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31_days2005-10-11 11:30 pm
beccastareyes) wrote in 31_days2005-10-11 11:30 pm
[Oct. 11][Fullmetal Alchemist]Winry Rock-bell, Martian Space Pilot!
Title: Winry Rock-bell, Martian Space Pilot! (part 6)
Theme: I know how furiously your heart is beating
Series: Fullmetal Alchemist AU
Characters: Sheksa, Izumi Curtis, Winry Rockbell, Trisha, Edward and Alphonse Elric, Dante
Rating: PG
The group assembled by the Wrench’s videophone. Ambassador Hughes was conspicuous only by his absence – Sheska figured Gracia would not let him leave for another 12 hours yet. “The signal’s on hold. How do you think they know where we are?” Alphonse asked.
“They probably just saw Winry take off with Master Izumi and assumed she’d be with us,” his brother replied. “Who is it?”
“It’s a noblewoman,” Alphonse replied. “She said her name was Lady Dante of Noctis Labyrinthus.”
“Dante… Dante…” Edward looked like he was trying to place the name. “Can’t say I’ve heard of her.” He straightened his tunic. “Let’s do this. Push the button, Winry.”
“Hang on for a second,” Winry had a number of wires out from a panel, and a few of her devices. Sheska recognized the eavesdropping one from earlier. Winry reached up and tapped something and the screen lit up. The woman looked familiar to Sheska, and, with a start, she realized it was the noblewoman she had nearly ran over yesterday. It seemed like a lifetime ago that she was merely the ambassador’s assistant, rather than standing next to the heir to the Martian throne less than a mile from one of the most priceless and powerful archaeological finds in the history of the Solar System.
“Greetings, Your Highness,” Dante’s mouth was smiling, but her eyes looked more like a cat that had finally found the mouse it had been chasing. Her headpiece cast shadows over her face, adding to the creepy look. Sheska blinked, noticing the feathers were the same color and type that Envy had worn. In the background, she could hear water falling. “I trust your captors are treating you well? I assure you, Earth and the multilateralists will not get away with this.”
“Cut the crap, Dante,” Edward said. Sheska saw his brother roll his eyes a bit. “We’re here of our own free will. Now, either no one told you this, and you can rescind those warrants on Ambassador Hughes and Winry Rock-bell, or you knew damn well my brother and I weren’t kidnapped and just wanted to grab whoever you thought might know where we were holed up.”
Dante sighed, letting the smile drop from her face. “You couldn’t make this, simple, could you? Very well, then -- you’ve no doubt figured out that there is an impostor posing as your mother at the palace, telling people that your father is away. In truth, the imposter is working for me. I have custody of your parents in an undisclosed location. Now, you can either tell me where the Kepler Gate is, or I’ll be forced to be a bit unreasonable.”
“I don’t believe you,” Edward said. “If you want anything more than a disconnect and a very diplomatic and scientific explanation where you can stick your imposter, I’m going to need proof.”
“You’re as much a scientist as your father, Prince Edward,” Dante said. “Give me a moment. The screen went blank.
“Do you think she’s telling the truth?” Alphonse asked.
“If she was, how could she capture two of the best-guarded people on Mars?” Sheska asked.
“Inside access,” Edward was pacing the length of the cockpit now. “As nobility, she’d have the ability to get into the Palace, with a small staff of bodyguards. Go after Mom first – since she’s from Earth, she doesn’t know Alchemy. Then… somehow sneak her out – still working on that – and use the imposter to go after Father, before he hears the news. Even an Alchemist can be surprised. Damn it all!” He slammed a hand against the bulkhead. “Why weren’t we around to protect her? How could we let this happen? What-”
His beating of the Wrench’s walls was interrupted not by Winry yelling at him, though Sheska noted that she was gripping a screwdriver in a threatening way, but by Izumi standing and placing her staff between him and the bulkhead. “Still your heart, Edward,” she said. “What good is asking all of those questions? You assumed the security of the Palace was enough to protect your mother, and Alchemy was enough to protect your father. You assumed incorrect, but that is in the past. What matters now is protecting your parents in the present, and the future.”
Alphonse had stood as well. “She’s right, Brother. We kind of screwed up, didn’t we? But it’s not too late to make things right.”
“All right, but ‘making things right’ better not include beating my ship into scrap metal,” Winry said. “If you must beat something up, there’re plenty of rocks outside.”
‘All right, all right, I’m calmer now,” Edward turned back to face them, rubbing his hand. The screen beeped as the signal returned. Dante was standing with Trisha Elric, who looked a lot frazzled, but not injured. Behind her, Sheska caught a glimpse of Envy with a photon rifle. “Mom?” Edward asked.
“Hello, boys,” Trisha said. She was smiling, but even Sheska could see the worry in her eyes. “Your father says hello.”
“Mom… Mom, do you remember when Alphonse and I were little and starting to learn Alchemy…” Edward asked, a glint of something in his eyes.
Trisha smiled. “You and your brother would always listen to my stories about Earth, and you two decided that I must miss it. So you made me a horse out of tinfoil, because the only things you had seen about Earth at the time were cowboy movies.”
“That’s… that’s right.” Both princes’ faces were stoic, but Sheska caught the glimmer of tears in Alphonse’s eyes.
“Satisfied?” Dante asked. “If you are willing to cooperate, fly back to Syrtis Major by local sunset tomorrow and meet me in the Palace. I look forward to seeing you then.” The signal was cut off before anyone could respond.
“Doesn’t look like we have much of a choice,” Edward said. “If we knew where she was-“
Winry sighed. “She’s in the Northern Hemisphere. I’d say within 10 degrees of 180 longitude. She’s got good scramblers.”
“How…?” Edward looked surprised for a moment, then grinned. “Should have figured you’d be tracking things while we talked.”
“That’s pretty flat terrain,” Sheska said. “Nothing but plains until you hit Elysium or the Tharsis bulge, or the polar cap. I heard a waterfall, though.”
“She must be at one of the polar pumping stations!” Winry said. “They use the meltwater to make hydroelectric power, while channeling it down to the cities.”
“Great… Al and I can go get Mom,” Edward said. “It’s too dangerous for you two. You’ve done enough.”
“Not in my ship!” Winry stood up.
“We have our own ship,” Edward said. “As I said, you’ve done enough. We can take it from here.”
“Knowing you two, you’ll just end up rushing in, with no plan whatsoever?”
“Like that’s any different from how you act,” Edward crossed his arms.
“Hang on!” Sheska yelled, causing everyone, even Izumi, to look at her. “Prince Edward and Alphonse might be the best suited for this mission, but Winry and I can at least provide backup. Let’s see what plan we can come up with before we write anyone off.”
Theme: I know how furiously your heart is beating
Series: Fullmetal Alchemist AU
Characters: Sheksa, Izumi Curtis, Winry Rockbell, Trisha, Edward and Alphonse Elric, Dante
Rating: PG
The group assembled by the Wrench’s videophone. Ambassador Hughes was conspicuous only by his absence – Sheska figured Gracia would not let him leave for another 12 hours yet. “The signal’s on hold. How do you think they know where we are?” Alphonse asked.
“They probably just saw Winry take off with Master Izumi and assumed she’d be with us,” his brother replied. “Who is it?”
“It’s a noblewoman,” Alphonse replied. “She said her name was Lady Dante of Noctis Labyrinthus.”
“Dante… Dante…” Edward looked like he was trying to place the name. “Can’t say I’ve heard of her.” He straightened his tunic. “Let’s do this. Push the button, Winry.”
“Hang on for a second,” Winry had a number of wires out from a panel, and a few of her devices. Sheska recognized the eavesdropping one from earlier. Winry reached up and tapped something and the screen lit up. The woman looked familiar to Sheska, and, with a start, she realized it was the noblewoman she had nearly ran over yesterday. It seemed like a lifetime ago that she was merely the ambassador’s assistant, rather than standing next to the heir to the Martian throne less than a mile from one of the most priceless and powerful archaeological finds in the history of the Solar System.
“Greetings, Your Highness,” Dante’s mouth was smiling, but her eyes looked more like a cat that had finally found the mouse it had been chasing. Her headpiece cast shadows over her face, adding to the creepy look. Sheska blinked, noticing the feathers were the same color and type that Envy had worn. In the background, she could hear water falling. “I trust your captors are treating you well? I assure you, Earth and the multilateralists will not get away with this.”
“Cut the crap, Dante,” Edward said. Sheska saw his brother roll his eyes a bit. “We’re here of our own free will. Now, either no one told you this, and you can rescind those warrants on Ambassador Hughes and Winry Rock-bell, or you knew damn well my brother and I weren’t kidnapped and just wanted to grab whoever you thought might know where we were holed up.”
Dante sighed, letting the smile drop from her face. “You couldn’t make this, simple, could you? Very well, then -- you’ve no doubt figured out that there is an impostor posing as your mother at the palace, telling people that your father is away. In truth, the imposter is working for me. I have custody of your parents in an undisclosed location. Now, you can either tell me where the Kepler Gate is, or I’ll be forced to be a bit unreasonable.”
“I don’t believe you,” Edward said. “If you want anything more than a disconnect and a very diplomatic and scientific explanation where you can stick your imposter, I’m going to need proof.”
“You’re as much a scientist as your father, Prince Edward,” Dante said. “Give me a moment. The screen went blank.
“Do you think she’s telling the truth?” Alphonse asked.
“If she was, how could she capture two of the best-guarded people on Mars?” Sheska asked.
“Inside access,” Edward was pacing the length of the cockpit now. “As nobility, she’d have the ability to get into the Palace, with a small staff of bodyguards. Go after Mom first – since she’s from Earth, she doesn’t know Alchemy. Then… somehow sneak her out – still working on that – and use the imposter to go after Father, before he hears the news. Even an Alchemist can be surprised. Damn it all!” He slammed a hand against the bulkhead. “Why weren’t we around to protect her? How could we let this happen? What-”
His beating of the Wrench’s walls was interrupted not by Winry yelling at him, though Sheska noted that she was gripping a screwdriver in a threatening way, but by Izumi standing and placing her staff between him and the bulkhead. “Still your heart, Edward,” she said. “What good is asking all of those questions? You assumed the security of the Palace was enough to protect your mother, and Alchemy was enough to protect your father. You assumed incorrect, but that is in the past. What matters now is protecting your parents in the present, and the future.”
Alphonse had stood as well. “She’s right, Brother. We kind of screwed up, didn’t we? But it’s not too late to make things right.”
“All right, but ‘making things right’ better not include beating my ship into scrap metal,” Winry said. “If you must beat something up, there’re plenty of rocks outside.”
‘All right, all right, I’m calmer now,” Edward turned back to face them, rubbing his hand. The screen beeped as the signal returned. Dante was standing with Trisha Elric, who looked a lot frazzled, but not injured. Behind her, Sheska caught a glimpse of Envy with a photon rifle. “Mom?” Edward asked.
“Hello, boys,” Trisha said. She was smiling, but even Sheska could see the worry in her eyes. “Your father says hello.”
“Mom… Mom, do you remember when Alphonse and I were little and starting to learn Alchemy…” Edward asked, a glint of something in his eyes.
Trisha smiled. “You and your brother would always listen to my stories about Earth, and you two decided that I must miss it. So you made me a horse out of tinfoil, because the only things you had seen about Earth at the time were cowboy movies.”
“That’s… that’s right.” Both princes’ faces were stoic, but Sheska caught the glimmer of tears in Alphonse’s eyes.
“Satisfied?” Dante asked. “If you are willing to cooperate, fly back to Syrtis Major by local sunset tomorrow and meet me in the Palace. I look forward to seeing you then.” The signal was cut off before anyone could respond.
“Doesn’t look like we have much of a choice,” Edward said. “If we knew where she was-“
Winry sighed. “She’s in the Northern Hemisphere. I’d say within 10 degrees of 180 longitude. She’s got good scramblers.”
“How…?” Edward looked surprised for a moment, then grinned. “Should have figured you’d be tracking things while we talked.”
“That’s pretty flat terrain,” Sheska said. “Nothing but plains until you hit Elysium or the Tharsis bulge, or the polar cap. I heard a waterfall, though.”
“She must be at one of the polar pumping stations!” Winry said. “They use the meltwater to make hydroelectric power, while channeling it down to the cities.”
“Great… Al and I can go get Mom,” Edward said. “It’s too dangerous for you two. You’ve done enough.”
“Not in my ship!” Winry stood up.
“We have our own ship,” Edward said. “As I said, you’ve done enough. We can take it from here.”
“Knowing you two, you’ll just end up rushing in, with no plan whatsoever?”
“Like that’s any different from how you act,” Edward crossed his arms.
“Hang on!” Sheska yelled, causing everyone, even Izumi, to look at her. “Prince Edward and Alphonse might be the best suited for this mission, but Winry and I can at least provide backup. Let’s see what plan we can come up with before we write anyone off.”