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

Over the years, the tale of Edward Elric had become quite the legend. It was more than him, his brother, and several very close and loyal comrades simply beating all of the Homunculi that had earned him so much fame. He had accomplished everything at a young age. His record easily out shined even the highest-ranking Majors and Captains at the time.

Hell, anything the late Fuhrer Bradley may have done around his age probably looked and seemed incredibly tame for the most part.

With the corruption seeming to have been all but fully removed and wiped out, it implied there would be new beginnings now only in Central City, but throughout all of the nations everywhere.

Finally, for the first time in years - probably longer - the people of Ishval were given a newly found sense of hope. History wouldn't have to unnecessarily repeat. For the first time in what felt like forever, they could stop fearing foreigners and come to accept other people aside from their own kin.

That was, at least, how it all looked. With the help of Scar, Colonel Roy Mustang, and Major Miles, they were soon going to see things between their country and the others - particularly Amestris - could be done in a more calm and peaceful way ...

---

"Hah, hah, hah!"

Rapid breaths and pants passed the dry, already parted lips of seventeen-year-old Aisyah. She had felt almost positive she'd asked one of her parents to make sure to wake her up early. Today was an important day.

And now, because they actually let me sleep in, I'm almost late!

... Was it they'd forgotten, or they were hoping she would forget and not pursue her dreams?

Her eyebrows furrowed as the latter crossed her mind. It was annoying, no doubt. To their credit, she could sort of understand what her parents were so scared of, if only because she was just as anxious.

Still, that didn't give them the right to try to intentionally make her miss her first day.

Aisyah had decided to take, admittedly, a slightly unorthodox career choice. Because it wasn't at all a more typical route that most Ishvalans took, however, it would require her to move away from home and arrive at Central City.

After having trained over the past almost seven years studying a very intense, mixed form of marital arts, Aisyah chose to head to Central so she could become one of their soldiers. Not quite a 'dog' nor State Alchemist, but someone whom would likely end up wielding a gun. Or some weapon, at the very least.

Why?

Because, the brutal truth was ... history had a horrible habit of repeating. Sometimes its attempts worked, other times it failed.

Despite not having been alive when Edward Elric and the others managed to defeat all of the Homunculi, nor existing when the last civil war broke out, she had heard more than enough horror stories. As much as she loved home and her parents, she didn't wish to risk becoming little more than an unprepared damsel in distress. She wanted to make a difference.

Which thus required her going through with this move ... no matter what.

Forgive me, mom and dad, she inwardly prayed, letting out a long sigh of relief as she found the train hadn't left her behind. "Oh thank Ishvala," she muttered in between labored breaths, wincing and grunting as she lugged her bags and self inside.

The moment her light-blue eyes found an empty seat, she placed her bags above and promptly plopped down. Her head tilted back as she slowly closed her eyes, taking advantage of her early arrival to regain all of the oxygen and composure she lost from running hastily towards the train station.

... This will be worth it.

The thought made an exhausted but proud smile cross her face. Something deep within her very being continued to insist that for whatever rhyme or reason, she was doing the right thing. Granted, she didn't usually make many decisions that came back to bite her in the rear. But it had been a while since she felt this happy and good about something she willingly chose to pursue.

Aisyah's grin stayed firmly in place, never disappearing from her face. Her chest slowly rose and fell as the young soldier-to-be relaxed. "After all," she mused, "Once you arrive in Central, there won't be many times you'll be able to have much time to rest."

Or so that was how the rumors went. Then again, she was enrolling herself into the military. Aisyah didn't exactly expect to get away with being lazy or even daring to half-ass anything.

Central government had changed hands basically over night, and then the Ishvalan policies restricting motions between countries was lifted. A complete whirlwind of change that Markos never really had the chance to appreciate. The lifting of the policies meant that people like him now had full citizen ship, or at least that was what a lot of people had told him.

Ishvalan's gained all the legal rights as Amstrian's including the right to sign up for the military, which very few had ever decided to go for.

Markos was different in that he really didn't consider himself Ishavalan, yes he had the darker skin tone, he had at least some parts of his physical heritage and he knew what he was, but he had grown up in an Amstrian orphanage. A child born just after the extermination, and during the few years of 'peace' he had never seen the inside of a work camp or slum like so many other of his people.

He had in a sense been assimilated into the Amstrian culture long ago, and grew up attending their schools, their way of life which lead into the study of Alchemy. With the Ishvalan policies gone he had the chance to actually take those studies to the next level. He could take the state alchemist exam.

Waiting at the train station he had no one to cheer him off. That was actually rather fine as he was more or less waiting for the train so he could go to central. He had been out this way to procure a few books not on Ishval, but rather since this was the section closest to Xing, and he needed a few of their texts.

Once he found the book he was looking for it was on his way to Central, as he board the train and put his suitcase up he found a seat that was free. He could feel a few eyes on him, it was not really a shocker. He was after all already wearing the military uniform, the blue and gold looked good on him, and to add to that he currently had a book on Xing alchemy in hand, Basically he was doing everything he could to stand out in a crowd of Ishvalan's and he could feel a number of eyes burning glares into the back of his neck.

Given the train was stationed in Ishval, it made sense to see primarily other dark-skinned people walking aboard the train. There were small handfuls of Amestrians, but they were so far and far between. Still, the few that did step inside stuck out like sore thumbs. Not that Aisyah cared.

Others around her? Well ... that was a different story.

Not everyone had accepted all of the changes. While a good majority had been grateful and accepted the new blessings, there were still those who feared they were lies. A trick that, in the long run, would result in another war. Much like how Aisyah understood her parents being scared for her, the same applied to the people of Ishval. Yet, that also was true for how they should react which, to her mind, thus meant to stop bitching and send up a few prayers of thanks to Ishvala.

Her head turned as she watched some of the passengers walk by her car, before subconsciously moving her gaze down to her hands.

... She had never made an effort to try studying alchemy. However, Aisyah had found herself curious. If she could do alchemy, would she even be good at it?

Her head quickly moved from side to side as she looked back up in front of her, flushing slightly. Much like how human transmutation was the taboo of alchemists, simply pondering on the subject one wasn't supposed to partake in was just as wrong for her. She had full Ishvalan blood on both sides of her family, and she had promised them that even if she became a soldier, she would never resort to treason in any form or fashion.

I'm sorry, Ishvala, forgive my impure thoughts and ---

Before Aisyah could finish her silent prayer, however, another brotheren walked in. This one, however, had military garb clad on.

... Is he ... already in the military then?

Well, duh. Unless he killed an officer and stole that, he very likely is.

Her eyes rolled at the inner quip. Even though she had been that stupid at first, that didn't matter. This could, perhaps, be her chance. After all, if he was already done with the training, maybe he could give her some tips ... or something.

Reaching back up and re-grabbing her bags, she watched the whole time where he wandered off to. Taking a slight breath, Aisyah stood up and steadily followed, hoping to give the impression she herself had just boarded instead of coming off as a stalker.

"Excuse me? Mind if I sit here also?"

... Now that she was closer, there was a sense of ... familiarity? No, not only because most Ishvalans looked very similar, but that was partly true. Her head tilted as Aisyah added softly, "I'm sorry but .. have we met before? It feels like we have ... "

The last thing Markos would have expected was for someone to walk over to him while he was on the train and actually engage him. It was even more shocking to hear someone ask for his seat. He looked up from his book, and lost his words for a moment.

Standing in front of him was what most would have considered to be a woman of beauty. The pale blue eyes and dark hair meshed with her cream dark skin, and marked her as one of the Ishvalan, which made it all the more of a curiosity of why she would be talking to him.

He swallowed for a moment opening his mouth as he took her face in. She was right there was something very familiar about her for a moment, but he strained himself to think it over. This was not just a case of mistaken identity or that everyone looked the same no there was something about her voice that set him off guard, something about her that told him he hadn't expected to see her.

"Um.. yeah seat is free." No one else was going to take it.

"My name is Markos, I admit you do look familiar but I can't seem to place you." He shook his head thinking it over. "I grew up in Youg Well, on the boarder of the east district."

That wasn't too surprising most of Ishval had grown up in that region, he was reluctant to add the fact that he was from an Amstrian neighborhood or orphanage, though hiding that fact was difficult when he was wearing his uniform.

Which yes it was important that he was wearing that, but really it also made him nervous. With all of the discord and fractions that had been going around wearing the uniform was like putting a target on his head.

"Thank you."

Her head bowed politely as she heard the seat was free to take. Her arms raised once more as Aisyah hoisted the luggage above her head and put them beside the other man's. Once both bags were put away, she sat down across from the man. Her arms fell atop her lap, and it took every ounce of will power to avoid leaning closer so Aisyah could get an even better look at this Ishvalan's face. There really was something about him that was so goddamn familiar. It was bothering her.

When the introduction arrived, it hit Aisyah hard, as if her own luggage had fallen right on top of her head.

"Markos?" she repeated.

The name could have been common enough. However, she only knew one. And he had come from ...

"I grew up in Youg Well, on the boarder of the east district."

"No way!"

She grinned happily, having realized where the familiarity came from. "I'll be damned," she teasingly muttered, now feeling a slight hint of guilt. It was her fault they had been away from one another for so many years. Maybe there had been something else she could have done, or at least come up with a way to keep in touch with him better while being trained in her martial arts. But at the same time, this truly was her best chance, and now it was for much more than simply seeing if she could get a mental head start on knowing what to expect at Central's military headquarters. Now, she could also try to make up for some very lost time that needed to be caught up on.

"I can't blame you for not remembering me. It has been about seven years, but it's good to see you again. It's me ... Aisyah. I really am glad to see you're doing well."

She paused again, looking over the book and uniform, before slowly inquiring, "So ... are you already a soldier? Or are you in the midst of trying to become one?"

Clearly the woman knew him, but it wasn't until her own name was given that he had any inclination towards her other than the fact that she looked very familiar. As soon as it was however it hit him like a ton of bricks just who he was dealing with.

His eyes widened in recognition and he stuttered for a moment. "Ai-Aisyah." He had not seen her since he had moved from Young Well, and went to central, that was a long time ago back when he had aspired to study at a better school, and managed to transfer himself away.

That was also a long time before the alchemy lessions, and things that had changed his life. When she asked him if he was a soldier he shook his head. "No, I'm not an officer. This uniform isn't just for the soldiers, it's also the government. No i'm just a librarian."

He held up the book. "Central branch has been collecting first editions, trying to reorganize and create more copies because of a fire that claimed most of the central branch. With the actual soldiers all busy I didn't even get my usual security detail. So no I'm not an officer."

He had a service pistol that he had never fired, and he had a few other tricks he could pull up if trouble really started, but he was a desk jockey. "I mean.. not for lack of trying. Next week will be the third time."

He shook his head his voice going softer as he looked around embarrassed and also a little scared to speak. It was not every day that he had to deal with the public like this, and he felt more vulnerable than usual.

"What about you, why the trip to central? and where are you staying when you get to the city?" He looked at Aisyah curious about what she had been up for the past few years.

Aisyah's smile widened as she heard Markos repeat her name. It made her think back, taking a very overdue trip down memory lane. Whereas Markos had grown up in Youg Well, she been born in and resided primarily in Cameron. However, her parents opted to live in a more nomadic way, and thus moved around often. It was because of their - as Aisyah often viewed it - "restless wandering" that she even got to meet Markos at all. Otherwise, they never would have met in the first place.

I suppose that is one thing I should thank them properly for, she thought, quietly listening to him relaying what he was doing as of now.

"I- I know the uniforms are for the military. But most people wearing them do seem to be soldiers. I didn't mean to sound like I was assuming or anything. Sorry." A nervous chuckle passed her lips as Aisyah flashed a reassuring grin to Markos. "There's no shame in being a librarian though. Really, I should have expected that. It suits you more, anyway. And that's perfectly fine." Aisyah had been raised in a mostly tolerant family. Religious, no doubt. But all in all, she didn't like trying to 'pass judgement' on anyone. If it was about something serious ... maybe. But even then, that was a scenario Aisyah wouldn't dive right into unless it was absolutely necessary.

Mentally dismissing the thought from her mind, Aisyah focused on the here and now. Her attention should be on Markos, not an array of jumbled thoughts that didn't matter at the moment.

"Third time? Is it that difficult?"

That made her gulp, feeling more nervous about if she would have a lot of trouble earning her way into the military or not.

"Well ... I am intending to become one of their fighters. Not a full-fledged dog, but one of the people who will wield a weapon. That's ... where I went when we got separated. I was trained by a private group of Ishvalan monks, brawlers, and other melee-focused types of fighters."

A new layer of blush appeared. However, whereas shame had made the first set emerge on her face, this was instead fueled on by ... curiosity?

That was partly true. Aisyah could also sense, however, there was another emotion. What exactly it was, however, was a different story. She simply knew it was there, but not quite what it was.

"Hmm ... "

She had been looking out the window via peripheral vision. It hadn't bothered her prior till now. However, given the close call she'd had with missing the train plus knowing it surely had been long enough, it was plenty of incentive to make Aisyah voice her opinion.

"Shouldn't we have already started leaving by now? I don't have a watch on me, but going off when I left home to gauging about how long it took me to run ... it should be time, or surely close to it. Right? So why hasn't the train even moved?"

It seemed despite the fact that he was currently holding a book on alchemy Aisyah thought he was just trying to get into the regular soldiery, which honestly wasn't the worst idea. Soldiers got paid more than he did as a librarian, but it wasn't until she said something else that made him completely sure he wasn't going to correct her.

Not a full-fledged dog

Ah right, the dogs of the military. That was what they were called after all. The State Alchemists had been the cause of death for all of Ishbal, and had led most of the battles in the civil war. Of course that was several generations ago, but his heart still gripped with ice. Their was a faint blush of shame across his face as he looked at his feet.

"You know you will have to serve with them right? The alchemists of the state."

What would his old friend think to say to him if he told her that he was trying for the state alchemist's exam instead of the regular boot camp. "I'm sure you will do fine. With all that training you have had you will make it far i'm sure."

His words were truthful if she wanted to just be a fighter than she would do amazingly well. He wasn't one for battle, he had other goals he wanted to help with, and he felt that getting a watch would be the way he could help. Outside of the rank it gave him, but rather the research and labs were what he wanted.

The first year he had made it through the written and psychological tests, but in the application test his delivery method for his alchemy had been deemed too slow.

The second year he had passed the first two portions of the test again, and came at the application part of the exam with a brand new idea, and for the most part it had worked, but the things he had created with his alchemy had quickly proven wild and uncontrollable.

This third year he was sure he had everything under control.

He snapped out of the memories of his shame when Aisyah told him that they hadn't been moving. He turned to look out the window, and sure enough the train hadn't even started out of the station.

"That is... odd." Markos got up from his seat. He opened his jacket and slotted the book inside of his uniform, but also pulled out his service revolver. "Are you a good shot? I've never actually fired this thing, and I'd probably just hit myself in the foot. If your willing to act as my security detail. I'm pretty sure I can get us some information as to what is going on."

It was going to be a bit of a bluff. Nothing super illegal, He didn't really have any rank as of yet, but he had the uniform, and some minor powers to act as Marshal if he believed that there was any danger to himself or others.

It wasn't that Aisyah hadn't seen the book in Markos's hands. The more accurate wording was she was sticking to her neutral mindset. He did say he was a librarian, after all. So perhaps he was just going to return it to Central's library? Him currently holding that book didn't really mean much. He may know about the topic -- probably did. Of course, that was going off the assumption he'd already read the book. Even then, knowledge and what you did with it was a completely different story.

... So ... if he knows alchemy ... how do you feel about that?

Her teeth lightly latched onto her lower lip. Honestly, despite typically following the customs and traditions of her religion and ancestors, even Aisyah didn't completely agree with some 'rules' or 'guidelines'. And quite a few revolved around alchemy.

Example number one; the world had been saved largely due to alchemy-related skills.

So, obviously, it couldn't be all that bad.

Example number two; a fellow Ishvalan by the name of Scar knew and used alchemy. Furthermore, he had been but one of the many people who assisted Edward Elric. That thus led to her third point. In the end, it probably depended on the individual using alchemy. It was just one of those things she didn't feel she would ever be able to do. Not because it was 'wrong' or 'taboo', but she sincerely assumed she lacked the ability or skill to try successfully transmuting anything.

And hell, what would your primary ability be? Ice? Fire? Something else?

It just seemed too complicated. By the time she could have even started determining any and all of her capabilities out, she'd likely be struck or at risk for losing a fight. If she were in combat, obviously. Still, points all made.

"Really?" Her face burned in pride as she chuckled softly. "Thank you. I appreciate the faith and encouragement. I do realize that, yes, I will have to serve the alchemists. I'm fine with that. As long as they don't try to make me perform it myself, I can work alongside one. Similar concept like working with a smoker. I'll be beside them. But the moment they try to make me join them, then there will be problems."

He probably understood you the first time, idiot, she inwardly scolded, blushing again.

"I know why I'm red in the face, but what's your excuse?"

Before she could ask, however, Markos hinted he took note of the train failing to move forward. Her gaze lowered to the revolver now in his hands. "I ... think so. I didn't focus on ranged weaponry nearly as much. I can say, though, that if absolutely needed, I won't hesitate to use it. So ... sure. I suppose I'll need to get used to this anyway. It'll probably be included in any training I receive."

Aisyah noticed that by now, her heart had started to beat at a slightly faster pace. The anxiety she'd been feeling while running to the station had seemed to strengthen. Something probably was wrong, just as her instincts were insisting.

Still, don't panic, she reassured herself, waiting to calm herself before wrapping her dark fingers around the gun and holding it in her right hand. "Hmm. Actually ... do you happen to have a spare jacket available? It'd be easier to hide beneath the sleeve. However, I can do without one if absolutely needed."

Depending on his answer, she would either hurriedly put one on or follow behind him, making sure to keep her right arm hidden out of immediate sight. No sense in risking giving the wrong idea, after all.

Her answer about working along side an alchemist definetly helped him to ease some of the tension in his shoulders but it was definitely going to be something he wasn't going to mention to her right now. It could wait till some other time when the two of them had caught up and he didn't feel like it would cause him to loose the chance to reconnect with an old friend.

The request of a spare Jacket made him grab his suitcase quickly pulling it open and quickly retrieving a second military jacket, which came with a gun holster for her. It was sized for him, but he was only a few inches taller than her so he doubted there would be much of a problem. Of course he had handed it to her without checking the pockets of the jacket first. "Here you go."

He quickly shut his suitcase and hid it away, but kept the book on his person, that was his mission after all and he wasn't about to jeopardize it by having someone search through his bags.

Of course that was assuming that there was some kind of delay that would require violence in the first place. Train Hijackings were rare, and someone would have to be rather bold to attempt that out here rather than a junction like east city or something like that.

That said he also hadn't seen an usher for a while. Getting up he could hear the whispers of the other people on the train. all of them the same kind of worried expressions and voices. Walking up to the front of the car he opened it. "Thank you for your support Aisyah, it means a lot to have a friend right about now."

we are still friends right? The question was kind of odd, but so much had changed especially with him. He felt his heart beating as he felt affraide. Looking out the window he didn't see much aside from the station. "What ever is blocking our way forward it's up by the engine."

All of the training Aisyah had been through assisted in her being able to notice Markos' shoulders relaxing.

... Luckily for him, they were in the middle of something much more important than a game of twenty questions. So, just as she'd done with his book, she tucked the possibilities behind the gesture away, as well as what it may not end up meaning.

While Aisyah got up to her feet, Markos would quickly note a few things. How well or much he may or may not pay heed was another story. First and foremost, the jacket fit almost perfectly. She was indeed only two to three inches shorter, having ended up being far taller than most women her age. A quick estimate would suggest she was five feet nine, maybe even ten, inches tall. She hadn't only grown vertically, either. True, it was probably to be expected; that she would have a bust now, that was. They weren't overly huge, but definitely not small either. In fact, they were Ds; 34Ds to be more exact.

But perhaps the most distinct change in Aisyah would be the look in her eyes.

The moment she got the gun and tucked it away in one of the inside pockets, a very firm and determined expression crossed her face. Almost like someone had activated some sort of a switch where she was now in a soldier-like mode.

"I can imagine," she replied, nervously smiling back at Markos. "I'd hate to be alone in this exact spot myself."

Even though the gun was concealed, she still remained behind Markos; now simply to make it more difficult to spot the slight tilt in the jacket she was wearing from where the gun was hidden and angled at. To be fair, she felt rather certain that if the absolute worst situations came up, she wouldn't even need a gun. Still, she didn't want to lose it if Aisyah could help it. Especially since this wasn't even hers. She didn't want Markos to get in trouble for her being careless.

The duo wouldn't even get into the room with the engine and controls. They would only walk a few more cars further before seeing that, yes, there was a problem. Four Amestrians - all male and all holding their own guns - were walking down the aisles, ensuring no one made any foolish or bold moves. What they didn't know - but probably could guess - was the actual reason the rain wasn't moving yet was due to a fifth member, whom was keeping the conductor held at gunpoint.

"Damnit," one cursed, "This is exactly why I said at least one of you bastards should have gone into the other cars. Ah well. Hands up, both of you! Move nice and slow, and only put them on top of your heads!"

Aisyah would give Markos an affirmative nod, signaling that - for now - playing along would be the smartest move.

If this was happening in their car, where there had been almost no one else around, she would have been okay pulling the gun out and shooting. But as things were, they were two of the numerous possible options for hostages. Showing she was armed would definitely make this much worse before better ... or even proving she could hold her own in a fight.

Thank Ishvala you used the inside pocket to hide it, she thought, slowly putting her hands on top of her head as instructed.

Sure, they may still find the gun. But most people didn't check inside pockets first, or ever. Hopefully that would work in their favor right now ... or for long enough to find an opportunity to improve their survival odds rather causing them to become worse.

Of course why wouldn't this train be one of the ones targetted. He was actually more surprised to see that it was Amstrians who were the ones holding up the train. It was like a bizarro alternate timeline. With those of Ishbal turning around and being in the military uniform where as these guys wore work scrubs. Aside from the fact that they all had guns it would be hard to determine exactly who they were with.

Holding up his hands he looked at Aisyah and grit his teeth. This wasn't exactly what he had in mind when he said she was his protection detail. Giving up to the armed thugs was actually the last thing he wanted to do.

But even he could see he wasn't the only person who was scared. He could hear hushed cries all around them. Knowing that the two of them needed to play along, but also at the same time needed more information he just placed his hands ontop of his head and decided to try and ask a question. "So what's the deal exactly. Your hijacking a train, to do what with it?"

As he was escorted back to a seat he heard the gun the other one was holding click. "Sir these two are military, what should we do with them?"

"Awh fuck if we let officers off this thing than we will have the full might of the military on our hand we can't have that just yet. Um... take them to one the cargo cars and tie them up. The rest of you start getting up, and getting off this Train come on form a line. It's being reassigned."

Looking out the window he could see a few more guys who were keeping the hostages hostage. Ishvalan's were peaceful and untrusting they wouldn't call for help, which meant that what ever these guys were planning Central wouldn't know about it till it happened.

And they were getting a front row seat.

Who knew the difference wearing a jacket could make? This all was actually going smoothly. Aisyah had to bite down on her lower lip when she heard they were going to be led away to the cargo hold. While still fighting the urge to laugh out loud, she turned on her feet and began heading towards their 'new room'. These men had to have been amateurs, because they had made several major mistakes within the span of mere seconds. Choosing this train was one. Granted, luck - or lack of - could have been a factor, so Aisyah didn't count that one too much. Making them go to the cargo room, however, was definitely one. They would have had a lot more leverage on them if they remained near the hostages. Mistake number two was sending only one enemy with them.

And finally, mistake number three was this Amestrian did, apparently, believe in the old proverb about ladies being first.

She would wait, allowing her left hand to be grabbed and slowly guided off her head. But it wouldn't get far. Her right shot off of her head as she slammed her hand right into the side of her assailant's neck.

"Aghh!!"

The strangled cry lingered briefly in the air before his eyes shut and the poor bastard collapsed, clearly not having see that coming.

"Woooooow .... " Aisyah muttered, finally allowing herself to chuckle softly a few times as she shook her head from side to side. "Okay. Now that he's dealt with, I'm assuming he had some hemp on him, so ... " Leaning down beside the knocked out man, she began searching, producing some restraints seconds later. The man was rolled onto his stomach, wrists pulled behind his back and bound firmly. "I'm not really an expert on trains, how they're built, or anything of the like. However, I do know basics. There should be a communications car somewhere. That will need to be found. Naturally, the other men will need to be beaten, probably shot. There are few ways I'll be uneasy using the gun. With that being said and done though ... "

Aisyah grabbed the firearm the guard had been holding while taking the one Markos gave her out. "Here. I got a spare now, it seems. So here's your own back. Even if you can't go through with pulling the trigger .. at least keep it. Maybe they'll call your bluff. Above all else, have something to protect yourself with."

And there it was. Proof that, indeed, her "Soldier Mode" switching had been activated. It was true that they had been separated for some time. Still, she doubted Markos would have ever thought he would see or hear her act quite like this.

... Don't let this scare you off. I do't wanna lose you just because I'm ... not ... as 'cute' or 'feminine' as I used to be ...

Her fingers rapidly tapped against the borrowed jacket a few times before finally, Aisyah nodded. "There may be an extra guard in the communications car. Assuming that's right, we can use him for information, since we still don't fully know what's being done to this train. If you think you can at least make someone become unconscious, do that and I --- no. You can get a hold of Central. They'll at least recognize you, if only because you're more affiliated with them than myself. Alright. I'll knock them out once we learn what we need to. You contact Central. Now then .. do you have a guess which way we should go?"

Every step they took towards the cargo area had Markos's heart skipping beats. He had to swallow to suppress the fear that he was feeling, he knew this was supposed to be part of the job that he was going for, he knew that he would be in these situations more and more in the future, but at the same time he just didn't want to be here right now. He did not like the fact that there was a man pointing a gun at him, and if he had been alone he probably would have just surrendered.

When Aisyah made her move and attacked the few frayed nerves that Markos had left snapped and there was a short undignified scream, that luckily didn't make it past the cargo car as jumped away from Aisyah and the man she attacked.

When his eyes reopened Aisyah was already tying the man up and working on what they would have to do next. She was like a rock, a proffessional, and while it was nothing like the memories he had of her it helped to center him. As his service pistol was offered back to him he checked the safty was on and quickly jammed the thing back into the holster on his hip.

"Sir yes sir." It almost felt natural to say it, he wanted to Salute Aisyah and he now had even less doubts about her. Sure the commanding attitude wasn't cute or feminine but it was most certainly hot.

He had to think for a moment when she asked him which way they had to go. "Communications car will be near the engine, cargo is kept near the back so we are basically on either the last or second last car." He hadn't really counted how many they had moved past.

He walked around the room for a moment, before there was a whistle and a sudden shaking and a jarring set of motions. The train was moving.

As the train started he stumbled, and he tripped undignified over a box, spilling it over, as he landed painfully on the other side he got to look at what was in the box. "Um additional problem!"

He held up a single white package from the box. It had a similar texture to molding clay, and on the plastic wrapping had a single letter and a number written on it. C-4.

There was enough in the box to level the car they were standing in. "Who wants to bet that there are other boxes in other cars."

... Do we have everything?

It seemed like it, at least from a brief glance. After a few quick rotations, Aisyah's eyes soon looked back into Markos's. Before she could suggest moving out, however, the train jerked. It was mainly because she'd been caught off guard, but it had been enough. Aisyah stumbled forward, yelping slightly as she tripped and landed right on top of Markos. Her face wasted little time in turning a deep shade of red. Her fall had been cushioned ... but she detected almost instantly why. If Markos had ... well .... she didn't want to give him too much time to dwell on it.

"Oh shit! I'm so sorry!"

She quickly pushed herself off her friend, flushing furiously. Alas, the damage had been done, and she would thus never forget how her breasts, concealed by little more than her bra, had pressed firmly against her partner's chest.

Sex was by no means taboo. However, with Aisyah having been raised in a rather strict environment, it was ... a touchy subject. Literally and metaphorically. And so, even though what had just happened really was an accident, it was one of those things she would never be able to forget. But at least that was all. No fingers would be pointed, nor any blame assigned to anyone. But this would definitely be one of those moments that was all but etched deeply into her mind, as if it were a tattoo. Permanent, never able to leave, let alone be forgotten about.

... Ah well. It could be worse.

And it would be ... if they didn't deal with the "reassigning" which, as Markos discovered, turned out to be C4.

"Oh shit! Okay, well ... in that case ... don't need to really ask or interrogate anyone. That's kinda the good news, if only because it'll save us time. Since we're moving, get that ... thrown out the window or something. Once you're done, we'll move on. If the communication room is indeed guarded, I can help out with that. Afterward, however, will you be fine if I move on and clear the rest of the train for us and anyone else who may still be on?"

She would wait. No matter the answer, she would note it and nod.

Markos would hear her elicit a long, deep breath .... before nodding and beginning to lead the way. "If it really is near the front, we may end up having to go with clearing this place out first before arriving at the communication room. We'll just have to see. Be prepared though."

Hopefully, for things turning out well for us, she inwardly prayed, continuing to stride forward, keeping both eyes and ears alert. Ready to react when needed. Every step she took, Aisyah came up with possible scenarios that could happen, various outcomes, and numerous back-up plans. She favored any that would result in the least amount of bloodshed. Deep down, though, she knew it may not happen. Hell, even she may get injured throughout this abrupt mission that decided to come from seemingly nowhere.

But this was one of those times the best Aisyah could do was expect the worst but most definitely hope and pray for the best to find them both.

The sudden physical contact was something odd, but not all that foreign. Markos had been raised in Amestrian orphanages, and studied in Amestrian schools, a much more liberal enviroment to learn about sexual conduct to be sure. To him the press was little more than a happy accident, and as Aisyah blushed he actually got to feel just how large they were as they had pressed against his chest.

It was only a brief glance into something much deeper, but in truth in his mind it was little more than an accident. After all she was a friend, and such contact wasn't completely alien to him, one of his co-workers at the library was a 'huger'.

His experiance with sex was under the guise of a librarian he had read plenty of books, seen medical journals and photos the like of which tended to kill your sex drive rather than increase it. To him sex was less taboo and more just something a 20 year old virigin who spent his work time in a library and his off time in a lab never really concidered.

Hell he had never even been on a date.

"No worries. Just glad you didn't get hurt." He smiled not really blushing, but looking at the case when she suggested throwing it out he looked at her like she was at least a little mental. "this is like fifty pounds of explosives, and you want us to just ditch it in the middle of nowhere?"

not just that it was technically evidence if it survived this ordeal. "Besides one of those guys out their probably has a trigger for this stuff. If we leave it out here and some little kid finds it..." He opened his hand as if to signify an explosion.

Looking around for a moment he sighed, there was one clear and easy way to get rid of the explosives, and he kind of hated that he was about to show it off. "Tell you what, I can deal with these boxes, it will take me about ten minutes, but you go on ahead, and deal with the guys that are still on the train."

He smiled towards Aisyah. "I'll work on neutralizing the bombs, you do what you apparently do best and kick some ass. I will meet you at the communications cart."

Part of him wanted to hug her, and he suddenly understood that one co-worker he had. "This isn't goodbye okay I'll meet up with you in like ten minutes. Just find the guy with the remote, this may only be one stash, and if we take out him than we know nothing else will go off."

Aisyah's face paled. She stopped dead in her tracks, frowning at her lack of thinking about any citizens outside ad nearby the train tracks.

"Damn," she cursed, nodding after looking between her likely future co-worker and the packs of C4. "I ... you're right. The thought of someone else finding it completely slipped my mind." She chuckled softly, managing to weakly grin at Markos. "Well, I suppose this is one way to ensure you have both brains and brawn covered."

And it'd be damn important too. Not just for any other assignments she may get in the future - near or far - but she would probably need to pass her own written test, as well as one that would have her show her abilities. Not necessarily 'hands on', per se, but ... tactical? Was that the right word?

You're not gonna get any of these if you don't hurry up and get to working on fixing this mess you're in up, she reminded herself. When she heard Markos's idea, she gave a firm, decisive nod. "Alright. I'm still going to let you speak with Central. It just makes more sense, given I'm not even known as someone who wants to get enrolled. If I find that car first, I'll make sure it's clear for you. All you should need to worry about by the time you're done is getting in touch with whomever picks up on the other line."

Some people could argue she had the harder tasks to work on. But in all honesty, she was more worried for Markos. She'd known he was brilliant. That had never been an issue. But ... was his intelligence enough to work on dealing with items such as bombs?

Only one way to find out, I guess, she decided, offering him another smile and even adding a quick salute. Even if he wasn't a soldier, he was the one between them whom was an official member of the military.

"Good luck!"

Now that she knew what was going to happen, on her behalf and her friend's, she felt a lot more confident. Nervous .. but otherwise certain. Determined. Not quite full-fledged cocky, but as close to that as possible.

"Like I said we will meet up at the communications car." He said it like it was the simplest thing to imagine. The two of them meeting up at the commucations car to plan on storming the engine. All in all they had about three hours before this train landed in east city, that was most likely these guys goal.

"You too, be careful out there." He smiled to Aisyah and looked back at the box of bombs. He had a few ideas running through his head as to how he could work with this. The raw matarials that were used were mostly acids, a few bonding agents, the trick would really be heat control. He wasn't sure which activated C-4, aside from the electrical charge.

He waited for Aisyah to be gone before he pulled out a piece of chalk. "Forgive me Aisyah, your gonna learn about this sooner or later, but I just didn't want to start a fight between us."

He started scratching the ground and doing some rough guess work as he drew his circles. He had to figure out exactly what he was doing with the bombs. Their make was mostly acidic so he had to break it down quickly, not to mention that if he was wrong he would be blowing himself and this train up.

"So..." He turned to the one guy all tied up. "How much faith do you have in my math that we both get to live to see tomorrow?" The guy was unconcious, and drooled slightly.

"I'll take that as a maybe."

---

The passenger cars had been emptied the majority of the force had chosen to stay behind and keep them under arrest. Which really only left seven now six active men to take the train into east city.

In the taking of the train only three shots had been fired, the communications officer that was on the train had been murdered with gun fire, as well as one unco-operative hostage, and a porter. The lead man was in the engine room making sure that the train ran smoothly.

In the passegener carts two more men set up chests similar to the one that was in the cargo bay that Markos was dealing with. they decided to work their way backwards they did after all have three hours to rig up the entire train.

Rigging the explosives was a two man job, leaving the sixth to guard the communications room and make it appear that everything was running smoothly.

Good. The numbers have been drastically reduced.

The deduction was simple enough to notice when the first car was mostly empty. Given it had been mostly full a few moments ago when they were led through the car, the difference was like night and day. The car after that gave the same display ... which made her sigh in relief. The less leverage these bastards had against her and Markos, the smoother this could go. Despite not yet being an official member of Central's military, it would still be just as bad if she somehow contributed to any of these captives being killed because of her stupidity or stubbornness.

The next car, however, was the passenger one and thus not empty.

"Freeze!" Aisyah demanded, taking advantage of the fact they were occupied at the moment and didn't have as easy access to a gun like she did. By the time they may have grabbed their guns, she already had the spare one she took off the first guard aimed at them. "Either start disabling that now or, if you don't know how, step away! Put your hands up on top of your hands. Slowly now."

.... It probably would sound very familiar. And there was a damn good reason for that.

A sly smirk crossed her face as she waited for them either comply. Alternatively, if it seemed like any would be stupid, she'd adjust her aim if needed so the gun would be aimed in between their eyes and slowly begin pulling back on the trigger. Right before she would push fully down with her index finger, she stopped, but kept her grip so she could finish squeezing down should the threat need to become a not-so-idle-one.

"Nuh-uh! Wouldn't do anything you may regret if I were you. One more time ... put your hands above your head if you don't know how to disable the C4. But no funny business!"

There were a few heavy breaths as Markos got to his knees and set down his hands against the circle. If he was right than great the bombs would be dealt with, if he wasn't than this car would be gone very soon. Passing energy between him and the circle there was the familiar blue light and crackle of energy.

He closed his eyes not wanting to see the result immediately, but as the sound of the transmutation ended he found he was still breathing, which basically meant that he had made it work.

When one of his eyes opened he was cautious to do anything immediately. half expecting to see that his work had no effect.

Instead what he was greated with was a mountain of salt, and a wave of relief. Of course it would be hard to explain to Aisyah what happened to the bombs, but when the Military Police did get aboard the train they would be able to see his math and work backwards seeing exactly what had been transmuted into what. In this instance it was the chemical binding agents around the bomb had been turned to salt with help from the metal of the box they were stored in. Leaving only a heap of salt, and a few copper wires that had survived the transmutaiton leaving the thing completely inert.

"Right well your not going anywhere." He said to the unconscious man that he had been dealing with earlier. "So I guess i need to start working on getting To Aisyah."

If he went the regular path and just walked up the cars he would get to her faster, but he might distract her during a critical fight. Opening the back door of the train however their was a ladder.

"Oh this has to be near the top on list of stupid things to do in ones life." He said grabbing hold of the ladder and pulling himself up on top of the train.

~~

The men looked at the young girl confused for a moment. She had to be the smallest officer they had ever dealt with, but she had already taken down one man. even so the two men stepped away from the bomb, and looked at one another their hands slowly resting on their heads.

The two men exchanged looks of both confusion but also something else as they assessed the girl with the gun. The officers coat made her look like a soldier but at the same time she had an ishvalan skin tone, and looked like a kid.

"Ten years ago you would have been a street whore servicing men like us." One of the men laughed at her as she pointed the gun. "Their are two of us, and only one of that gun."

The man stepped slightly to the side trying to see if she had even turned the safety off. "You ever even touched one of those before? Ever shot a man? Your hands shaking."

"Fuck it, we weren't exactly getting off this train, and the bombs already set up. Your basically just entertainment at this point." At that point the more aggressive of the men lunged at her intendeding to throw his body weight towards her and grab the gun to push it out of her hand the other one took that moment to reach for his own weapon.

There we go. Nice and easy. So far, so good ...

They had complied with her orders, which made an internal sigh of relief echo in Aisyah's head. What she'd told Markos was nothing but the honest to gods truth. She'd never dealt with firearms. And despite her martial arts being five to six different types combined in one, a person had to take time and effort to use a move that would actually kill someone. As such, she had more self-defense tactics. Even the ore offensive maneuvers weren't lethal. They could definitely cause a foe to become sore, no questions about that. But not dead in an instant like guns were infamous for doing.

"Hmph. You think I can't count?" she angrily barked. "I get that. But I don't need this to take either of you down. This is just a precaution."

Indeed, the safety was off. Granted, mainly because it had come that way. All the same, she would have turned it off if it hadn't been when she retrieved it. Still, the threat was a very real, possible one. That she could - and would, as Aisyah had vowed to Markos - pull back on the trigger if push came to shove.

And ... well .... that's exactly what these idiots were doing.

"Ten years ago you would have been a street whore servicing men like us."

Her eyes narrowed as they dared to imply such a vile thing happening to someone who hadn't even hit double digit age yet. "Shut up," she warned, her voice immediately turning low as venom laced her words. "That's not even funny to joke about. I ... who cares about my history with guns! It's not like you two are in a decent position to order me around, are you?!"

By the standards of basically every region and country, it was true that she was barely a child still. She would hit eighteen next month. Alas, seventeen still equaled just that. Not eighteen. And so, these men weren't too far off in viewing her as a teenager.

She just wouldn't sink to a literal child, especially not one who couldn't defend themselves.

"The fuck are you doing? Stay down! I wasn't kidding around!"

She hadn't realized until one of the men dared to walk closer to her that her hand was indeed trembling. And as he began closing the distance, it shook harder.

"STOP!"

BANG!

The attempted jump would be interrupted. Aisyah lifted her arms, readjusting her aim once more, simply to make up for the man trying to lunge for her. But once it was directed in between his eyes, her finger pulled back on the trigger, sending the bullet flying out towards its destination. Even her own eyes couldn't help but widen slightly as she saw her target hit, but perfectly. The body slumped forward as blood began to coat the floor, creating a dark, crimson-hued pool.

Oh shit! You ... you did it ....

At least not in cold blood, which made her feel a bit better. But not much. Aisyah panted, feeling herself barely holding back from completely hyperventilating. Her eyes narrowed once more as she lifted her head and looked over to the living Amestrian. "So?!" she hissed angrily, "Still wanna test me?! I told you I could do this! I can, and I will shoot again if needed!"

... Not to say she would be happy. All the same, he now saw the threat become a reality, which probably helped label how dire things had become in a matter of seconds.

"Which exact person has the controller to deal with the C4? Which car is he in? Get up! Change of plan! You're going to be my reassurance. My hostage to ensure I can walk through this train safely!"

Ahh, irony. It really did tend to have a funny way of showing up. First, the seeming reversal of roles, especially when one paid heed to which race was doing what. Now, this survivor going from being a captor to suddenly finding himself soon becoming a captive. Ahh, the irony indeed.

Aisyah waited, hoping the man would stop messing around and heed her orders. Regardless of whether he cooperated or not, she began stalking forward, ready to get behind him. Depending on if he complied or not would determine if she needed to force him to stand by grabbing a fistful of hair or not.

Turns out that standing atop a train while it was in motion was not exactly a smart idea. Every little shift and vibration along the tracks felt like it was going to throw him to his untimely death.

He had seen movies like the great train robbery that had showed how simple standing on a train would be while in motion.

Turns out movies lied. The wind was oppressive and he had to cover his mouth not to have it steal his breath. Keeping his body low he had to crawl on hand and foot to keep from being thrown to the wind. But he managed to pass the two cargo cars and get on top of the first passenger car.

Crawling along the sounds he would make as he passed Aisyah could have been confused with just the natural sounds of the train moving, albeit slightly heavier as he moved along the tin surface. His goal was the third car from the the front the commutations car.

His hope was to secure that car before Aisyah got there so that he could have at least contributed something, but he was worried about the bombs still. If they had others, they lacked a way of communicating anything.

Oh he wished the two of them had radios of some kind, this would be a lot easier if he knew what to expect or could even talk to her.
~~

As one man lay dead the second had his hand on his gun and re-evaluated the situation. For a moment he considered simply allowing himself to be tied up, but when she threatened to use him as a living hostage he knew exactly what he had to do.

"What is it you dogs used to say? By the grace of god go I." He smiled as he pulled the gun from the holster spinning the revolver not towards Aisyah but rather placing it confidently and comfortably under his own chin before pulling the trigger.

The sharp tones of the metal were the last thing the man would hear or feel as his body slumped and dropped a pool of blood forming around what had once been the back of his head.

Fuck you, I'm not one of Central's bitches!

Unfortunately, actually saying that would make things so much worse for her. Definitely not better. So even though she could hear herself screaming at all the various thoughts running through her head, none dared to pass Aisyah's lips. She stopped her advances as the second man pulled his own gun out.

... Is ... he really going to ... ??

A new layer of blood splattered on top of the coat and even some of Aisyah's face and clothes underneath the military outfit. Her head bowed as she took a few, rapid breaths in an effort to calm herself down. Were things always this intense once someone was an official soldier?

... Probably ...

Maybe her parents had the right idea after all regarding ceasing her from pursuing her dream?

... No. That couldn't be right.

Clasping her hands together, she held them - as well as her gun, albeit carefully - between her flesh. The breaths through her nose finally started returning to a much more normal pace as Aisyah closed her eyes and took a few moments to send up a prayer for the man. They had been on opposite sides, yes. But she wouldn't have tried to force him to commit an act as horrid as suicide. For that matter, she couldn't say she had really expected it.

... Not as the first thing he'd do. Maybe a last resort sorta thing, but ... not before then.

"May Ishvala have mercy on your souls," she whispered in a soft voice, slowly re-opening her blue eyes and letting her hands fall back to her sides. With Aisyah having completed her brief moment of silence, she hurried over to the next car. She had definitely not forgotten she was on an invisible timer, and thus needed to haul ass to make sure neither her nor Markos got blown up on this train. As the next car came into view, Aisyah first tried to peek through the screen she was behind. At most, there was a faint outline. There was probably another one to two guards there.

But really, that was the main thing she needed to know.

Nodding to herself, she gripped the knob with her left hand, hastily opening the next door way and stepping inside. The gun trained on the closest individual as she stepped completely into the next car. "Two of your comrades are dead and another is bound. We can do this the easy way ... or the hard way. I won't take any pleasure in adding another kill to my list of things I've done today, but I will most definitely resort to it if absolutely needed. So ... what choice will you make?"

Progress was made up until the point where Markos realized that he was at the communications car and had no way inside of the thing. When he had first come up with the plan to simply duck back down between the train cars he had failed to realize that the make of the train he was on provided sheltered cover. the area to slip between was so tight that it may have cut him in half.

So his next thought was the skylight, an attempt to break a glass window and drop down would have been much easier.

The passenger car had a sky light, but not the communications car which was a thicker steel.

Which really meant he had only one option. It was just steel after all, so he grabbed his chalk. and kept himself low, working quick as he had already learned that the safest place in the train was inside of the thing.

Drawing his circle he pressed his hand against it starting the transmutation which caused the steel to rust and then quickly turn to dust which allowed him to fall into the car mostly because there was now a large hole in the roof. It was a rather unceremonious landing a small shout and a large crash, as he lukily fell directly on top of the guy in the communications room knocking him to the ground so that both their weapons would be knocked away.

"Ow!"

~~
The two men had just finished setting up their bomb, which really just meant that they had nothing better to do but light up their smokes and watch as the train arrived in east city in around two hours.

When the girl barged in the two men looked at her, and then at each other, the fact that she was covered in the blood of their comrades spoke volumes to the two men, and they quickly dropped their weapons and raised up their hands.

"You realize you're going to die either way right? The instructions to set up the bombs only went one way, these cars are rigged to explode, and as soon as the train stops they all go off anyway."

"Shoot us or tie us up, your too late to stop this." The two men shrugged, one so confident that they were already dead that he actually albeit a little more slowly reached to take his smoke and flick the ash from the burning paper so he could get a better puff.

"But yeah, our work is done here. Doesn't matter if we live or die at this point."

Ohhhh, thank you. Thank you, Ishvala. Glad to know at least someone's watching over me today.

As the men chose to surrender instead of take their lives - or force her to kill them - Aisyah wasted little time. She strode confidently forward and kicked each gun set down towards the door she just walked out of. This way, they would remain way out of reach. So unless either of these men could do alchemy, fight, or both in the worst case scenario, she was safe from any physical retaliation. Moving behind both the Amestrians, Aisyah started using her left hand to feel around for a new set of hemp rope.

... Probably should have taken spare from the first guy. I mean, I doubt you used all of it. Ah well.

Mentally noting to follow through with her plan she just thought of this time around, Aisyah secured each man so their backs were against one another. Their arms, elbows, and wrists were all connected, also. They would be - hopefully - prevented from not only escaping, but being able to move in any effect manner that would assist in succeeding with such endeavors.

"There," Aisyah muttered, standing up after putting away the extra rope and also finishing tying these two up.

" .... No. I have no intention of dying. I'm not alone, after all. I have help. He'll definitely figure something out."

... Surely he would, right? Aisyah trembled slightly, hastily rubbing her arms along her shoulders in hopes it looked like she merely got cold instead of revealing she was scared. After quietly reassuring herself Markos would be able to disable the C4 packs fine, she flashed the tied-up men a sly smirk and walked out, leaving them alone to their own devices.

---

"Fuck!"

The curse came out in a very shocked but equally pained tone. The sudden sensation of additional weight finding the lone male in the communications car literally knocked the wind out of him.

As he lay on his back gasping and panting frantically for breath, he looked up ---

And quickly wished he hadn't bothered to see who had found him. His eyes widened as he took note of the uniform.

Oh fuck!

Instincts took over as he raised his hands and tried to thrust Markos off of him and slam him against the devices nearby. This guy needed to die ... or be incapacitated to make damn sure that would actually end up happening.

Otherwise?

Well .... he didn't expect things to go well. The gun shots hadn't been too quiet despite being a few cars down. He had heard them. And from what he could assume, it likely came from this guy, which meant he was dangerous.

He was only partially right ... but it wasn't like he needed to know the truth of what all was really happening, either.