Scar

Scar Part XII

The full force of the coup e'tat ripped through the streets with the same intensity as the fire that escaped from Colonel Mustang's hands. Tanks rolled through the streets, and they sound of gunfire was so steady that one could march to its beat.

The mission was broken into three teams. Hawkeye and Mustang would lead the main offensive through the city as a distraction, and they were to be covered by Armstrong and her men. The next two teams were Al and Ed and Evelyn and Scar. Their objective was reconnaissance. 

Only a few days prior to this revolt, Ed received a visit from Hoenheim, his long forgotten father. Over a decade of mystery was passed from father to son. He proved to be a vital resource for information regarding the whereabouts of the humunculi, for he is one himself. Father, the first of the species and the creator of the other eight, was located in the capital. Though the exact location remained a mystery, it was known that he was located underground. Also, as was revealed to Hawkeye through a terrifying encounter by the humunculi known as Pride, the level of their infiltration was deeper than anyone had expected, for everyone in their country's ruling family was descendant of Father.

Guided by the most vague of directions, the party stalked through the sewers. Everything was dark. Thin beams of light coming down from the holes in the ceiling were the only contacts to the world above as they splashed through the knee-high water. Adrenaline crushed them. Uneasiness settled onto the bottoms of their stomachs. Fear now grew as Evelyn realized she had seen this all before. 

Pain seared her skull from the icy screams that burned in her mind. Her knees buckled. She was crushed under the weight. Her team wasted no time coming to her aid, but there was no way to fix her. The voices belonged to no one. The bodies which held them had long since walked the Earth. Evelyn was left to suffer from their agony, for her party was deaf to their pleas. Then, the screams ceased. She was free to look about, and what she saw was bone-chilling. Hundreds of people stood looking at her. She slowly stood, and when she had risen to her full height, the horde turned like trained soldiers and began walking. 

"Follow them," she commanded, but as was evident by three confused gazers, her team hadn't the perception to see them. She tugged her head sideways to signal them to follow her instead.

Questions wound through their minds with the complexity of the path they followed. Only one thing was known to Evelyn alone- these were specters with a common enemy, her enemy.

The figures brought her mind to a halt as they stopped at a wall. They turned on their heels as one and then were motionless. Then as quickly as they appeared, they evaporated into the air. 

Now as the team stood gazing up at a massive door with transmutations carved into the metal faces, a realization took a stifling hold- they had been led directly to Father's lair.