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31_days2005-10-10 10:41 pm
beccastareyes) wrote in 31_days2005-10-10 10:41 pm
[Oct. 10][Fullmetal Alchemist]Winry Rock-bell, Martian Space Pilot!
Title: Winry Rock-bell, Martian Space Pilot! (part 5 of ???)
Theme: Astronomy Domine
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist AU
Characters: Sheksa, Maes Hughes, Izumi Curtis, Winry Rockbell, Edward and Alphonse Elric
Rating: PG
Sheska stared out into infinity inside a planet. The cave had to be as big as Olympus. They stood on a balcony on one side, overlooking the structure. Alchemical sparks danced from the glass spires and crystalline spheres and clockwork gears of some metal she couldn’t identify. It was damp, and slick, and iridescent, and she swore she could hear the sound of water rushing below. “ ‘In Xanadu did Kublai Khan, a stately pleasure dome decree, where Alph, the sacred river ran, through caverns measureless to man, down to a sunless sea,’” she quoted. Coleridge’s opium-induced poetry felt appropriate to the surreal landscape.
Winry looked on the site with awe. “What… what does it do?” she asked.
“We think it was built to teleport comets from the Kuiper Belt,” Edward replied. “Run them through the atmosphere a couple times to evaporate all the water, and in a couple years your water table would rise a bit. Do it often enough and you have a wet planet.” He sighed. “Reading ancient Martian is tiring -- you think they would have left a User’s Manual.”
“I’ll bet I could figure it out,”
Edward’s hand grabbed Winry’s arm before she was even halfway to the ladder that lead into the bowels of the machine. “Don’t, Winry. We have to be careful with this thing – we don’t even know what powers it, but, whatever it is, it’s strong.”
“I’m always careful!” But she was moving back to the doorway as she said that.
“I imagine this is what the Isolationists want,” Hughes commented. “Bringing comets in from billions of miles away is probably more difficult than knocking away spacecrafts.”
“Got it in one, Ambassador,” Edward grinned, then turned back to look over the massive edifice. “Plus, the extra water wouldn’t hurt – we’re still dependent on trade with Earth for food. Would be nice not to sell our souls to get a bite to eat.”
“He really doesn’t mean to be offensive,” Alphonse added quickly.
“No, I get your point,” Hughes said. “Give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for the rest of his life.”
“How did you find this, anyway?” Sheska asked. “I’ve heard a few old rumors, but nothing definite. It’d be like looking for Atlantis or the Holy Grail or the Philosopher’s Stone back on Earth.”
“Father was interested in looking for it, but after he took the throne, he never could find the time,” Alphonse said. “He left most of the notes to Brother and I. We’ve been working on this for four years, under the eyes of Master Izumi.”
“We finally had a breakthrough, and we sent a message back to the old man – in code, of course,” Edward continued. “By the time we got back, he’s nowhere to be found, and some… some thing is pretending to be our mother and trying to get us to tell her where we’ve been. We left pretty quickly, and called Master Izumi.”
“I see,” Hughes nodded, wincing a bit. “I better get some rest, before this opens up again.”
“I can show you and your family to a room,” Izumi said. “Al, could you help me?”
“Right.” The two moved Hughes outside. Sheska heard the go down the hall.
“What happened to him, anyway?” Edward asked. Sheksa saw Winry look away.
“We ran into one of the palace guards on the way out. He attacked and the ambassador tried to cover our escape. The guard… whatever he was, it wasn’t normal. He took two knives, and didn’t even blink.”
“I… I was going to shoot him, but I couldn’t pull the trigger,” Winry said softly. “If Lady Izumi hadn’t shown up…”
So that’s why she had been so quiet in the flight here, Sheska thought.
“Not everyone can,” Edward said. “The universe would probably be a better place if no one could. Anyway, why do you need a weapon?” He turned to face her, grinning. “You have enough intelligence for two people, and you can be downright nasty with a toolbox.”
“You’re very lucky that you’re surrounded by priceless machinery,” Winry said. “Otherwise we might have to test that.”
“I think you were very brave, too,” Sheska said softly. “If you hadn’t distracted Envy, he might have killed the ambassador before help came.”
“And what about you?” Winry smiled at her. “You were right behind me, with only an umbrella. What kind of person keeps an umbrella on Mars, anyway?”
“Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time,” Sheska said. “I hadn’t really thought about it much.”
“Well, I hope you two are happy. I’m done feeling sorry for myself now.” She beamed at them. “The old Winry Rock-bell is back. Look out Mars!”
Alphonse came skidding into the room then. “Brother! Winry! Miss Sheska! You better come quickly! We’re getting a radio message. It’s... it’s about Mother!”
Theme: Astronomy Domine
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist AU
Characters: Sheksa, Maes Hughes, Izumi Curtis, Winry Rockbell, Edward and Alphonse Elric
Rating: PG
Sheska stared out into infinity inside a planet. The cave had to be as big as Olympus. They stood on a balcony on one side, overlooking the structure. Alchemical sparks danced from the glass spires and crystalline spheres and clockwork gears of some metal she couldn’t identify. It was damp, and slick, and iridescent, and she swore she could hear the sound of water rushing below. “ ‘In Xanadu did Kublai Khan, a stately pleasure dome decree, where Alph, the sacred river ran, through caverns measureless to man, down to a sunless sea,’” she quoted. Coleridge’s opium-induced poetry felt appropriate to the surreal landscape.
Winry looked on the site with awe. “What… what does it do?” she asked.
“We think it was built to teleport comets from the Kuiper Belt,” Edward replied. “Run them through the atmosphere a couple times to evaporate all the water, and in a couple years your water table would rise a bit. Do it often enough and you have a wet planet.” He sighed. “Reading ancient Martian is tiring -- you think they would have left a User’s Manual.”
“I’ll bet I could figure it out,”
Edward’s hand grabbed Winry’s arm before she was even halfway to the ladder that lead into the bowels of the machine. “Don’t, Winry. We have to be careful with this thing – we don’t even know what powers it, but, whatever it is, it’s strong.”
“I’m always careful!” But she was moving back to the doorway as she said that.
“I imagine this is what the Isolationists want,” Hughes commented. “Bringing comets in from billions of miles away is probably more difficult than knocking away spacecrafts.”
“Got it in one, Ambassador,” Edward grinned, then turned back to look over the massive edifice. “Plus, the extra water wouldn’t hurt – we’re still dependent on trade with Earth for food. Would be nice not to sell our souls to get a bite to eat.”
“He really doesn’t mean to be offensive,” Alphonse added quickly.
“No, I get your point,” Hughes said. “Give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for the rest of his life.”
“How did you find this, anyway?” Sheska asked. “I’ve heard a few old rumors, but nothing definite. It’d be like looking for Atlantis or the Holy Grail or the Philosopher’s Stone back on Earth.”
“Father was interested in looking for it, but after he took the throne, he never could find the time,” Alphonse said. “He left most of the notes to Brother and I. We’ve been working on this for four years, under the eyes of Master Izumi.”
“We finally had a breakthrough, and we sent a message back to the old man – in code, of course,” Edward continued. “By the time we got back, he’s nowhere to be found, and some… some thing is pretending to be our mother and trying to get us to tell her where we’ve been. We left pretty quickly, and called Master Izumi.”
“I see,” Hughes nodded, wincing a bit. “I better get some rest, before this opens up again.”
“I can show you and your family to a room,” Izumi said. “Al, could you help me?”
“Right.” The two moved Hughes outside. Sheska heard the go down the hall.
“What happened to him, anyway?” Edward asked. Sheksa saw Winry look away.
“We ran into one of the palace guards on the way out. He attacked and the ambassador tried to cover our escape. The guard… whatever he was, it wasn’t normal. He took two knives, and didn’t even blink.”
“I… I was going to shoot him, but I couldn’t pull the trigger,” Winry said softly. “If Lady Izumi hadn’t shown up…”
So that’s why she had been so quiet in the flight here, Sheska thought.
“Not everyone can,” Edward said. “The universe would probably be a better place if no one could. Anyway, why do you need a weapon?” He turned to face her, grinning. “You have enough intelligence for two people, and you can be downright nasty with a toolbox.”
“You’re very lucky that you’re surrounded by priceless machinery,” Winry said. “Otherwise we might have to test that.”
“I think you were very brave, too,” Sheska said softly. “If you hadn’t distracted Envy, he might have killed the ambassador before help came.”
“And what about you?” Winry smiled at her. “You were right behind me, with only an umbrella. What kind of person keeps an umbrella on Mars, anyway?”
“Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time,” Sheska said. “I hadn’t really thought about it much.”
“Well, I hope you two are happy. I’m done feeling sorry for myself now.” She beamed at them. “The old Winry Rock-bell is back. Look out Mars!”
Alphonse came skidding into the room then. “Brother! Winry! Miss Sheska! You better come quickly! We’re getting a radio message. It’s... it’s about Mother!”