a second ago.

"Hey... d'you know what?...We should totally like, hit the town... What do you think? I could get you a wheelchair. Chicks dig a cool set of wheels."

 

[TheIronRuler]

Leo grabbed the flask from Roland and returned it to his bag. "A set of wheels... Sure! We can get us dates for the night". Leo closed his bag and placed it on the furthest end of the bed. "But first I need a wheelchair".

 

[JokerboyJordan]

"No problemo, let me just go steal one from down the hall..."

Roland left the room, and reappeared a minute later pushing a wheelchair along. He brought it to Leo's bedside.

"It must feel good for you to have some sense of mobility again"

 

[TheIronRuler]

"Till this get fixed", Leo wobbled his feet, "This will have to do".

Leo straightened up and moved his legs to the side. He grabbed the chair and turned it to the right, all the while Roland was holding it. Holding the arms of the chair, he lifted himself up and almost jumped right into position.

"This needs some padding, but I've had worse". Leo wheeled himself forward and stopped immediately after half a spin. "You better take care of me, Sparky".

 

[CrazyBlaze]

"Highest rank here. So I could just pull rank and make our name but lets ask the rest of the group I guess," James turned to his paper, writing the report but leaving out the parts about how Lt. Colonel died and saying that the collapsing of the abandoned factory was the cause of death and the majority of the injuries sustained by the group.

We should be careful of what we say to others. Anything that can be tracked like these papers should omit things like what happened to Octivr. Our debriefing with the Fuhrer can contain such things but if there really is something going on with the military than no need to let others track it.

"Everyone please keep quite about what happened with Octivr. We don't need people snooping around. If anyone asks he died from wounds sustained from damage due to the collapse of the factory. We don't need people snooping into what we are doing. That goes double for you two, " James directed that at Leo and Roland, "and if you run into the rest of the squad let them know."

James turned away from the group and back the remaining papers.

I lost all my equipment in that battle. I'll need new gloves and a new gun. Guess that means I'll be sending out to my contact in Rush Valley.

James drew two circles on one piece of paper, labeling one with left and the other with right. On a second piece of paper he drew part of a transmutation circle and underneath he wrote a letter asking for the replacements and saying to put it on his tab. Using the last piece of paper he created an envelope and wrote an address in Rush Valley on it.

"Lt. I need you to mail this envelope for me. It would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Redryhno]

"Whatever you decide to call us doesn't matter to me, but I'll take some of that stuff you got there Leo, I could use a drink." He stood and walked with a minor wince for the first step but it faded to nothing after that. He stood by the wheelchair the two had procured, and awaited Leo's answer.

He turned to James,"I'll keep an eye on them tonight, make sure they don't get too off the walls,"He turned back to Roland and Leo,"I mean it."