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FullMetal Alchemist: Shattered Hope, Dreams, & Faith (Athene & East)


Markos was pushed off the ground and quickly rolled away from him. Pushing himself in the direction of the mans scattered gun. He hadn't exactly counted on litterally falling on the man, but it had worked to his advantage as now neither of them had their weapons, and while he wasn't exactly proficient in combat he would last a lot longer without someone having the ability to shoot him.

Of course there was the chance that Aisyah would come to his aid, but for the moment he was on his own.

With his own weapon gone from it's holster as well he had very few in the ways of options but decided that if he was going to do this he had to think fast, and bluff his way out of it.

Reaching into his pocket with one swift pull he grabbed the largest piece of paper he had on him and held up a pre drawn circle. "Hold it right there or I use this." To add to his threat he placed his other hand on the circle.

"That's right you're dealing with a State Alchemist." failed the exam, and in training but no one really needed to know that fact right now. "One more step and I transmute the floor your standing on just like I transmuted the roof, and drop you to the tracks below."



All things considered the men didn't resist. They heard that her friend may be able to think of something, but in all honesty they doubted her. The work was done, and even if only one car was rigged to explode they would still get their goals accomplished.

Once they were tied up they just shrugged, already given up, and now restrained they had nothing more to say about it. "Your friend would either have to be an explosives expert, fuck we rigged up these bombs and not even we know how to disarm them."

With a shrug they just went silent, and decided to say no more, they would just enjoy the ride at this point. The girl could do as she pleased, they would rather go in an instant explosion than risk the pain of a gun fight.
 

Liars! Both of you!

Although Aisyah herself wasn't an alchemist, she had learned subjects that many could argue were similar in nature. Medicine - without any alchemy being included - was actually a very good example. After all, if one thought about it, there were ways to comprehend, deconstruct, and reconstruct the human body. Some methods were much more traditional and well-known. Others were as taboo as human transmutation, and thus highly frowned upon to those who went to such lengths.

One of the first and most basic things she had been told was every venom had an anti-venom.

So, in this case, there has to be a way to deal with these packs of C4 ...

There had to be some way Markos could defuse those boxes.

" ... I suppose we'll see, won't we?" Aisyah smugly quipped to the bound men. It was an easy way to keep herself from panicking. She did not want to even start considering these men would be right.

There has to be a flaw in those damn thing. There has to be. You're not about to die before becoming a soldier ....

Let alone right when she'd just gotten reunited with her best friend. Fuck and no.

Aisyah paused in front of the next door knob and took advantage of the fact she wasn't under any pressure to hurry up.

... Not including the invisible timer, at least.

After exhaling ad taking three needed breaths, Aisyah opened the door, hastily walking through ....

" .... Tch."

The man had been ready to call what he was certain to be Markos's bluff. State alchemist or not, he looked young. Which implied he was probably a new 'dog'. Therefore, it would make sense that he was prone to making a mistake or two. So surely, even though he had succeeded in drawing his own circle, he may have ended up accidentally getting caught in that area.

Right?

Not anymore. Not when the second, uniformed individual walked in. She would probably bbe able to catch him .. keep him alive somehow. So .. no. This situation officially took a turn for the worst.

"Fine, fine," he stated, raising his hands and surrendering. "No need to remove the floor from under us."

"Markos?" Aisyah slowly began to ask, "You .. did you figure a way to deal with that first C4 box by chance? I'm assuming - hoping - that since you're not holding it, the answer's yes."

Pulling her newly acquired firearm back out, she aimed it over towards the man ... just in case he tried to pull any 'fast stunts' while Markos was getting in touch with Central.

Before he actually connected with anyone, however, Aisyah gulped ... and added lowly under her breath.

"Markos ... do not think I haven't noticed what's around me. We are talking about it all. Just ... not now. There's clearly more important things to fret about. So, for the time being, I'll pretend I'm not seeing everything that is reflecting in my eyes."

The two friends would hear the device ring once .... twice .....

And get picked up before it could try to do so a third time.

"This is Lieutenant Sheska. State your name, ID number, and the purpose of your call, please."
 

Markos had most certianly been bluffing, the circle he was holding was little more than a parlors trick that any alchemist tended to learn. So he could feel the tension rolling up and down his back getting ready to launch back into a fist fight if he had too.

Thankfully his reinforcements came just in time and Aisyah forced the man to surrender. He breathed a sigh of relief but at the same time he knew this was it. This was the moment he was dreading the part where he lost this old friend once and for all.

He shook his head and walked up to the phone looking at her as she asked about how he had disarmed the bombs. He cringed, "I transmuted them."

He spoke bluntly, he wasn't ashamed of his skills, but he was afraid of her reactions. "I turned the acids that form the bonding in the clay to salt rendering the bombs inert, and I can do it again if you give me a few minutes after I make this call."

He looked at her, his eyes narrowing for a moment when she said she would ignore what she was seeing. Says the woman currently covered in blood. The one who wanted to be a soldier in the first place. He let out a long sigh. "Yeah we can have words later. From where I'm standing i'm not the only one wearing a uniform."

"Lieutenant this is information's Clerk Markos Fischer, Serial number 323-145-x93z, I am on board the seven thirty am departure from new ishval to east city direct, the train has been taken over by radical Amestrian's. I have procured most of the train with a civilian partner, but they have bombs on board. I hope to have them deactivated by the time we reach East City, but the landing platform needs to be evacuated by the time the train is set to arrive. I repeat Seven thirty departure is set to explode situation critical landing platform must be evacuated in the event of our failure."
 

"Transmuted them?" Aisyah repeated, feeling her very core sting as the words passed her own lips.

This was, admittedly, one of those times where she'd vowed not to be overly judgmental of other people coming into play. Still, there was a certain amount of shock that was flowing through her with this confession. It wasn't that she believed Markos to be incompetent or anything. Hell, if he really had been successful with changing the C4 so it was changed into a harmless state .. shouldn't she be happy? She was. Just ... for some reason, Aisyah didn't view Markos as someone who would end up feeling like he had to use alchemy.

"I understand. Of course. You'll have your time to work on the other bombs afterwards."

But ... still. You were so intelligent without it! You don't need to rely on it!

Apparently, that was what made her a bit ticked off.

... It was dumb. After all, she wasn't Markos's mother. Aisyah had no control over the decisions he did and didn't make. And yet ... the slightest sensation of whatever was as close to betrayal without actually becoming that very feeling continued to linger in the young woman. It made her blood boil slightly, and pulse quicken.

All the same, her focus didn't falter and allow the foe an opportunity.

A brief pause lingered, though Markos and Aisyah could both hear a pen rapidly dancing across a sheet of paper. The Lieutenant was jotting notes down regarding the situation Markos was relaying to her. The next set of words would probably be something both weren't amazed to hear.

"Your civilian friend will need to be escorted by you into Headquarters when the train arrives. We'll need to get their side of the story and all. Standard procedure. I will go to Mustang and the other higher-ups to let them know. Good luck, Clerk Fischer."

As quickly as the call had been made, it swiftly ended.

Aisyah swallowed, still feeling ... torn. Relieved she was alive, but irritated at what she had just learned.

Without giving any hints or warnings, she turned the pistol around in her hand, slamming the handle against the side of the Amestrian's neck.

"There," she stated, "Now the concern about any retort being made is gone. Okay. Once you finish with that pack of C4, we can go and work on the rest of them. We ... can do this."

There was a very small but still noticeable sense of anger that Markos could probably detect from her forcing the guard unconscious. For the most part, though, she had done it mainly for their safety as opposed to more fueled on by something such as spite. With any luck, the sight of Aisyah not attempting to hurt Markos in any manner wuld be a bit of a relief to him. Though she guessed the display would be equally nerve-wracking. And to some extents ... that was fine with her.

It would help him realize she really had been deadly serious about wanting to speak with him. Should any doubts have lingered, they would probably be long gone by now.

... For now, though, there was something much more essential to worry about up and vanishing; the C4.

While Markos worked on the C4 in the communications car, Aisyah went to work tying the man up. The moment Markos finished up, Aisyah got up to her feet and began leading the way into the next car. It seemed fit that she should be first, given she was going to be Markos's bodyguard of sorts. If either of them had to risk getting shot here and now, better for her to take a bullet than him. That was what her mind insisted, anyway.
 

Since the guess work had already been taken out of disarming the bombs he could set to work at a relatively quick pace dealing with them. Working with his chalk again he drew smaller circles around each bomb that had been set up, and drew lines back to his main transmutation circle. In this way as long as they were connected he could get all of the bombs at once without fearing for any chance of an explosion.

"I can't disarm the trigger." As he spoke he didn't look at Aisyah he felt like he needed to defend himself a little but was unsure how to exactly do it. How he was supposed to defend himself when she was radiating anger over the fact that he was who he was now.

He let out a sigh looking at the ground and focusing on the task at hand. "It's well designed, and I'm not a demolitions expert, I could just as easily kill us as I could disarm the bomb." Which honestly wasn't easy. Of course he wanted to get deffensive he could see that his ability was going to cause a rift between the two of them, and he opened his mouth to try and think of something to say as he worked. Drawing his circles around the bombs and then connecting them all back to a main circle.

He had to deal with the transmutation first, but his eyes kept going to her, and he knew that he had some how disappointed her the look on her face spoke louder than hitting him would, but as he finished the transmutation circle he just let out a sigh. He had studied for years at Amestrian schools to learn this science, it was a skill, and his keen mind had been one of the ways he had kept it close. He shook his head. "Yeah, talk later, I suppose we can do that."

He pressed his hands to the circle and watched as each of the bombs seemed to disolove turning to piles of salt. leaving them inert. Getting up he followed her into the next car regarding the two men who were bound up here tied with rope and unable to move. He waved to them and started on the process doing it all again. He didn't ask for any help even though if he had just gotten her to draw a few circles it would save on precious time to work with him. "Listen, I know you don't like it, but this is something I have worked on for a long time. I'd rather not get into the debate right now like you said we will talk later, but I would like you to remember something you told me when you sat down with me earlier today."

He looked at Aisyah his eyes slightly wet when he spoke next. Slightly uncomfortable with this situation and how the two of them had grown apart, not to mention the cold words and look she had given him. "You said that as long as no one asks you to use this than you would be just fine working with an alchemist as long as they respected you."

"I have a lot I want to say, i've been working on getting my state certification for three years, I got the job at the library so I could use their reference material and case work. Yes my goal is to be a dog of the military, but i have my reasons, and one day we are going to get down to sit and have a chat about those reasons, but for now. I just want you to know that I do know and respect you, and I don't expect you to do any of this. So please don't hate me too much?" With that he decided that he just needed to work in silence for a bit and shut himself up. He could still feel the anger coming off of her, but she had made no attempt to strike him and she was still acting as his protection, all in all he wasn't sure where the two of them would stand after this, he just knew that things would be a bit different going forward.
 

It wasn't so much the man he'd become.

As Aisyah watched Markos work on the C4, she finally realized that much was for sure. But then .... what was her problem? She definitely had one, nor would she try to lie about having an issue with her friend. It was almost on the tip of her tongue; barely in reach, yet somehow staying out of it so she couldn't completely pinpoint what was truly bothering her. What was obvious came in the form of noticing Markos wanted to vent. Okay, maybe that wasn't the appropriate word, given his tone was surprisingly calm. Either way, he was offering an explanation for his choices. And even if it wasn't a complete report, it was still something to help her begin to comprehend what had changed over the years.

Granted, Markos hadn't been raised the exact same way as she had.

But, from what she could recall, most Ishvalans stuck very firmly to tradition, which thus meant no alchemy.

Her arms crossed over her chest as she patiently watied for him to begin giving her something, anything ot help her understand the new friend she was looking at. The irked expression steadily shifted, turning into a more neutral appearance and then looking horrified at herself. Guilty. Ashamed even. And right around the time he uttered his last reminder - which had come in the form of her own words - she weakly nodded.

"I know. I get it. This is your choice, your life, your decision. But .... for me to stumble in and see that you've decided to use something we aren't supposed to ... can you understand at all how it weirded me out to walk in on such a display?"

Luckily, the next car was void of any hostile men, which allowed Aisyah to continue her explanation.

"I mean ... I'm sure you weren't exactly thinking you would ever see me prove I've become a fighter over the years. If you can look me in the eyes and say with a straight face that didn't make you feel a bit odd, fine. Then maybe it is just me, and for that, I will apologize."

Slowly but surely, she was beginning to add up what the actual problem was. And then ... as if she completed a puzzle, it all clearly came to her.

" ... Were you ever going to tell me?" By now, most of the wrath was now replaced with regret. "I mean ... obviously neither of us probably expected to find one another again, be it ever or in a situation quite like this. But the moment I reminded you who I was .... were you ever going to tell me that you decided to go against customs and use alchemy? Or .. were you going to keep that hidden away from me forever?"

The thought was laughable. It would have been next to impossible for him to do that forever, more so if they ended up being paired up with one another.

... Still, the mere implication it could have been an option at all had been what really got to her.

"Geez. I don't hate you, Markos. Just ... the fact I found out the hard way. I mean, I had the courage to tell you outright I was going to join the military. Why couldn't you have just told me then and there that you intended on joining to become on of their dogs? Their alchemists? I thought you knew me well enough to know that in order for me to truly hate someone, it takes a lot more than a small, white lie."

... Okay. So this wasn't a very little white lie. But it was one all the same, and she could accept that logic for the time being.

Mentally dismissing the technical issues with her own words, Aisyah spoke again after considering carefully what she wanted to say. "I will stop calling you a dog ... the moment I can detect you're finally ready to be completely honest with me. But ... I really am pretty hurt to think you may never have told me about this. To make up for this - at least in some regards - I'll keep to my words. The ones you reminded me about."

To be fair, she would have even without Markos making her recall what she'd said. But now, it held, hopefully, a more personal touch. And, therefore, it'd be more sincere for her to keep her mantra, her vow.
 

for me to stumble in and see that you've decided to use something we aren't supposed to ... can you understand at all how it weirded me out to walk in on such a display?

"I really wish you wouldn't say that." In truth he understood what Aisyah meant by that, but he never really felt like a hypocrite. He sighed shaking his head as he continued his work getting rid of the last room full of bombs taking a look at the two dead bodies in the car and feeling nauseous.

Yes she could do that, but I draw a circle and suddenly... He let it go with a sigh, in truth he wanted to work with the military, and that was as much as part of the job as being a dog.

"Growing up I had fourteen brothers and sisters, all of which were Ameistrian. I grew up in an orphanage, I ate bacon and eggs, I shared the same grace, I celebrated Christmas and attended the same school as them. I wasn't raised in the community like you were. That's why all the parents shunned me. You were my only friend outside of the orphanage and you disappeared when I was twelve. I should be mad at you."

He had ever right, and if he really tried there was a spark somewhere that could have ignited, but in truth he didn't really have anything for it. Maybe that spark of feelings was for something else. Instead his voice was more subdued as he looked at her. "But that was eight years ago, and I'm not good at holding grudges for that long."

"We aren't the innocent little kids anymore. Of course I was going to tell you, but you have been in my life for a little over two hours. I haven't exactly heard your life's story about where you went, or what all happened to make you into the person you are now instead of the innocent little girl i used to give flowers too."

He shrugged and finished his work on the circles. "Telling someone you want to be a state alchemist isn't something you do on a short train ride. I had a plan where I was going to invite you out to eat, sit down with you and tell you everything once we got to central. I mean I was going to have to tell you everything because I invited you to stay at my place once we got back to central, and that could be a bit of a nightmare if you aren't ready for it."

He shook his head as he activated the circles and watched as they glowed blue turning the last of the bombs to salt. "There now even if the last guy manages to shoot us, no one outside of this train can get hurt."

He dusted his hands for a moment as he looked at Aisyah. "The sad part is, I don't think I have been dishonest with you yet. I didn't exactly plan on this train being hijacked, and in another timeline this all would have been a casual calm conversation... or a screaming match."
 

Well, what do you want me to say?!

Aisyah tilted her head back, forcing herself to take several, long deep breaths as opposed to caving in and letting her frustrated thoughts be heard. She really didn't want to say anything that would break what bond they had left. Besides, surely it could be repaired? Strengthened, even? It wouldn't be easy ... and it definitely would be even less so if and when she kept hearing words that tempted her to go on her own defensive route.

Except ... at least the part about Markos being mad was true enough. He should be. In that regard, Aisyah was a bit taken aback he wasn't, but relieved all the same.

" ... We both made our single but major error," Aisyah finally declared, slowly nodding. "Let's .... agree to disagree for now, alright? I'll respect you and what you chose. But ... it'll take a while for me to adjust to and recall. Please ... be patient with me and I'll do the same back?"

The weakest of smiles crossed her face as she added, "It may not be a surprise anymore, but I'd actually be up for accepting that invitation offer. If .. you'd be willing, that is."

Hoping the more positive incentive would give him more reasons to keep succeeding in altering the C4 to a harmless state than change his mind or heart, Aisyah began to lead the two into the next car when he finished his work. Upon opening the door, the interior plus scenery around them revealed they had finally reached the engine car.

Quickly but calmly, Aisyah pulled her pistol out, aiming it at the last Amestrian terrorist.

"There's no need to stain this train with anymore blood. Let the conductor go. Your other men have already been disabled or dealt with somehow." Knowing he probably picked up on what the latter meant, she hastily added, "I didn't want to, if it helps. But they left me no choice. I had to, out of self defense. And I will again, if absolutely needed. But I would rather talk this out with you. In addition to your men being restrained, the C4 is gone. Your plan has failed. It would be easier if you surrendered and left the innocent out of this."

Aisyah finally went silent, waiting to see if he would even start to listen to her or not. Already, several what-if scenarios were forming in her mind, ranging from him going right to killing himself to taking the conductor's life and then his, or something else. The best possibility, naturally, was him eventually giving up and leaving the conductor unharmed.

... She wasn't expecting that to happen. But it wouldn't stop Aisyah from hoping maybe - just maybe - he would wise up and do "the right thing". At least it seemed like it was the correct course of action to take in her own mind.
 

Markos let out a long breath of air their first fight coming to and end so it seemed. He honestly didn't want to get too caught up in this new debate. He knew that it wouldn't end well with either of them.

He closing his eyes for a moment his hand rubbed the bridge of his nose and then looking up he pulled down on his eyelid and removed his contact lenses. Blinking as his red eyes seemed to shine through rather than the false green eyes. He looked to Aisyah blinking for a moment his vision a little blurry from their removal.

"Better?" He said showing her rather than telling her that he wouldn't hide anything from her, not that she hadn't known his original eye color to begin with. Just that he wouldn't hide anything from her in the future. He let out a small sigh. "I found out that I needed glasses a few years ago, add some green contact paint into the mix and poof suddenly people look at you a lot less concerned when you apply for jobs in the military."

He shook his head, putting those in his pockets, and following Aisyah so now that they could get underway, he wanted to agree with her, and move past all of these problems. He smiled towards her nodding when she took up his offer of wanting to stay with him.

"Great, just a forwarning it's a bit of a mess at the moment I didn't really have time to clean up the place before i got sent out here. Like I said It can be a bit of a nightmare for the unprepared."

As Aisyah drew her gun he nodded towards her. He didn't really have any skills when it came to defense so he was more than willing to let her deal with the guy. The moment the two people burst into the engine room they were greated by the sight of the conductor who had a gun to his head, and the man who had taken the train.

Unsurprisingly this was the same man who had early ordered the two of them be tied up and put away. "We should have just shot you two brats."

Honestly yeah that was kind of a huge dealing in hindsight. He drew out the bomb trigger from his coat holding it up. "I don't believe you, my trigger was designed with too many fail safes. I'd rather see you all go to hell."

He pressed his thumb down on the button hard without another warning, and when nothing happened he pressed it again.

Markos chimed in. "Your bombs are salt now. Aisyah want to knock the man unconscious?"
 

Aisyah's head tilted as she watched Markos begin to raise his hands towards his face. "Got something in your eye?" she teased, noting it almost looked like he was maybe going to cry. What from was beyond her. She hadn't said anything overly good nor bad ... had she? Maybe she had. There had been a fair share of cons in addition to pros about being trained as a future soldier at such an age. One of the unfortunate things about her training, even if it wasn't obvious from her jest, was Aisyah could be horrible with reading the current mood. Especially if it wasn't work or mission-related, very much like the talk she was having with Markos now.

"O-Oh ... "

Mere inches were separating them as Aisyah now found herself looking at crimson orbs instead of green ones.

"Well .... both colors look good on you."

Why aren't yours red, anyway?

The voice seemed to come from in her mind. It was something she had ignored for years. Almost forgetting she had blue instead of the usual red. But now that she was looking at someone who had the usual hue, she found herself unable to help but wonder the simple but rather vital musing. Why were her own eyes the wrong color?

... Something felt wrong. Very amiss, in fact.

But ... she couldn't place it.

"Anyway, let's finish this up, shall we?"

The first of the terrorists they'd come face to face with now came back into view. Aisyah fought off the urge to act smug; not for her sake, but the conductor's. She was trying to keep this limited to as few casualties as possible. And it honestly irked her she hadn't been able to help save the others. So, while the chance was actually here, she wasn't going to fuck it up. Not if she could help it, anyway.

She waited, keeping her gun trained on the man.

Yet, when he pulled the trigger out, she didn't attempt to pull back on the trigger like he may have assumed. Instead, Aisyah allowed him to push down. And finally smirked slightly as he saw for himself the statement about the C4 bombs being defused was no bluff.

"I suppose, sure. I was trying to make this easy. Alas, it can't be helped, I guess."

"You're right about that much; can't be helped in-fucking-deed."

... Aisyah almost swore had heard the man toss that quip over at her. Whether she had or not, that didn't matter. What did was the loud BANG! and the abrupt, searing pain coursing through her shoulder. Her head lowered, mouth agape as she stared down in shock.

That son of a bitch! He ... he did it!

Thankfully, whether his aim was just that shitty or intuition as horrible, he had hit her left one. Her dominant side was her right.

" .... URGH!"

Adrenaline surged her on as she ran forward, closing the distance between herself and the other Amestrian quickly, preventing him from pulling back on the trigger a second time and getting either Markos or the conductor. After swiftly thrusting her knee into the man's gut and making his grip on his own gun loosen, Aisyah tossed the firearm towards Markos's feet, promptly throwing her assailant onto the floor seconds later. Aisyah panted heavily, placing her knees atop the man's left elbow and back respectively, keeping him restrained with both body weight, the threat to break something, and - if none of those worked - her own gun pointed right at the back of his head.

"You ... ngh! ... will stay still. You're going to ... explain yourself ... when we arrive. M-Markos? Get ... hah ... hah .... "

Her body began to tremble as shock and agony swam through her blood, entering her muscles and nerves.

"Get ... this bastard ... restrained somehow. I'll ... tend to myself ... when I don't have to fret about getting another wound."

This had been one of the what-if scenarios she'd planned for. The painful stinging sensation the bullet would bring, unfortunately, was a different story. Her body felt like it was on fire. But ... she'd live. She felt confident about that, simply because of the location.

And hell, if nothing else, better you took it than Markos or the hostage.

That thought made her ... oddly proud. Granted, she was definitely having a few second guesses and doubts on if she truly wanted to keep walking own her path as a soldier. Simultaneously, this was a risk that would have come with any mission. If this moment scared her away too much to avoid becoming an official soldier, then she had just run away for literally nothing.

No. Aisyah wouldn't let that happen. She would come to Central with a goal, a purpose, and now a battle scar to prove she was as serious as she could be despite her own heritage, age, and - should it matter - gender.
 

This was all supposed to be so simple, and then suddenly it very much wasn't. He had been feeling so arrogant, so in the right, like they were immortal like nothing bad could have happened to them, and then suddenly that single gunshot rang out.

"Aisyah!"

For a panic'd moment he thought everything was over, the friend he had just gotten back would be dead, and he would spend the rest of his life regretting his life choices. Probably even straining himself over old books desperately trying to crack some ancient taboo.

Thankfully instead of falling over she just stumbled back a few steps and then came at the man full force, it was aweinspiring for a moment but horrific in every single way he could imagine.

Hey you signed up for this remember?

Yeah he had never moved away from violence before. It was certainly a part of military life, like the gun at his feet. When Aisyah brought the man down he picked up the gun ready to shoot him should he get back up. Reaching into his pockets he found the circle he was looking for.

Walking forward he dropped the circle on he mans chest, and holding the gun up he pressed a hand to it activating the flow of energy. The static of the transmutation spread out along his chest.

A moment later his shirt and jacket had disolved along with the paper to form tight bonds that tied up his arms and legs leaving the man in just his underwear.

Moving to Aisyah he looked over at her. "You okay?"

"Conductor how long till we get to east city?"

He helped Aisyah up once she was back on her feet. "Okay with me this time. We are going to make one more call to east city command."

Walking towards the communications car he looked her over. "What can I get you to help. I'm sure there is a first aid kit somewhere around here. This is the staff only area, I could also transmute some bandages help stop the bleeding? Do you need water, you name it and I can get it for you."

He was anything but relaxed, but he knew now that he would be following her and not the other way around. If he could be of assistance to Aisyah he would do anything to help her. Calling in with their arrival time and telling them to have medics on board were just the tip of the iceberg.
 

"I'll live, yeah. But ... shit! .... fuck this burns. Really bad. Not really my preference on how I wanted to get introduced to guns and such."

As the straight-jacket covered the Amestrian, Aisyah got shakily up to her feet ... making very certain to add a bit more pressure than usual while doing so. Just as a silent way of her saying "Fuck you" to this guy; by making his back and upper body ache as much as possible from someone in her height, weight, and age range. She had never thought of herself as anything close to super human or whatever. But definitely competent. Smart ... at least enough to have avoided this.

Now?

Well ... she clearly had some additional lessons to be taught once she got to Central.

"An hour, maybe hour and a half at most." The conductor would respond to Markos with those words, before including, "Ummm ... thanks you two. You both really ... saved our skins."

Aisyah grinned, hissing as a new surge of pain shot through her shoulder. "Okay, okay. I get it," she muttered to her body. "I'm going, I'm going ... "

She would wait for them to arrive back in the communications car before slumping beside the still unconscious man. A quick gaze over revealed he was still restrained.

Good. Don't need anything we're about to do being interrupted.

Aisyah waited, hearing all of the options and various items Markos was asking if she wanted. Her head nodded as she elicited a few more labored breaths before softly replying, "All .. of those. Preferably ... if they're all here, that is. Definitely the first aid kit, if absolutely nothing else. Water would be nice, but ... that can wait if it must." Her head fell back as Aisyah closed her eyes, pressing tightly against her shoulder in hopes of slowing the bleeding while Markos dealt with the call and finding the supplies that were aboard the train.

When Markos got around to calling Central, he would be greeted by Sheska once more, whom would repeat the exact same greeting she'd given earlier. It wasn't meant to be annoying; in truth, part of her was hoping she was about to hear Markos speak once more. Unfortunately, without any ability to know for sure who was calling, it was simply standard procedure she was following.
 

Finding the First aid kit took some digging, but thankfully it was in the communications car just like he assumed it would be. Even more so so it was reciently stocked up, which meant fresh bandaging and a bottle of disinfectant. Wound triage was not his best forte, but he knew enough about the human body to know how this worked.

Plus he had read a number of books on the subject as well. "Okay, first things first, your getting blood all over my spare uniform."

He gave her a smile but in truth knew that this was a bad situation to be in. If the two of them weren't careful she could end up loosing function in the arm. He pulled the jacket off her body and Holy shit those are big!

He shook his head looking away from her tank top, seriously how did i not notice that earlier. I mean they pressed against me earlier when we fell over, but you know what they say seeing is believing! Man it's a shame those are going to get soaked with blood.

He pulled jacket off her body glad that he didn't have to worry about sleeves getting in the way. But placed the jacket over her legs like a blanket encase she got cold which was a sign of shock.

"Okay I'm going to apply the disinfectant this is going to hurt a lot." Suprisingly despite the amount of blood he was seeing and the fact that his friend was in pain he was actually surprisingly calm, his hands were more steady as he pressed the bottle to a cloth and then pressed the wet cloth to her wound, letting the wound sit for a moment as he pressed against it.

Next he let the cloth sit as he pulled out the same paper from earlier. "Remember this parlor trick I told you about?" He set it down finding an empty glass. "The alchemy heats the air, condensation catches in the glass forcing oxygen to mix with Hydrogen, instant clean drinking water."

"Now you can patch yourself up, I need to make a phone call."

"Lieutenant this is information's Clerk Markos Fischer, Serial number 323-145-x93z my civilian partner has been shot in the arm, but we have successfully retaken control over the train, have your men ready to take three living men into custody, and escort me and my partner to a hospital for medical treatment."
 

"Oh dear. Woe is you, yes?"

Aisyah would return the sight of Markos's grin with a coy, smug smirk of her own. "I know. Trust me, I definitely know I'm painting it red ... whether I wanna or not." Slowly, Aisyah pulled her hand away, gently shaking the jacket off. Thankfully, Markos was knowledgeable enough in medical assistance to know well enough what to do, and helped with removing the cloth. On the contrary, she wasn't getting chills, but had been getting warm. Mainly from the heavy fabric.

Still, it had been enough to make some beads of sweat trail down Aisyah's forehead, a few dripping down her arms, and some traveling in between her breasts.

A low groan passed her lips as Aisyah nodded. "Yeah ... " she muttered, "I've heard it's not fun. Well ... I should be able to pass any healing portions of the boot camp pretty easily. Hopefully. Do you ---- aghhhh!!!!"

Tears filled Aisyah's eyes as the hydrogen peroxide entered the hole. It wasn't simply because of the nature of the liquid that made it horrible ... but there was something else she realized while Markos was trying to treat her. "That ... fucker!" she hissed through gritted teeth, "Damnit! It ... didn't go through! It's .. the bullet's .... stuck! The shot wasn't a clean one!" As badly as it was burning ... he wouldn't be that desperate, would he?

... Aisyah was sorta hoping the answer would be no.

Not unless he could show he'd passed the medical part of Central's training, at least. Honestly though, even if he could prove that, she wasn't sure if she was ready.

... Who cares if you're ready? The moment you become official, they aren't gonna care if you're prepared to feel a joint slammed back into place or whatever. It'll be a do or die sorta environment, ya know?

Aisyah frowned, knowing her thoughts were correct. This would just be another one of those things she would have to get used to. Still ... she could hope. Be a bit selfish, even if only for a few minutes. Her eyes slowly opened as she managed to hear the words 'drinking water'. "Perfect," she whispered, taking the glass and eagerly downing the contents into her dry throat.

"Ah, Mr. Fischer. Glad to hear back from you. We were all waiting and hoping this would be you, actually."

Although Sheska wasn't in front of him, both Markos and Aisyah would be able to hear she was grinning on the other line. "Congratulations. Very good. I'm glad to hear things went mostly well. We'll have an interrogation and medical team awaiting for the respective people to meet up with."
Her amateur attempts at patching herself up were nowhere close to perfect. But by the time the train came to a stop, Aisyah had managed to wrap enough bandages around her shoulder and effectively cease the bleeding. It definitely hadn't been intentional.

But ... between the moving of the train, any still lingering pain, and fatigue, she had fallen asleep.

Partly because she knew Markos wouldn't go far. Hell, i anything, he may end up relocating her into a safer, cleaner room. Even if he didn't, she would trust him to deal with any possible troubles, should they arise.

That was exactly why she'd bound or had all the men restrained though; to prevent such things from happening.

Wherever Aisyah would wake up in, she wouldn't be there long. The abrupt sensation of the train coming to a halt made her eyes begin to open.

"Move! Make way! Give her room!"

Among the other soldiers and military members of Central, Lieutenant Sheska was one of the people whom had been assigned to greet Markos and this newcomer. The sight made her frown. She didn't look as bad as she could, though it was true her condition wasn't helping her mood.

What really sank her soul was knowing she couldn't do much - medically-wise - to help this poor girl out.

"Pulse?" she asked one fo the doctors, asking for confirmation on a number and ensuring it was still there in the first place.

"Weak, but still there. Not dangerously low, though. About 80 beats per minute."

Sheska nodded her head, mentally tucking the fact away as a stretcher was moved in and the other Ishvalan was carefully laid on top. "Miss? Can you hear me? I need you awake for a bit. Preferably."

If push came to shove, she could go through with the entire questioning session at the hospital.

But her superiors had recommended trying to get some of the answers now; not simply because they were curious whom had helped Markos out. It was also to ensure she hadn't fallen into a coma during the train ride.

"Ngh .... hmm?"

Sheska blinked, slightly taken aback at the blue eyes instead of crimson like she'd expected. Any surprised expression vanished as she weakly smiled down at Aisyah. "I'm sorry to disturb you, I -- "

"You're ... the woman Markos spoke with, aren't you? Your voice ... it's similar, at least."

Sheska nodded, chuckling softly. "Correct. Good observation. Can you recite your name and date of birth for me, miss?"

Aisyah nodded, briefly closing her eyes before re-opening them, "I'm Aisyah .... "

That was as far as she got. Which was odd. She had a surname, just like Markos did. But ... it wasn't coming back to her for some reason. Too much pain? Maybe. Definitely a possibility.

" ... I'm sorry. My last name isn't ... "

Sheska quickly moved her head from side to side. "Relay what you can."

Of course, it was something the medical team would very likely take note of as an interesting - noteworthy, definitely - factor. That she seemed to have something as vital as part of her name disappear from almost nowhere. Maybe just that. Either way, Sheska would let them deal with that. It was their forte, after all, not hers.

"I was born on August eleventh .... I'm seventeen now."

"Ah, so you'll be eighteen soon. I see, I see."

The talk temporarily paused as the team plus Markos arrived in front of the ambulance. The rear doors were opened by some of the members while others kept the stretcher firmly held. Sheska would wait until everyone was in their respective seats before tossing one last inquiry over.

"Forgive me if this seems like it's prying but ... Mr. Fischer said you were a civilian partner. So ... that implies you know - knew - one another, correct? Would you mind elaborating on that a bit?"

" ... I suppose. Alright. We're childhood friends. I can't say I expected to run into him, and he already admitted the same was true vice versa. Especially not when I was heading to Central to become a member of the military. But ... " She weakly shrugged, wincing as her body reminded her why the gesture had been a stupid one to do. "Shit, ahhh! But umm ... yeah. That would be why."

" ... Thank you. We should be there in about ten to twenty minutes. Rest up."

Interesting. Ironic even. Those were the two best words to use on how today had been going thus far. Of course, this all could simply be a coincidence like the young woman insisted.

Alas, it would be one of those things only time would reveal and tell to everyone.
 

Markos never really strayed far from Aisyah. Wanting to keep her warm and safe he did eventually move her back to the engine room. Mostly because it was the easiest room to defend and it was also the warmest where he could set Aisyah up with whatever she needed.

He moved the three surviving prisoners to the communications room, and kept the door open, training a gun on the three men encase they tried anything, and was more than happy for the fact that they didn't.



After getting looked over by paramedics he was deemed just fine, and quickly walked up to Sheska as she was asking Aisyah about their relationship. He handed over his ID to prove who he was, and gave a quick salute.

"Listen not that i'm ungrateful for the quick work you have done here Lieutenant but she was just shot, and not in the easiest mood, perhaps I would be a better source of information for the time being while she is being worked on."

"Aisyah was born and raised Ishbalan, to her a family name is considered a gift from god, and is rarely spoken about with outsiders. If she was conscious she would probably quote religious and state freedoms at you."

He looked at the ambulance, and then to Sheska's car. "Mind if we get in and follow them? I don't think there is enough room for all of us, and they probably want to operate on her, but I don't really want to leave her side."

It was a bit of a struggle in all honesty having to leave her at all, when she looked like she was about to be bed ridden with fever. He looked around for a moment, trying to figure out exactly just how long recovery from a bullet wound will take her.

As long as they didn't have to remove the arm she could be up and running within a few weeks. "For now I think it's best if we let Aisyah get the rest she needs to make a full recovery, but we need to be underway as quickly as possible. I'm currently running an errand to the central branch library, and well... on a more personal note I have an exam in three days that I can't really afford to miss."

The state alchemist exam, if he missed this one, than he would have to wait yet another year to take on the intake. After three years of trying his hardest to get in, loosing out because he was in the wrong city would honestly be pretty devastating for him.

"Do you think you will be ready to move in time Aisyah?"
 

Sheska's head lifted as she looked at the man hastily walking up. A quick glance - plus her photographic memory - helped her know it was indeed Mr. Fischer. However, him showing the badge was a nice, extra sign of faith. There hadn't been many attempts from outside sources of espionage to infiltrate Central. But ... there had still been some. Of course, any of this could have somehow been altered. Sheska knew better though. Her plus a lot of the higher-ups already had the locations of anyone who wasn't in Central, including Markos.

"Sorry. I'm not trying to sound inconsiderate or anything. I'm just repeating everything the others told me to ask. They're going to be doing their own interviews after the surgery, anyway. Hopefully, this will make it shorter and easier to do since they'll have some information ahead of time."

... She did, however, tuck everything else away. Particularly why her surname seemed to be a missing detail. It definitely piqued her interest; if this woman was truly a full-blooded Isvhalan, why weren't her eyes the correct color?

It felt like they were missing something very important.

... But honestly? For now, none of that mattered. So long as no negative background information was found, that was the immediate outcome Sheska was thinking about. It'd be a bit more annoying than usual without knowing a last name, but it was by no means impossible.

When Markos inquired if he could go into the ambulance, Sheska blinked several times before smiling. "They won't operate until arriving at the hospital. But, yes. By all means, go on in with her. I'm gonna follow the ambulance in my own vehicle. Feel free to ride in the back though, yes."

By the time Markos got in, he'd see a few IVs already hooked into Aisyah's wrists. "Pain meds," she weakly stated, seeming to preemptively answer the likely inevitable inquiry on what the liquids flowing through her system were. "The anesthesia and stuff are gonna wait until we arrive." Another smirk crossed her lips when Aisyah heard Markos ask her if she'd be ready in three days. "Most definitely. Silly you. This was but a flesh wound. Nothing too dire. Annoying, most definitely. But ... yeah. I will absolutely be ready to take my own exam in three days. Until then .... "

Aisyah steeled herself, half-expecting to be rejected for some reason with this request.

"If you can ... would you mind staying nearby? Even with it being a merciful location the bullet found, I'm still kinda nervous. I'd prefer having at least someone more familiar around .... "
 

"Of course Liuetenant we understand that we are kind of new to this. I just want her to be as well as possible." Markos spoke softly before following Aisyah in the ambulance, he really had no intention of leaving her, but knew that when the surgery started that wasn't exactly going to be a pretty moment.

He knew that both their names would be run through high and low. By morning every news paper in east city and possibly even central would be talking about this train attack, which meant that their names would be going out.

If she joined the military now, she would be fast tracked. Publicity would have a way of making you go up in rank. She would probably end up getting the rank of a captain, but it was hard to speculate. Hey if he passed his exam he would get to be Aisyah's direct superior officer, at least for a few months before she surpassed him.

Pulled out of his day dreaming he looked at Aisyah and realized that she was smiling. Really after all that you can smile? I just want to sleep.

It was however infectious and he nodded. "Of course I don't really have any other plans for the stay in east city. Originally this was just supposed to be a transfer to a train station... I'm gonna have to call my superiors and get a hotel room, oh man I really don't want to have that conversation."

He ran a hand through his hair and tried to figure that out for a moment.

True to his word when they started to operate on Aisyah he was just outside her door listening to everything that was going on, and as soon as they let him he was inside the room. He was greatful that Sheska had pulled a few strings for him to be able to share the room with her. but seeing her unconcious just made him want to wake her more.

Searching through his jacket for a moment he found a tag that he was looking for, and transmuted some paper into a flower, setting it down on her bedside table, a small purple orchid, a flower of beauty and prosperity setting it down on her table. That one was more advanced than the other tags he had on his person.

He sighed thinking for a moment as he sat next to her bed waiting for her to regain consciousness. "I wonder who exactly they are going to send. I mean I work with most of the central group, but east city? I don't even know who's out here."

As the time ticked by he fidgeted in his seat, then he transmuted a bouncy ball which tossed around. Then he set up his chairs so that he could lean. All in all he was hyperactive and wanted to do anything but sit and watch his unconscious friend. Still when he was sure that she was deep asleep or at least what looked like it he did also talk to her.

"I am curious you know? Why you of all people would want to sign up with the military. I mean you call me a dog, but you want in at the ground floor. What exactly is your plan?"

He tossed the ball around to consider that for a bit. "I mean lucky me really. If you hadn't been with me on that train i'd probably be dead right now, but why? and the long silence... Where have you been for the last eight years?"
 

It was definitely not planned. Alas, half-way to the hospital, Aisyah fell asleep in the back of the ambulance. Although, really, it probably was for the best.

True to their word, the moment Aisyah was laid upon her bed and wheeled into the hospital, a gas mask was placed over her mouth.

"Count backwards from one-hundred."

Aisyah wouldn't even get out of the nineties before the anesthetics kicked in and promptly knocked her out.

The actual procedure only took a bit over two hours. Most of the work revolved around removing the bullet, and then carefully inspecting no ligaments, muslces, or tissues had been damaged. That in itself took all but the last fifteen minutes up. Markos was allowed in by this time, where doctors and nurses were taking note of Aisyah's vitals. After jotting several sets of numbers down, they grabbed all the bloodied bandages, shell, and other utensils that had been used for the surgery, finally leaving him alone with the unconscious woman.

The first half of Markos's rambling had been missed. When he started inquiring on why she so badly wanted to join the military, however, she was beginning to stir.

Yet, she didn't look like she was reacting. Her body remained still, eyes stayed shut ... and for a good, long bit, it continued to look as if Aisyah was still asleep. It wasn't meant to look cruel or anything. On the contrary, she was curious in hearing what he wanted to know, and also trying to remember the answers. It wasn't that Aisyah didn't know them. But ... even she had to stop and think back. Why exactly had she wanted to allow herself to be trained, anyway?

...

It definitely wasn't her parents' idea. Oh no; that had been her own choice.

But then ... why? Was there something else besides wanting to keep history from repeating?

.... There had to be. Some part of her was insisting that was the case.

... But .... if there was. Well .... she was failing to pinpoint it.

"The Xerxes Ruins ... " she would softly reply, groaning as she finally began to open her eyes. "Some of the monks and warriors were still there. So ... I was taken in by them and trained."

Although she knew the answers to the other questions, this way it would sound like she hadn't been pretending to actually be asleep. The illusion of her literally just waking up would seem more sincere. More real. She didn't want it being obvious she had listened in on some rather personal questions, nor to give any wrong impressions on why she'd acted the way she had.

"Well ... I'm guessing everything went smoothly? I feel a bit tired and still sorta sore. All in all though? I can't really complain otherwise."
 

When Aisyah began to stir Markos let out a sigh of relief that he wasn't going to be alone anymore, and when she spoke about where she had actually been for the past few years, and that she had actually been at the ruins of Xerxies his eyes lit up.

"You've been to the ruins!" If ever there was a time when Markos looked like a dog it was now. His eyes were wide with amazement. His hands on her bed as he lingured over her, his mouth half open like he was about to pant or bark. Even his but seemed to sway as if he had a tail.

"The birth place of alchemy and alkaheistry. The lost society, a society so advanced that it was claimed by the dessert in a single night. I've spent half my life as an alchemist studying that story. Oh to get my hands on even just a fraction of that cities soil, to know the history of that place! To see those ruins with my own eyes. Xerxes is the holy land for alchemists the world over!"

And then his shoulders sank. He looked at Aisyah a little more jealous than he had been previously. "You stood in the halls of greatness while I was stuck at a desk job."

He shook his head trying to clear it of the less happy thoughts. "Yeah everything went well. Just so you know the military was sending an inquisitional squad to get a judge of your character, they should be arriving rather soon now that your awak~"

"Oh the fate, the heroism! Long lost friends ruinited on the battlefield! It's a story that brings tears to these old eyes!" Markos's eyes shot open, no... they hadn't!

"Whelp Aisyah it was good knowing you." He immediately made for the window, but it was too late. The door to the room burst open, and Markos was intercepted grabbed and crushed by what was best described as a bald middle aged man who had spent his entire life working out as he was bulked in every muscle on his body seemed to have muscles.

"To think a young information clerk with the aspirations of state alchemy and a young woman so out-manned and outgunned would risk their lives to save so many innocent lives! Why Markos this will be the story you will tell your grandchildren!"

"breathing... can't..." Markos was dropped though from the way his body went completely limp it was likely that his entire life force was crushed out of him with that hug leaving only a withered spirit and a husk.

"And you young lady. The story of a civilian who upon taking a train ride would rise to such heroics and to be wounded in the line of duty at such a young age. To think such luscious beauty could even exist! Why it is more than any man can bare. Now allow me to embrace you as a sister in battle!" For some reason this embrace required the loss of his shirt as Colonel Armstrong made his way to her bed. fully intending to crush and hug the woman just as he had Markos.
 

Don't .... no. Come on, don't do it ....

But ... she couldn't help it. The way Markos had gone from concerned to looking and acting as if he was her biggest fan was too much. Her left hand covered her mouth, attempting to hide her reaction. The slight shaking fo her body plus chuckles that finally began to resound from Aisyah, however, gave away she had caved in and laughed. "Sorry, sorry," she hastily added, "Just .. that's ... an interesting side of you. I've never seen anything quite like it before. It's ... "

".... kinda cute .... "

... Why couldn't she say that?

Probably because she didn't want to risk offending him. The sight of her laughing may already have resulted in that much. No sense to rub salt in the wound ... if there was one.

"But umm, yeah. I did. I could probably take you there whenever we get a break. My mentors wouldn't mind."

When he stated the surgery had gone well, Aisyah visible relaxed. It was when Markos added an inquisitorial squad would be sent over to test her personality. "Isn't that a bit ... much?" she mused. Before an answer could be given, though, she heard another voice. And since it wasn't one she recognized, this was likely part of her 'squad' Markos had mentioned.

"Oh the fate, the heroism! Long lost friends reunited on the battlefield! It's a story that brings tears to these old eyes!"

.. What the .. ??

... Was he sure it was a questioning group? If it was, they sounded soft-hearted. But that would be the only area, it seemed, that was 'gentle' or anything close to soft. Her head turned and ... was that a normal amount of muscles for any person - Amestrian or Ishvalan - to have?

.... Barely, though it definitely didn't look it.

O-Oh wow ... Aisyah thought, her mouth falling agape at the sight of the new man before her. When she realized she had almost started to stare, her head began to turn. Only one thing kept her gaze where it was, and that was seeing Markos wrapped in an almost literal bear hug and squeezed tightly. By itself, that wouldn't have scared Aisyah. However, the embrace had been so strong, that Markos was rendered completely unconscious, causing Aisyah's eyes to widen.

"Huh?! Markos?! Markos?!"

..... Yep. Completely out. Aisyah swallowed as she lifted her head, realizing that she was now completely alone with this man. An feeling very uncomfortable about this exact situation she was stuck in.

Luckily, there was one other person who knew about this specific person's location. And it was one of the few people who could actually handle him, be it his insane strength or ... eccentric personality. "Hold it right there, Alex!!! You will do no such thing!"

Standing in the doorway, panting slightly - no doubt from running through the halls - was a blonde-haired woman. One who definitely held the grace and composure of a natural leader. "Maybe when she recovers fully, sure. Maybe. It will do none of us any good to re-injure her though, you less of all. I doubt you want to do any extensive paperwork explaining why you caused a civilian to go back into another surgery, do you?"

Her eyes narrowed, almost daring the man supposedly named Alex, to argue with her.

As the new female walked further inside, she began to inspect the room while simultaneously regaining her breath. Her eyes first landed on the unconscious Markos. She crossed her arms, sighing in annoyance at the taller man. "If it weren't for the fact he's one of us, I'd scold you more. He'll live but ... ugh. You really do need to be careful. Not everyone is capable of ... handling your raw power. You need to remember that. So ... you are Markos's childhood friend, then?"

"Ah! Yes, yes ma'am."

A sly smirk crept across the woman's face. If nothing else, she had manners. That would definitely help her out. But she would need much more than etiquette to get through the tests, let alone boot camp. Either she already knew that ... or would quickly learn within the next few days.

"I sincerely apologize for my rude brother. He didn't even introduce himself. I am Olivier Mira Armstrong. You can give your own name out, ototo. Now then ... " Grabbing the nearest chair, Olivier pulled it beside the bed and sat down, crossing one leg over the other. "The medical team did relay what you mentioned to them plus Sheska before going into surgery. I will believe the part about your surname ... because one of my best men is an Ishvalan. Otherwise, I would normally feel like you're trying to lie to me. We will eventually need it, though ... "

Every now and again, Aisyah would notice the woman's eyes drift off.

"Don't worry about my eyes. Just focus on me."

And she was indeed correct. Olivier was looking at something else. Specifically, her heart monitor, taking note if her pulse ever increased or decreased, by how much, and so on. The human heart was an easy lie detector in itself, and much simpler without needing to use an annoying machine. Monitoring her vitals would give Olivier a much quicker hint as to if - or when - this girl tried to lie or cover something up. It was, as Markos had tried to imply, part of her 'test' of sorts.
 

Rather than being offended Markos actually smiled at Aisyah as she laughed. After the day that the two of them had shared it felt good to hear her jovial, and he knew she wasn't laughing at him, at least not directly. He actually joined in the laughter after a few moments, enjoying the smile.

"It's what?"

The question seemed to lingure for a moment as he looked at Aisyah a smile on his face, that turned even wider when she said that it could be possible for him to go with her to see the ruins of Xerxies, though the truth was once he got his pocket watch that was probably a very bad idea.

"Oh to see the ruins with my own eyes. I'd give anything to do that."

~~
"Huh?! Markos?! Markos?!"

The voice reached him, and Markos slowly began to move again, his body adjusting to the fact that it had been crushed moments prior. His hand moving up while shaking to give an unsteady thumbs up before he collapsed again.

"Colonel," His words were accompanied with a cough as he got to his knees. "Last I saw you, you were at central, you can't tell me we are this."

His voice ended when he saw exactly who had accompanied the Colonel. His blood ran cold as he gazed upon her, as far as Amestrian women were concerned she was easily the most attractive thing he had ever seen. Her entire body from her shoulders to the way she stood radiated confidence and power.

Compared to the general the only woman who outshine her was Aisyah, a lot could be said for the exotic caramel skin tone, and softer features that her body presented, Both had the commanding presence of leaders, and both were strongly minded military women, Aisyah won out by history, and then there was her bust though the generals heavy coat always made that hard to tell.

holy shit do I have a type?

Then there were her eyes, cold blue, and lovely, a glare capable of peircing a man's heart right through. His own heart beating faster because of the simple amount of fear that she instilled in him, well fear and exhilaration.

"General!" Markos snapped up to his feet and gave a fully hearted salute, because that was what was expected. He had never before interacted with anyone of this high a rank. Even the colonel had been rare and only because he had helped out with the state alchemist exams the fact that both seemed to know his name from something beyond a file meant a lot to him.

He swallowed as he looked at Aisyah. Immediately his mind started comparing the two women, and he quickly realized something.

Neither woman would hesitate to kill him if he ever decided to speak what he was thinking out loud.

"Right where are my manors young woman I am Colonel Alex Louis Armstrong." The major stopped in mid charge of his attempt to crush the young woman if only because his sister had demanded it. "Now then we really should be getting down to business. We will need to know everything about what happened on the train."

'Why send a colonel and a general out here to east city, aren't these two mostly used at Central?'

Rank and file kept him from speaking unless spoken too, right now they wanted Aisyah's side of the story. His side was much more boring by contrast. Though it could be seen as him recruiting a civilian to do his job for him.

Either way he was trying to figure out exactly how this looked and would work out for the two of them. One thing was certain these two were way too high on the totem pole, which meant that the guys they had captured had to be more than just some dissonant rebels. What exactly had they just stopped.
 

In all honesty, the thumbs up had been practically missed. Her focus had been so intent on the newcomers beside her that it was Markos coughing and finally speaking that would make Aisyah notice he had regained consciousness. And ... faster than even she expected, simply because of how painful and strong the hug seemed. A relieved sigh passed her lips as Olivier merely let out a small 'hmph'. "See?" she added, "Told you he'd live. He's most definitely one of the luckier and much more sturdier few. As for your own inquiry, Fischer, there simply aren't as many higher-ranked people around as there used to be. Some are climbing up the ladder, making no efforts to hide they're trying to do so faster than usual. Which, while all well and good with me, doesn't mean shit if you can't prove you earn to be where you are. Partly because of that and the situation involving these terrorists. And, actually, you two are very important. For your own reasons aside from the rapid fame that has already spread throughout the nations."

That's right. Already. Meaning this had probably gone through various radio stations, or something else of the like.

"W-Wait, what?"

"Trust me. That's the last of your concerns, young lady. Someone will make certain you can leave this hospital without being bombarded by the media; that I can promise you. Whom hasn't yet been decided, but it's in the works."

Olivier's throat cleared as she heard her brother speak. "Not only the train, remember? And a bit about her as well. But we can start off with the easier topic, yes. I'm fine with that much." Resting her chin atop her right hand, she looked back over to the bed-ridden Ishvalan, continuing to switch whether she was looking at the teenager of her heart monitor every now and then. "So, as my brother hinted, please start at the beginning. What even happened in the first place?"

Reaching beside her, Aisyah grabbed a bottle of water that someone had put on her bedside mantle. Carefully removing the cap, she set that down, swallowed some of the liquid to cool her throat and make it not as dry as it had been, before gently placing the bottle back down. "I ... got on the morning train barely in time. My alarms didn't go off and my parents didn't bother to wake me up, probably because they didn't want me to come to Central. I got on and initially went to a lone compartment by myself. I saw Markos walk by though, already in uniform, and figured if I'm going to Central to become a military figure, it'd be easiest to speak with someone already part of the system, per se. But we ended up recognizing each other faster than expected, so I didn't really ask anything about how things went here. We talked for .... maybe five or so minutes before noting the train hadn't moved yet. Knowing I barely got on the train in time, it got our curiosity piqued."

She knew the next part wasn't actually a crime. But part of Aisyah was a bit terrified how Olivier may interpret this so ... she was hesitant.

Unfortunately, her pause alone made her pulse quicken slightly.

"Go on," Olivier encouraged.

"We agreed ... getting information would be the best way to go. But it was pretty easy to assume questions wouldn't be answered to random people. So .. Markos gave me a spare jacket. I wouldn't say I impersonated anyone, but I did give the illusion I was already an official officer." Indeed, Olivier did raise an eyebrow, mentally noting the fact away, but said nothing out loud for the time being. "We ran into all the terrorists except the one keeping the conductor guarded. I gave Markos a hint we should play along and --- "

"Hold up. You gave a signal? How'd you do that? You're not even enrolled, as you confirmed yourself."

"True. But ... I did some training the past seven to eight years in the Xerxes Ruins. I'm ... sort of a soldier, but not - as you put it - official."

"So ... you were trained in combat even before hitting double digit ages? Is that what you're telling us?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Why?"

Aisyah lightly gripped onto her lower lip. "Ma'am? May I come back to that after finishing what I started?"

" ... Deal. But I'm holding you to that."

"Thank you. So ... I basically implied to play along, simply to decrease the number of casualties. They led us back to the cargo room. Before they could actually restrain either of us, I knocked the guard out. I took the spare gun and that was when Markos found the first C4 box. We agreed to split up, with him dealing with the explosives while I incapacitated the guards."

"And the plan went as you thought?"

Her hand shakily tilted. Even without Aisyah explaining why, Olivier had a good guess. Aisyah's voice and body were both beginning to tremble, an obvious sign the next words would be dire ones. Her 'ice queen' side had become more merciful over the years, but only to the faintest of degrees. It otherwise still remained, as did her ability to read people, and if this girl truly wanted in, then she wouldn't start going easy simply because of an unfortunate experience or two.

"I ... had to kill two. And then another .... took his own life."

"No," Olivier stated, "Whether you're meaning to give me that silent question in your expression or not, it's clear as the sky. And the answer's no. We were told to get everything out of you. Breaks are allowed if you need a moment or two to get yourself calm. But we're - I'm - not simply going to waltz out of here because PTSD is starting to develop and kick in. Is that clear?"

"Perfectly. Thank you ma'am."

.... You did want in. This is something you probably should have expected.

Aisyah sighed, plopping her head against the pillow before re-grabbing the water and taking another needed, long sip. This time, though, she kept it held in her hands instead of putting it on the nightstand.
 

So the news has already gone out? That would pretty much make the two of them famous for one reason or another. He was glad they said that people would deal with the media, the last thing that the two of them really needed was more attention being heaped onto them.

The story about others wanting to climb the ranks as well kind of made sense, it was only what a few years since the central incident? Most of the higher command had died off, and Amestres was a military state. The power vacuum that had been caused by the death of King Bradly and all the chaos ensuing, they had given the power back to the parliaments.

Though in all honesty the day of the eclipse had been... a bit of a cluster fuck. it had made reassembling the country difficult. With the power vaccuum every single person with any ambition seemed to want to take a piece of the country for themselves.

For now Markos had few choices in what he could say or do, staying silent was pretty much the only thing. As it was speak when spoken too in the military, even for a clerk like him.

Hey you're the one who wanted to be a dog.

Listening to all that happened to Aisyah was a little difficult even if he already knew she had spent the last few years in Xerxies it was hard to hear. He didn't really want to imagine the struggles that she would have to go through for such a thing. It was difficult to sit through and imagine already.

"To think that someone so young would chose the life of a soldier. And one of the Ishvalan race at that, Truly we are dealing with a new generation! Such a kind heart should not have to live through such tragedies!"

Markos rolled his eyes the Colonel put his two cents in, but it was also kind of true, neither of them really wanted to watch anyone die. That wasn't in the best interests of anyone involved.

When Aisyah paused upon telling how a man had taken his own life Markos chimed in.

"When we split up I had a box of C4 to contend with, so while I didn't exactly know how to disarm the bombs I started work on a transmutation circle. It took a little guess work as I had to figgure out how t transmute the bombs without having them explode, but I know that the molding clay consists of high concentrations of sodium, so working with that and the magnesium as well as stray metals in the containers was able to turn the bombs to salt save for the copper components."

"After that I made my way to the communications car via the roof to avoid detection." Just remembering what it was like standing on top of the train car made his legs shake. "By the time I got to the communications car I didn't really have a lot of tricks up my sleaves. I keep a few different transmutation circles on my person at all times in the form of paper tags. I threatened the guy in the communications tower with a tag that when transmuted makes a flower, I told him that by using it I would disintegrate the floor under his feet."

"When that didn't work Aisyah saved my life." He scratched his head for a moment looking back at that incident he didn't really have a lot of 'heroics. "I'm sorry to say that my story is mostly just hanging around her and letting the civilian do the heavy lifting. I left the majority of my gear in central as I was having it all finished for the exam in three days, and I lack proper marksman training, but I was also the one to triage her wound at the start, and tie up two of the captive men."

that of course however also meant that his story had one unfortunate side effect. Well aside from making himself look weak. He looked at Aisyah. "She will probably deny this general, but I am the reason she got shot. When we finally had the man in the conductors office down. I thought we could end it peacefully. We had done so well at keeping the body count low, and I thought for sure that once all of the bombs failed to go off the man would just surrender to us."

"I paused to gloat... I can see now that was foolish, and had I not paused, had I just done my job and drew my own gun, then Aisyah wouldn't have been shot. Therefor I accept any charges of misconduct that Aisyah or anyone in this room would bring against me."
 

"Our ... what we did is ... really?"

Now Aisyah did put the bottle back down, simply because it had almost fallen out of her hands and onto the floor. It made some sense. It was a big deal, all things considered. She just .. hadn't expected to gain that much attention, let alone so quickly.

Olivier smirked slightly, moving a few blonde strands behind her ears. "The fact you were still a civilian, unfortunately, had to be revealed. Because of that, it's more of a feat to the people. We would have been in our own trouble if we lied and said you were one of us. It's perjury, and that crime is punishable in any court, so ... " she shrugged, sighing softly. "I genuinely am sorry, if that helps. But I'm not going to tarnish my reputation or the military's to help with making a small yet significant white lie come to life."

Even if Markos didn't believe Olivier, Aisyah actually did. Somehow, she felt certain the elder woman was being honest about her apology. Her head nodded as she quietly listened to Markos's continuation of the story, so to speak. Aisyah did hear Alex's thoughts on her decisions; she simply opted not to react like Markos had.

... Although, she couldn't blame him too much. Even she felt temporarily tempted to roll her eyes.

I mean, the fact is tragedies are inevitable. No one stays away from them forever ...

.... But she didn't feel like going on and on about her own personal views. So she concentrated on the here and now. And, just as he expected, Aisyah would speak up when Markos tried to take all the blame for her injury. "But it wasn't your fault!" she hastily added, pushing herself rapidly up to a sitting position. "I ... I knew that was going to be a very likely possibility the moment I agreed to help you out. And it's not like you made him pull on the trigger or --- "

"I get it. That's enough."

"Huh?"

Olivier looked between the two Ishvalans, her gaze finally resting firmly on Markos. "You're both correct," she finally dictated. "In some respects, Aisyah is right. It definitely wasn't as if you manipulated the man to pull back on the trigger. And at the same time .... you're correct. You should have known better. Just having gotten Aisyah involved, even with having learned she was a civilian at all, was reckless. Trained, maybe. But for a lot of people, that wouldn't matter."

"Y-You're not going to -- "

An irked glare from Olivier made Aisyah bite down on her tongue and bow her head.

"I'm letting that slide for now with a warning, simply because - as stated earlier - you're not yet official. Free advice though, miss; I wouldn't do that around me should you become a true solider. Yes, I am going to enforce something. Luckily for Markos, it's not nearly as bad as it could - and probably should be. Still, it would be stupid for me not to have anything occur at all. So .... "

Olivier turned her head once more, giving Markos her full attention.

"The punishment is simple. A lot of what you just said you lacked will be implemented in your exam somehow, even if it isn't usually done that way. You truly wish to make up for your error? Then show it within the next few days. If you thought the last two times were annoying, they'll seem tame come three more days."

Because of the fact it involved his exam, it was clear Olivier wouldn't reveal exactly what she had in mind. But hell, she had offered a hint; probably something Markos hadn't even expected. He'd need to simply think on it, but then, that was the point of her subtle choice of words. Otherwise, everything would be too easy for him to figure out.

"Now then ... do you think you're ready to resume elaborating on how things went, Aisyah?"

"I ... yes. I think so."

Taking a moment to close her eyes and exhale once more, Aisyah briefly thought back to where she stopped before continuing. "So ... we eventually met up, as Markos said. After he contacted Sheska and informed her of the situation, we went through the rest of the cars. I watched his back while he disassembled the bombs. When we got to the engine car ... well .... we both, honestly, got pretty arrogant. Even knowing I could have gotten hurt, I honestly relied too much on the supposed leader resorting to suicide or giving up. After quickly but carefully giving a bit of first aid ... he got a hold of Sheska again and ... here I am."

Olivier nodded, mentally tucking the rest of the account away so she could give all of the details to the others.

"I see no reason to question that much. Everything sounds right and matches up. Seems logical enough. That thus brings us to what you gave me your word to go into more details about. You know what I mean."

Aisyah nodded, swallowing nervously. Her pulse had gone back to a slightly faster pace yet again. She wasn't trying to lie ... but apparently, this topic made her on edge or nervous for some rhyme or reason.

"Why I went to the Ruins .... was to learn. I may not have seen any of the civil wars, but I've heard my share of stories including them. And then with the most recent set of events involving Bradley and the Homunculi ... I wanted to ... not necessarily prepare. But ... if something similar to that happened .... I wanted to be ready, I suppose. That's the best way to say it."

"... And that sounded like a good idea to a nine or ten year old version of you?"

"I ... I don't know why but ... yes. L-look. I know this all probably sound really weird. Maybe even close to insane, or at the most merciful incredibly convenient for me. I mean, the day I get on a train, I just happen to run into one of the few faces that's most familiar to me. Yeah. Even I'd agree that on any given day, this would sound almost too perfect of a story. But I promise -- all I've been telling you is the truth. It may not make the most sense, but ... it's as real as I can be. And, at that rate, have been with you."

Aisyah gulped, knowing all she could say had been recited to Olivier.

Amazingly though, she didn't have to wait long to see or hear a response. A low "Hmph" would be the first word, and that in itself made her heart sink. "So that's really how it's been, huh?" Olivier inquired, resuming after seeing Aisyah offer a nervous but affirmative nod. "I guess it can't be helped then. You're right; this all does sound incredibly planned out in your favor. But ... you've already proven yourself. You're not lying."

"H-Huh?"

"I know you noticed my gaze moving every now and again. It was to your heart monitor, checking your pulse. It's shifted a few times, but not enough to suggest you've been trying to lie. Due to the lack of proof, I have no reason to ask for anything more. Well then ... I look forward to hearing how you end up doing. Regardless of what type of member you may or may not become, though, I actually do have high expectations and hopes of you. That being said ... don't disappoint me."

"Y-yes ma'am. Thank you."

"... Alex. We need to return. I have a few papers to deal with before going back to Briggs, and I believe you do also."

Olivier swiftly raised her right arm and held it near her forehead, giving both Aisyah and Markos a farewell salute before exiting -- making sure to leave completely when her sibling followed -- and finally leaving the two Ishvalans alone.
 


Markos gulped when Olivier said that the last two years would seem like a cake walk compared to what he would face this year. He honestly didn't even have a clue as to what she meant by that. After all he had failed the last two years in a row, and she wanted to make the exam more difficult? What would happen if he didn't get the pocket watch? This was his last chance litterally three strikes and your out.

If he couldn't cut it as a state alchemist than everything he had worked for would die out. His goals would be a wash, which meant he would loose everything. His eyes drifted from Olivier to Aisyah as she picked up the story and finished relaying what had happened after that.

Than came the moment he had been waiting for the reasoning why she had vanished from his life. He had found it rather lacking in all honesty.

Wait that's all your going to tell them?

It only explained the how she went about getting her training, and didn't touch on her reasons why. Than again he hadn't touched on his reasons why he had wanted so desperately to be a state alchemist.

"Sir." He gave the two of them a salute and watched them leave

Watching the two officers go Markos let out a sigh he had been holding. Honestly he had been pretty glad that he hadn't been the one attached to a heart monitor there wasn't a moment Olivier and Aisyah hadn't been in the room where his heart and mind hadn't been racing for one reason or another.

He shut the door to the hospital room after they had left and leaned against it. Letting out a long sigh he looked at Aisyah for a moment. "So you just wanted to be ready for the next big disaster?"

He shook his head, he supposed that was a good reason. Or at the least he believed it. It sounded like the little girl he remembered, and what more was their for an Ishbalan too do? become a monk?

"I know it goes against a lot of what you personally believe, but I could really use your help." He chuckled for a moment looking at Aisyah running a hand along his forehead.

"I think Olivier was kind of serious about that ultimatum, and well... I guess that means I need to cram. I could really use some combat lessions of my own. I know I won't be an expert in three days time, but I'm hoping you can teach me enough that I don't drop dead."

By the sounds of it, she would pull some strings. Which only meant one thing, combat evaluation, yep he could read subtext, and it was not rare for a state alchemists' evaluation day to be dipped into combat. They were considered living weapons along with the dogs of the military.

You could just not show up?

No that was an option he couldn't do that. "How long till you can get out of that bed."
 
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