Even of Dead Waters: Chapter 1
Post manga.
Characters: Roy, Ed, Riza, Havoc, Armstrong
Central is over run by a horde of mindless creatures, remnants of the military's illicit experiments. Roy Mustang and his team struggle to survive and care for those left behind, but when tragedy strikes at one of their own, will they be able to withstand it?
Ed had never thought it was possible to feel so tired. Even during the long years searching for the Philosopher’s Stone or the desperate battles of the Promised Day the world had never seemed as bleak as it did then. Five weeks... it had only been five weeks since the nightmare had started but Ed already felt as if he’d been living it his entire life. Since the military had announced a quarantine on Central City, every day had been the same. A few, scant hours of broken sleep, waking before dawn, followed by hours of exhausting battles as they fought to keep the hoards of mindless, once-human creatures away from their shelter. Every now and then it would be necessary for a few of them to venture onto the streets of Central, to scavenge for provisions or to try and save the few souls left that had not yet been overtaken. They’d managed to rescue twenty three people in the last two weeks alone, one of the few bright spots in the darkness of their lives now. But the extra people meant more food, more medical supplies and so more trips into the city. A group was being sent out almost every day now. Ed himself had been four times last week, usually with Havoc and Armstrong, and Mustang, of course, and he could swear that the creatures were getting stronger every day. He didn’t know how long they’d be able to hold them off for.
It was taking its toll on all of them, Ed could see that. There were dark bags under Hawkeye’s eyes and Havoc’s mouth had twisted itself into a permanent grimace, his usual cheery smile completely disappeared. Ed knew that he himself was running on almost empty; there was never quite enough food to go round and he hadn’t gotten more than two hours straight sleep in four weeks now. But however bad any of them were feeling, he knew it was nothing compared to Mustang.
Mustang... if any of them were alive at all, it was because of him. He’d been the one to take control when the first wave of creatures struck, had almost managed to beat them back only for another wave to emerge, stronger and more dangerous than the first. When the severity of their situation became apparent and Central had been walled off from the rest of the country, Mustang had been the one to rally the few survivors, to seek out safe shelter and organise their shell-shocked group into an outfit capable of surviving in the hellhole their city had become. But now... the man looked awful. His skin had paled to the point of translucency and he seemed almost childishly small, the thick wool of his greatcoat doing nothing to hide the weight he’d lost or the way he shivered constantly, even in the heat of midday. If Ed was tired then Mustang was surely almost fatally exhausted but the harsh truth was that there was nothing they could do about that. They needed supplies and it was impossible to go out into the city without Mustang. He was the only one who had any hope of taking on more than a few of the creatures at a time, his flame alchemy being one of the few things capable of killing them. Right now Mustang seemed to be holding himself together, just about, but even a blind man could have seen that he was dangerously close to the edge of his endurance. Ed didn’t even want to imagine what would happen when that point came.
“Wait a minute, Fullmetal. Just what are you trying to say? Those creatures were all destroyed during the Promised Day, or immediately after it. How could these things be related to them?”
“Dammit, Mustang, did you even read the files on that operation? The creatures weren’t all kept in Lab Three, there were about six different groups, all with their own separate projects in different underground labs spread out under Central. How could you not know that? Weren’t you meant to be in charge of this stuff?”
Their voices were muted but Havoc could hear every word clearly through the stillness of the night. He leaned back against the cold stone of the wall, lifting his head to meet Hawkeye’s gaze, seeing his concern mirrored in her eyes. Ed’s frustration was understandable at a time like this and his biting tone was only to be expected but Havoc would have thought that even he knew better than to push the boss too far. Not at a time like this, when Mustang’s nerves already hung on a thread. But then, they were all under stress right now...
“I know that, of course, Edward. Contrary to whatever you may think, I am not a complete imbecile and I can assure you I am quite familiar with the files for this case.” Havoc saw Hawkeye cast a worried glance in the direction of the two voices. Her mouth twisted in concern at the undisguised anger in Mustang’s voice, exhaustion and stress stripping him of his usual control over his emotions. The general would never normally reveal his feelings so clearly, particularly to Edward, no matter how much the young man might irritate him.
“In the weeks after the Promised Day, I led several groups of soldiers into the underground tunnel and we succeeded in finding all six of the labs and destroying any remaining creatures. Clearly you never read the report I submitted after that operation, Fullmetal.”
Havoc could hear Ed shift his feet, his boots scraping dully against the bare floor. When he spoke again his tone was softer, more subdued, surprising Havoc. “Okay, fine... I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you like that. It’s just... you know how it is.” He sighed, a haunted, unhappy sound. “And don’t call me Fullmetal,” Ed mumbled, so low Havoc could barely hear him. “I’m not an alchemist anymore.”
“But still,” Ed continued, breaking the moment of heavy silence. “Is there a way you could have missed some when you searched the labs? Not saying you didn’t know what you were doing, but these creatures have got to be related to the ones from the Promised Day, there’s no other explanation.”
“There is one possibility...” Mustang sounded calmer now, Havoc thought, but his voice was still laced with exhaustion. He sounded worn, defeated, as if that brief spurt of anger had drained him of all energy. “When we carried out the search, one other lab was empty. It was the one closest to Lab three so we assumed at the time that the creatures must have been released from there too on the Promised Day. We searched the surrounding area thoroughly and found no trace of them so we thought that was the end of that. But now...”
“They must have already escaped.” Ed breathed. “Of course! They’ve been hiding under Central all this time, waiting for the right moment to attack us.” He sounded as disturbed as Havoc felt. He thought of the many thousands of times he’d walked through the streets of Central, never imagining the horrific things that lay just beneath his feet, biding their time. After the Promised Day they’d thought all the monsters had been defeated. How wrong they’d been.
There was a dull thump of metal hitting stone, most likely Ed kicking the wall in anger. Havoc couldn’t blame him- he felt like doing much the same. For a long time, Mustang made no reply, the silence stretching out like a rope between them, taut and quivering.
“It’s my fault then.” He spoke at last. “I lead the search for the creatures; this is all my responsibility.” Havoc looked up to see Hawkeye biting her lip, all her attention focused in the direction of Mustang’s voice. He could see how badly she wanted to go to him, every instinct in her body telling her to rush to his side. But this was a conversation they were never meant to hear, that Mustang would not want them to have heard, no matter that their eavesdropping was purely accidental. Havoc wished he’d never started listening. The defeat in Roy’s voice... it terrified him.
“Don’t be such an idiot, Mustang.” Ed snapped back, anger clear in his voice. “Like you were supposed to know that this was going to happen. I told you, those creatures must have escaped long before you guys got round to clearing the labs. They’re not like the ones from the Promised Day, you know that. These things are smart- if they wanted to hide, there’s no way anyone could have found them. So stop blaming yourself.”
“Fine.” Mustang replied. “You’re right, of course.” But Havoc could tell he did not really believe it. That was the thing about Roy, he took everything upon himself. Every injury, every death he was unable to prevent... they hung around his shoulders as heavily as if he had struck the killing blow himself. Havoc had experienced the full weight of that guilt first hand after the attack by Lust.
There was a pause and then Mustang spoke again, contemplative. “But how can you be so sure, Ed? Even before I told you about the empty lab you were convinced these creatures were from the same place, despite all the differences between them. What do you know that we don’t?” There was a sound of rustling, something being pulled out of a bag, from the sound of it. Havoc couldn’t help himself; his curiosity got the better of him. He inched forward against the wall, ignoring Hawkeye’s warning glance and peered round the corner, careful to avoid notice. Not that he needed to worry about that- both Mustang and Ed were completely focused on the book Ed held in his hands. The light was bad- they hadn’t had electricity for weeks and candles were a poor substitute- but Havoc could still make out the shape of an array on the page Mustang had opened. An alchemy journal?
“This book contains the research notes of the scientists working on the creatures in Lab three,” Ed explained after a while. Mustang didn’t look up at him, still absorbed in turning the pages of the journal. Havoc ducked his head away from the corner, not wanting to risk being caught. “I found it about a week or so ago, during a supplies raid. You probably remember the one. I was with Al and Armstrong at the time, we’d been separated from the rest of the group for a while and had to take shelter in the lab when a group of creatures came out of nowhere.”
“I do remember that,” Mustang murmured. “Everyone was so worried about you.”
“Yeah,” Ed replied, sounding awkward. Ed had grown up a lot in the last three years but there was something about being around Mustang that seemed to transform him back into his fifteen year old self, angry and self-conscious and unsure. Ed had never liked Mustang being concerned over him and it was no different now. “Well, anyway. The lab was pretty bashed up; I think the creatures must have been there before. All the equipment was destroyed, doors broken down, that kind of thing. There was some kind of safe hidden in one of the walls, normally you’d probably never be able to see it, but like I said, the place was wrecked. I was able to open it pretty easily and once I found that book I knew I couldn’t just leave it there. I’ve been looking over it all week and it’s amazing, it’s got notes on all the different projects in each of the labs and detailed breakdowns of the alchemy used to create all the creatures.”
“It’s encrypted... but the code doesn’t seem too hard to break. I expect it hardly took you any time at all.” Some energy had returned to Mustang’s voice no, along with something Havoc hadn’t heard for weeks; hope. “Ed, you must know what this means. If we know how the creatures were made, we can figure out how to stop them, maybe even how to prevent them from transforming anyone else. This could save us, Ed! Why didn’t you tell anyone else about this sooner?”
“I’m telling you about it now, aren’t I?” Ed muttered. “I wasn’t sure at first if anything would come of it, I didn’t even know if the information would be important or not, never mind whether we’d be able to use it to fight these things. But I’ve been working on it for a week now and I think-”
“Do you have an array?” Mustang interrupted him. “Ed, do you have something that could get rid of these creatures?”
“Hey, hey, slow down a bit there, Mustang. I’m still working on it. I’ve got an array but it’s nowhere near finished yet, it’s still far too unstable to use. I’m not even sure exactly what it does... I’m hoping we’ll be able to use it to prevent people from becoming like the creatures if they get bitten, but it’s definitely not ready to do that yet. The risk of rebound is still far too great, for one thing.” The caution in Ed’s voice was a great contrast to Mustang’s excited tone. The warm burst of hope that had enveloped Havoc at Mustang’s question cooled down a little but did not burn out completely. They still had something... it might not work right that moment, it might not be able to bring back those they had already lost but it was still a start. One day they would be free from the creatures.
“Can I see it?” Mustang asked. There was more rustling of paper and then a long silence as Mustang poured over Ed’s array. He muttered to himself as he examined it, words that Havoc could not make out and suspected he wouldn’t understand even if he could. After a while, Mustang broke the silence. “Well, of course this would never work, Edward. I mean, just look at the instability in that hexagram there. Are you trying to get us all killed?”
“Oh yeah, like you could do any better!” Havoc could almost hear the smile in Ed’s voice. “Fine, then, if you’re so clever, you tell me what it should be!”
Havoc looked over at Hawkeye as the bickering continued, feeling almost like old times as Ed steadily became more and more wound up. She smiled back at him, a tired, hopeful smile, seeming to mirror what he was thinking. Perhaps, after this, everything will be alright, after all.
Havoc was the first to see it happen. The excursion into the city centre had only meant to be a short trip, only a small group of them searching for some key supplies. The creatures had descended upon them as if from nowhere while they were walking back to the shelter, dozens of them, as if they had been waiting for a moment such as this. They had fought them off so far, but in a battle like this, casualties were just a matter of time. Havoc heard the pained gasp, quiet amongst the sound of gunfire and the inhuman screams of the creatures, but audible still because it was her voice and hadn’t they been looking out for each other for all this time? He turned horrified eyes backwards, first towards the mangled corpse of the creature lying dead at her feet and then inescapably upwards, to the bite wound on Riza Hawkeye’s neck, red blood dripping down her pale skin. His eyes met hers, his gaze stunned, disbelieving, hers grimly resigned. She had prepared for this eventuality a long time ago and she knew what she must do. But Havoc would not- could not- allow it. There was still time- those who the creatures had bitten usually had at least a few minutes until the taint took a hold of their soul. More still for those who were strong enough to fight it. And Havoc knew that Hawkeye would fight against it with everything she had. Whatever the risks, Havoc could not let Riza end her life before she had a chance to say goodbye to Mustang.
Mustang... where was he? Havoc’s eyes scanned the crowded scene, quickly picking him out despite the turmoil before him. He stood alone, as always when she was not with him, a single figure against the encroaching hoards of creatures. His flames were the only thing keeping their small group from being overwhelmed; wave after wave of inhuman figures disappearing in a mass of heat, smoke and unearthly screams. If Havoc broke Mustang’s concentration now it could be only too easy for the creatures to break through. But he knew he had no other choice.
“Mustang!” his head turned at the sound of Havoc’s voice, clear and far reaching even over the cacophony of the battle. Mustang’s eyes- better even than Hawkeye’s ever since the Stone- picked them out instantly, taking in the scene with a single glance. A moment later he had turned his attention back to the creatures, that stream of soulless bodies that showed no signs of relenting, but that one, short glance was enough. He knew what had happened.
“What are you doing? Stop it!” Hawkeye grabbed Havoc’s arm as he shouted for Mustang, her eyes wide with panic. Her fingers dug into his wrist, firm and unyielding even as her voice shook with anger and fear. “You can’t... I don’t want him here!”
Havoc frowned, placing a hand on her shoulder to steady her. Hawkeye shook it off roughly. “Riza...” his voice was pleading. “You can’t keep this from him. What...” he swallowed back his emotions, forcing himself to carry on speaking. “What’s going to happen is inevitable but you can’t deny Roy the chance to say goodbye. You’ve got a few minutes until it takes hold and I know you want to see him too, so please, don’t fight me.”
“You don’t understand!” She shouted at him. Her whole body was trembling, tears spilling unheeded from wild eyes. “Yes, I have a few minutes, but you know Roy won’t leave me when they’re up. And what then? When I become a monster who wants nothing more than to kill you all? Roy will have to kill me then, and I just can’t allow that to happen, Jean. I can’t make him go through that.”
“You won’t have to.” Havoc promised her. He said no more but he knew she understood. I don’t want to kill you, but I will. There was no other choice now; nothing could be done. But not yet. Just a few more minutes, just let her hold on for a little longer... until she can say goodbye.
Before she could reply, a bright burst of light filled the street, a wave of heat rushing through them from a distant explosion. It shook the ground beneath their feet, sounds like far off thunder echoing off the abandoned buildings. Havoc turned to see Mustang silhouetted against the destruction, nothing but charred corpses where the swarming mass of creatures had been. His arms were still outstretched before him and he was swaying on his feet. Ed rushed over to him before he could collapse but after only a few seconds Mustang pushed him away and half ran, half stumbled towards where Havoc and Hawkeye were standing.
Hawkeye was crying openly by the time he reached them, although Havoc knew her tears were not for herself. It was not her death she feared, but what her death would do to the one person she loved most. Havoc glanced at Mustang’s face as he stood before Hawkeye and immediately wished he hadn’t. Such grief was not something that was meant to be shared. He turned away, moving to stand by Ed, both of them useless, terrified; waiting for the awful moment they knew there could be no escaping. Ed’s face was white, a picture of shocked disbelief. Havoc was sure he looked the same. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Mustang bring a shaking hand up to Hawkeye’s face, saw her lean into the touch.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry, Roy.”
“No,” Mustang spoke calmly but there was something wrong about his voice, some unnameable quality that Havoc had never heard before. He didn’t know what it was but his instincts screamed at him to run. “No, I can’t allow this to happen. I... I just can’t. I’m sorry, Riza.”
Something about the way he said those last words... Havoc spun round, suddenly, sickeningly sure of what Roy was about to do. He remembered Ed’s words from that night, remembered the hope... the array was meant to save those who had been bitten, wasn’t it? But it was still so new, so unsafe... surely Roy wouldn’t risk all their lives for such a slim hope of success? He already knew the answer to that question, he realised, as Ed ran forward, screaming at Mustang to stop. Too late. Far too late.
Mustang clapped his hands. Blinding light filled the sky.
Characters: Roy, Ed, Riza, Havoc, Armstrong
Central is over run by a horde of mindless creatures, remnants of the military's illicit experiments. Roy Mustang and his team struggle to survive and care for those left behind, but when tragedy strikes at one of their own, will they be able to withstand it?
Ed had never thought it was possible to feel so tired. Even during the long years searching for the Philosopher’s Stone or the desperate battles of the Promised Day the world had never seemed as bleak as it did then. Five weeks... it had only been five weeks since the nightmare had started but Ed already felt as if he’d been living it his entire life. Since the military had announced a quarantine on Central City, every day had been the same. A few, scant hours of broken sleep, waking before dawn, followed by hours of exhausting battles as they fought to keep the hoards of mindless, once-human creatures away from their shelter. Every now and then it would be necessary for a few of them to venture onto the streets of Central, to scavenge for provisions or to try and save the few souls left that had not yet been overtaken. They’d managed to rescue twenty three people in the last two weeks alone, one of the few bright spots in the darkness of their lives now. But the extra people meant more food, more medical supplies and so more trips into the city. A group was being sent out almost every day now. Ed himself had been four times last week, usually with Havoc and Armstrong, and Mustang, of course, and he could swear that the creatures were getting stronger every day. He didn’t know how long they’d be able to hold them off for.
It was taking its toll on all of them, Ed could see that. There were dark bags under Hawkeye’s eyes and Havoc’s mouth had twisted itself into a permanent grimace, his usual cheery smile completely disappeared. Ed knew that he himself was running on almost empty; there was never quite enough food to go round and he hadn’t gotten more than two hours straight sleep in four weeks now. But however bad any of them were feeling, he knew it was nothing compared to Mustang.
Mustang... if any of them were alive at all, it was because of him. He’d been the one to take control when the first wave of creatures struck, had almost managed to beat them back only for another wave to emerge, stronger and more dangerous than the first. When the severity of their situation became apparent and Central had been walled off from the rest of the country, Mustang had been the one to rally the few survivors, to seek out safe shelter and organise their shell-shocked group into an outfit capable of surviving in the hellhole their city had become. But now... the man looked awful. His skin had paled to the point of translucency and he seemed almost childishly small, the thick wool of his greatcoat doing nothing to hide the weight he’d lost or the way he shivered constantly, even in the heat of midday. If Ed was tired then Mustang was surely almost fatally exhausted but the harsh truth was that there was nothing they could do about that. They needed supplies and it was impossible to go out into the city without Mustang. He was the only one who had any hope of taking on more than a few of the creatures at a time, his flame alchemy being one of the few things capable of killing them. Right now Mustang seemed to be holding himself together, just about, but even a blind man could have seen that he was dangerously close to the edge of his endurance. Ed didn’t even want to imagine what would happen when that point came.
“Wait a minute, Fullmetal. Just what are you trying to say? Those creatures were all destroyed during the Promised Day, or immediately after it. How could these things be related to them?”
“Dammit, Mustang, did you even read the files on that operation? The creatures weren’t all kept in Lab Three, there were about six different groups, all with their own separate projects in different underground labs spread out under Central. How could you not know that? Weren’t you meant to be in charge of this stuff?”
Their voices were muted but Havoc could hear every word clearly through the stillness of the night. He leaned back against the cold stone of the wall, lifting his head to meet Hawkeye’s gaze, seeing his concern mirrored in her eyes. Ed’s frustration was understandable at a time like this and his biting tone was only to be expected but Havoc would have thought that even he knew better than to push the boss too far. Not at a time like this, when Mustang’s nerves already hung on a thread. But then, they were all under stress right now...
“I know that, of course, Edward. Contrary to whatever you may think, I am not a complete imbecile and I can assure you I am quite familiar with the files for this case.” Havoc saw Hawkeye cast a worried glance in the direction of the two voices. Her mouth twisted in concern at the undisguised anger in Mustang’s voice, exhaustion and stress stripping him of his usual control over his emotions. The general would never normally reveal his feelings so clearly, particularly to Edward, no matter how much the young man might irritate him.
“In the weeks after the Promised Day, I led several groups of soldiers into the underground tunnel and we succeeded in finding all six of the labs and destroying any remaining creatures. Clearly you never read the report I submitted after that operation, Fullmetal.”
Havoc could hear Ed shift his feet, his boots scraping dully against the bare floor. When he spoke again his tone was softer, more subdued, surprising Havoc. “Okay, fine... I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you like that. It’s just... you know how it is.” He sighed, a haunted, unhappy sound. “And don’t call me Fullmetal,” Ed mumbled, so low Havoc could barely hear him. “I’m not an alchemist anymore.”
“But still,” Ed continued, breaking the moment of heavy silence. “Is there a way you could have missed some when you searched the labs? Not saying you didn’t know what you were doing, but these creatures have got to be related to the ones from the Promised Day, there’s no other explanation.”
“There is one possibility...” Mustang sounded calmer now, Havoc thought, but his voice was still laced with exhaustion. He sounded worn, defeated, as if that brief spurt of anger had drained him of all energy. “When we carried out the search, one other lab was empty. It was the one closest to Lab three so we assumed at the time that the creatures must have been released from there too on the Promised Day. We searched the surrounding area thoroughly and found no trace of them so we thought that was the end of that. But now...”
“They must have already escaped.” Ed breathed. “Of course! They’ve been hiding under Central all this time, waiting for the right moment to attack us.” He sounded as disturbed as Havoc felt. He thought of the many thousands of times he’d walked through the streets of Central, never imagining the horrific things that lay just beneath his feet, biding their time. After the Promised Day they’d thought all the monsters had been defeated. How wrong they’d been.
There was a dull thump of metal hitting stone, most likely Ed kicking the wall in anger. Havoc couldn’t blame him- he felt like doing much the same. For a long time, Mustang made no reply, the silence stretching out like a rope between them, taut and quivering.
“It’s my fault then.” He spoke at last. “I lead the search for the creatures; this is all my responsibility.” Havoc looked up to see Hawkeye biting her lip, all her attention focused in the direction of Mustang’s voice. He could see how badly she wanted to go to him, every instinct in her body telling her to rush to his side. But this was a conversation they were never meant to hear, that Mustang would not want them to have heard, no matter that their eavesdropping was purely accidental. Havoc wished he’d never started listening. The defeat in Roy’s voice... it terrified him.
“Don’t be such an idiot, Mustang.” Ed snapped back, anger clear in his voice. “Like you were supposed to know that this was going to happen. I told you, those creatures must have escaped long before you guys got round to clearing the labs. They’re not like the ones from the Promised Day, you know that. These things are smart- if they wanted to hide, there’s no way anyone could have found them. So stop blaming yourself.”
“Fine.” Mustang replied. “You’re right, of course.” But Havoc could tell he did not really believe it. That was the thing about Roy, he took everything upon himself. Every injury, every death he was unable to prevent... they hung around his shoulders as heavily as if he had struck the killing blow himself. Havoc had experienced the full weight of that guilt first hand after the attack by Lust.
There was a pause and then Mustang spoke again, contemplative. “But how can you be so sure, Ed? Even before I told you about the empty lab you were convinced these creatures were from the same place, despite all the differences between them. What do you know that we don’t?” There was a sound of rustling, something being pulled out of a bag, from the sound of it. Havoc couldn’t help himself; his curiosity got the better of him. He inched forward against the wall, ignoring Hawkeye’s warning glance and peered round the corner, careful to avoid notice. Not that he needed to worry about that- both Mustang and Ed were completely focused on the book Ed held in his hands. The light was bad- they hadn’t had electricity for weeks and candles were a poor substitute- but Havoc could still make out the shape of an array on the page Mustang had opened. An alchemy journal?
“This book contains the research notes of the scientists working on the creatures in Lab three,” Ed explained after a while. Mustang didn’t look up at him, still absorbed in turning the pages of the journal. Havoc ducked his head away from the corner, not wanting to risk being caught. “I found it about a week or so ago, during a supplies raid. You probably remember the one. I was with Al and Armstrong at the time, we’d been separated from the rest of the group for a while and had to take shelter in the lab when a group of creatures came out of nowhere.”
“I do remember that,” Mustang murmured. “Everyone was so worried about you.”
“Yeah,” Ed replied, sounding awkward. Ed had grown up a lot in the last three years but there was something about being around Mustang that seemed to transform him back into his fifteen year old self, angry and self-conscious and unsure. Ed had never liked Mustang being concerned over him and it was no different now. “Well, anyway. The lab was pretty bashed up; I think the creatures must have been there before. All the equipment was destroyed, doors broken down, that kind of thing. There was some kind of safe hidden in one of the walls, normally you’d probably never be able to see it, but like I said, the place was wrecked. I was able to open it pretty easily and once I found that book I knew I couldn’t just leave it there. I’ve been looking over it all week and it’s amazing, it’s got notes on all the different projects in each of the labs and detailed breakdowns of the alchemy used to create all the creatures.”
“It’s encrypted... but the code doesn’t seem too hard to break. I expect it hardly took you any time at all.” Some energy had returned to Mustang’s voice no, along with something Havoc hadn’t heard for weeks; hope. “Ed, you must know what this means. If we know how the creatures were made, we can figure out how to stop them, maybe even how to prevent them from transforming anyone else. This could save us, Ed! Why didn’t you tell anyone else about this sooner?”
“I’m telling you about it now, aren’t I?” Ed muttered. “I wasn’t sure at first if anything would come of it, I didn’t even know if the information would be important or not, never mind whether we’d be able to use it to fight these things. But I’ve been working on it for a week now and I think-”
“Do you have an array?” Mustang interrupted him. “Ed, do you have something that could get rid of these creatures?”
“Hey, hey, slow down a bit there, Mustang. I’m still working on it. I’ve got an array but it’s nowhere near finished yet, it’s still far too unstable to use. I’m not even sure exactly what it does... I’m hoping we’ll be able to use it to prevent people from becoming like the creatures if they get bitten, but it’s definitely not ready to do that yet. The risk of rebound is still far too great, for one thing.” The caution in Ed’s voice was a great contrast to Mustang’s excited tone. The warm burst of hope that had enveloped Havoc at Mustang’s question cooled down a little but did not burn out completely. They still had something... it might not work right that moment, it might not be able to bring back those they had already lost but it was still a start. One day they would be free from the creatures.
“Can I see it?” Mustang asked. There was more rustling of paper and then a long silence as Mustang poured over Ed’s array. He muttered to himself as he examined it, words that Havoc could not make out and suspected he wouldn’t understand even if he could. After a while, Mustang broke the silence. “Well, of course this would never work, Edward. I mean, just look at the instability in that hexagram there. Are you trying to get us all killed?”
“Oh yeah, like you could do any better!” Havoc could almost hear the smile in Ed’s voice. “Fine, then, if you’re so clever, you tell me what it should be!”
Havoc looked over at Hawkeye as the bickering continued, feeling almost like old times as Ed steadily became more and more wound up. She smiled back at him, a tired, hopeful smile, seeming to mirror what he was thinking. Perhaps, after this, everything will be alright, after all.
Havoc was the first to see it happen. The excursion into the city centre had only meant to be a short trip, only a small group of them searching for some key supplies. The creatures had descended upon them as if from nowhere while they were walking back to the shelter, dozens of them, as if they had been waiting for a moment such as this. They had fought them off so far, but in a battle like this, casualties were just a matter of time. Havoc heard the pained gasp, quiet amongst the sound of gunfire and the inhuman screams of the creatures, but audible still because it was her voice and hadn’t they been looking out for each other for all this time? He turned horrified eyes backwards, first towards the mangled corpse of the creature lying dead at her feet and then inescapably upwards, to the bite wound on Riza Hawkeye’s neck, red blood dripping down her pale skin. His eyes met hers, his gaze stunned, disbelieving, hers grimly resigned. She had prepared for this eventuality a long time ago and she knew what she must do. But Havoc would not- could not- allow it. There was still time- those who the creatures had bitten usually had at least a few minutes until the taint took a hold of their soul. More still for those who were strong enough to fight it. And Havoc knew that Hawkeye would fight against it with everything she had. Whatever the risks, Havoc could not let Riza end her life before she had a chance to say goodbye to Mustang.
Mustang... where was he? Havoc’s eyes scanned the crowded scene, quickly picking him out despite the turmoil before him. He stood alone, as always when she was not with him, a single figure against the encroaching hoards of creatures. His flames were the only thing keeping their small group from being overwhelmed; wave after wave of inhuman figures disappearing in a mass of heat, smoke and unearthly screams. If Havoc broke Mustang’s concentration now it could be only too easy for the creatures to break through. But he knew he had no other choice.
“Mustang!” his head turned at the sound of Havoc’s voice, clear and far reaching even over the cacophony of the battle. Mustang’s eyes- better even than Hawkeye’s ever since the Stone- picked them out instantly, taking in the scene with a single glance. A moment later he had turned his attention back to the creatures, that stream of soulless bodies that showed no signs of relenting, but that one, short glance was enough. He knew what had happened.
“What are you doing? Stop it!” Hawkeye grabbed Havoc’s arm as he shouted for Mustang, her eyes wide with panic. Her fingers dug into his wrist, firm and unyielding even as her voice shook with anger and fear. “You can’t... I don’t want him here!”
Havoc frowned, placing a hand on her shoulder to steady her. Hawkeye shook it off roughly. “Riza...” his voice was pleading. “You can’t keep this from him. What...” he swallowed back his emotions, forcing himself to carry on speaking. “What’s going to happen is inevitable but you can’t deny Roy the chance to say goodbye. You’ve got a few minutes until it takes hold and I know you want to see him too, so please, don’t fight me.”
“You don’t understand!” She shouted at him. Her whole body was trembling, tears spilling unheeded from wild eyes. “Yes, I have a few minutes, but you know Roy won’t leave me when they’re up. And what then? When I become a monster who wants nothing more than to kill you all? Roy will have to kill me then, and I just can’t allow that to happen, Jean. I can’t make him go through that.”
“You won’t have to.” Havoc promised her. He said no more but he knew she understood. I don’t want to kill you, but I will. There was no other choice now; nothing could be done. But not yet. Just a few more minutes, just let her hold on for a little longer... until she can say goodbye.
Before she could reply, a bright burst of light filled the street, a wave of heat rushing through them from a distant explosion. It shook the ground beneath their feet, sounds like far off thunder echoing off the abandoned buildings. Havoc turned to see Mustang silhouetted against the destruction, nothing but charred corpses where the swarming mass of creatures had been. His arms were still outstretched before him and he was swaying on his feet. Ed rushed over to him before he could collapse but after only a few seconds Mustang pushed him away and half ran, half stumbled towards where Havoc and Hawkeye were standing.
Hawkeye was crying openly by the time he reached them, although Havoc knew her tears were not for herself. It was not her death she feared, but what her death would do to the one person she loved most. Havoc glanced at Mustang’s face as he stood before Hawkeye and immediately wished he hadn’t. Such grief was not something that was meant to be shared. He turned away, moving to stand by Ed, both of them useless, terrified; waiting for the awful moment they knew there could be no escaping. Ed’s face was white, a picture of shocked disbelief. Havoc was sure he looked the same. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Mustang bring a shaking hand up to Hawkeye’s face, saw her lean into the touch.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry, Roy.”
“No,” Mustang spoke calmly but there was something wrong about his voice, some unnameable quality that Havoc had never heard before. He didn’t know what it was but his instincts screamed at him to run. “No, I can’t allow this to happen. I... I just can’t. I’m sorry, Riza.”
Something about the way he said those last words... Havoc spun round, suddenly, sickeningly sure of what Roy was about to do. He remembered Ed’s words from that night, remembered the hope... the array was meant to save those who had been bitten, wasn’t it? But it was still so new, so unsafe... surely Roy wouldn’t risk all their lives for such a slim hope of success? He already knew the answer to that question, he realised, as Ed ran forward, screaming at Mustang to stop. Too late. Far too late.
Mustang clapped his hands. Blinding light filled the sky.