metal heart║edward elric x reader [fullmetal alchemist]

Chapter 8: In Which You Meet Your Enemies

Chapter 8: In Which You Meet Your Enemies

WITH SOME AMOUNT of creaking and squeaking, the lift descended what you guessed was at least three levels.

"There's something wrong here," you muttered. The feeling that you were being watched nagged at you.

Edward gave a terse nod.

The lift ground to a halt, and the doors opened onto a hallway exactly like the one you had entered from. You stepped out.

"Why is there no one around?" Edward asked, though it was clear he didn't expect an answer. You didn't know any more than he did.

The two of you walked shoulder-to-shoulder down the hallway, keeping on alert for any sign of life. A flicker of movement caused you to tense up, but it was only Edward raising his hand to cover a huge yawn. You raised an eyebrow at him.

"Sorry," he said. "I just feel tired all of the sudden."

Now that he mentioned it, you felt sleepy too. You shook your head and took a deep breath to wake yourself up. By then you had reached the end of the hall, where a single door stood waiting. You knocked, the three taps reverberating down the hallway. There was no answer.

Edward stepped away and tugged on the handle of one of the doors leading off the hallway. "Locked."

You stared for a moment longer at the door you had knocked on, which still wasn't opening, and then strode over to Edward. "Let me see."

He moved aside and you knelt to be at eyelevel with the knob. You shoved your hand into your pocket, fished around, and came out with a thin piece of wire, which you inserted into the keyhole below the knob. For a high-security military facility, the lock was surprisingly easy to pick. Then again, you used to pick locks for fun as a kid (with only the best of intentions, of course).

The door swung open as you removed the wire. Inside was what looked like a regular office, divided into cubicles. There was a water cooler beside the door, as well as a fake potted plant.

Right in front of the door was a cubicle whose occupant appeared to be asleep. Her head was down on the desk, thick brown hair splayed out in a circle.

"Hey," you said. The woman didn't answer. You slowly stepped up beside her and shook her shoulder. Still no reply. For one fearful second you thought she was dead, but then you noticed the slight rise and fall of her shoulders. She was breathing. But no matter how hard you shook her, she wouldn't wake up.

"The others are like that too!" Edward called from deeper in the room. "They're all asleep."

"Oh my, my. You weren't supposed to see this."

You spun towards the source of the voice and almost fell to the ground. You reached out and grabbed the sleeping woman's chair for support. Even though you were standing still, it felt like the room was spinning around you. 

Groaning, you forced your eyes to focus on the figure standing in the doorway. It was a woman, dressed business-casual in a freshly pressed blouse and slacks, both light pink. Her blond hair was flawless, as were her skin and manicured nails. You were sure her face would have matched the image, if you could see it. But you couldn't, because she was wearing a black gas mask. The eyes of the mask were huge and milky, offering you no view of the face inside, and the mouthpiece amplified her breathing, making it loud and ragged.

 "W-who are you?" you chocked out.

"Why, you're just a child!" the woman said, her tone one of pleasant surprise. "There was no need to get worked up after all. Just a couple little kids playing around."