Chapter 8

                                    

                                          
Edward's POV
                          
The sun began to come up as we were nearing an abandoned building. According to the undercover cop, this was the League's hideout. He also looked a lot like Scar, but I shrugged it off for another time.
                          
I led Al down an alleyway with towering stone walls on either end. Despite the sun coming up, it was still rather dark. One long pipe traced its path along the ground, and mechanical whirring sounded behind the walls. When we neared the end of the alleyway, it opened up to show a worn down building and a single door with windows high above it. Al propped me up on his shoulders, and I looked into the windows. It was mostly dark, with a single light still on, illuminating a body tied up in a chair. It was bloody and unconscious...
                          
I gasped, realizing who it was. I was horrified at the sight of my friend. His legs and arms were bleeding, and his ponytail was burnt to his scalp. "It's Ling; they have him!' I whispered back at Al, but I stopped when I heard footsteps coming towards us.
                          
"Edward, get down from there," Eraserhead called out, and I fell off of Al in surprise.
                          
Al helped me up, and we turned to see Eraserhead and an eccentric looking blonde coming towards us. "What are you doing here? I thought I made it clear we were doing this by ourselves. We don't need your help." I spat, brushing myself off.
                          
"No, you don't understand. The world is coming to an end, and we need to fix things quickly. Set aside your pride, and let's get Ling and the Homunculi out of here as soon as possible." Eraserhead argued, storming past us and towards the League's hideout.
                          
The other guy strolled over and introduced himself, "The name's Present Mic! I'm this guy's husband. Sorry about him; we just got some bad news that put him in a bad mood. But, hey, we should probably do what he says!" He jabbed his thumb over at Eraserhead and walked over to him. I looked at Al, who seemed to be just as confused as I was about them being married."S-so, do you have a plan?" Al asked, trying not to make it awkward.
                          
Eraserhead got on Present Mic's shoulders and looked through the same window I did, "It's going to be a quick in and out retrieval. First Ling, then the Homunculi. It's just the two Homunculi, right?"
                          
Something about his demand for control made me angry, "That we're aware of, but there's a guy back home that can send them over whenever he pleases." I stormed over to him and crossed my arms. Eraserhead jumped down and examined the building as a whole, mapping out a plan.After a few moments of silence, he turned back to us and explained, "Present Mic will stay here and keep watch, patrolling the building. No one is to get in or out and call for me if you see anyone. Edward, you're going to go through the air vents to find the Homunculi. Once you do, come back and tell us the layout. Then, Alphonse, Edward, and I will go in to retrieve them all."
                          
"Is that because I'm s-short?!" I yelled, running towards him. Al caught me and held me back, but I swung my fists in protest, "Don't call me short, you bastard! What do you mean so small you can only see me through a microscope? Shut up, you son of a-"
                          
Eraserhead glared at me with a passion I've only seen from Winry. I instantly retreated, intimated by his stare. Al put me down, and I nodded in agreement to the plan. "Awesome plan, Sho-kun!" Present Mic gave a thumbs up, and we split. I found a vent opening and snaked in; while Present Mic began walking around the building.
                          
The vents were cramped and dusty, much like the ones at Lab 5 from so long ago. They winded around like a maze, and it felt like I was just going in circles. After some time had passed, I paused. To my right, there was a small opening that I could look through. I saw another dimly lit room, much like a warehouse, with who I presumed was the League of Villains, talking about something. I leaned in closer and listened.
                          
"He needs them to open the portal and 'become a god.' The more sacrifices, the better he says, so we'd gladly take those heroes off your hands." Envy's voice finished. My eyes widened, and I gasped, realizing what he was talking about.
                          
"Someone's here, in the vents." a younger voice stated. I didn't recognize it, and I didn't stick around to see who it was. Everyone looked up at me, and I stumbled over myself as I crawled away as fast as I could. A ball of fire blasted behind me, propelling me forward, and I crashed out of the same end I came in.
                          
Alphonse and Eraserhead ran to my side, helping me up. I labored for breath, pointing up at the building, "They...know we're...here..."
                          
Eraserhead looked back up at the vents to see smoke rising from them. He rushed towards the door and kicked it open. Al helped me up, and I finally caught my breath before heading over to Eraserhead to help. I stepped into the empty room, checking out the area for hidden traps. When everything looked safe, I ran towards Ling to get him out of his restraints.
                          
Ling stirred, slowly opening his eyes to look at me, "Wh-what are you doing? Get out of here... They're...They're monsters, you're not safe..." He mumbled frantically. A tear fell down his cheek as he continued to protest in a delusional state.
                          
"Don't worry, I brought some help. We'll get you out. Just try to stay quiet, and save your energy." I clapped my hands and changed the restraints into something more brittle. Once those were gone, I knelt in front of him and placed him on my back. Seeing the wounds in his legs, I wasn't about to make him walk.
                          
Because of his size, I was only able to make it to the door before handing him to Al. Al gasped when he saw Ling's injuries and rushed to prop him against the wall. Eraserhead ran out and looked for Present Mic, "We have to leave, now! They know we're here. We can come back for the homunculi another time. Grab your friend and run; I'll get Present Mic and fight them off as best as I can."
                          
Al picked Ling back up and placed him inside his armor. The door of the building blasted open with blue flames, and Al and I ran down the alleyway, adrenaline driving us. Snake-like shadows emerged from behind us, wrapping around our ankles and stopping us in our tracks. Envy ran in front of us and smirked, "We'd like him back, brat."
                          
"Hey," I growled, turning my arm into a sword, "in case you didn't know, the world's ending, and we need to get back to Amestris." I sliced at the shadows holding my feet and jumped free, launching at Envy.
                          
"Oh, I'm fully aware, but I don't plan on getting back home until we're done here." Envy dodged each of my attacks, smiling as if he knew something I didn't. It made me furious.
                          
"Brother!" I turned back for a second to look at Al. A tall skinny man with black hair and burn marks across his face leaned on Al's shoulder. Al couldn't do much without hurting Ling inside him.
                          
I clapped my hands and slammed them on the ground, causing a giant fist of concrete to punch him into the sky. "Run!" I yelled, slicing the shadows at his feet. Present Mic ran up to us and gave an unearthly scream down the alleyway to the rest of the villains, shaking the ground. Eraserhead followed after him, struggling against the shadows that got Al and me.
                          
My attention turned back to Envy, but he was gone. I looked around for a second until looking up and seeing him falling towards me. I slid out of the way and threw my hands on the ground once more to stab him with spikes. He seemed to be trapped enough for me to run, but I looked at Present Mic and Eraserhead to make sure they didn't need me. I got a nod from Present Mic and ran after Al.
                          
"Take your friend to the old lady!" Eraserhead yelled, and I heard another scream, making my ears ring and my head rattle. We ran around the corner and into the streets. It was a busy morning. The roads were jammed, and people were heading to work. The smell of car exhaust and coffee hit my face, but my senses were still elevated. We had to get back to UA.








                          
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