Other Worlds: V 2.0

[initiates]

Date & Time: May 21st, beginning at 0900.
Location: The Initiative Hold and all throughout Elmer's world
Characters: Anyone participating in the fighting, anyone staying behind.
Summary: Elmer's world is fought for and lost.
Warnings: Violence, death.

They reopen the portal at 0900, May 21st. The first scientist who stepped through was killed within thirty seconds; the rest who followed made it back through to Exsilium, albeit not unscathed. The portal was shut again by a panicked operator, although a second operator knew to keep the coordinates locked.

Within ten minutes, the alert had been sent out. There's no time to wait for the Transports to gather en masse; as soon as they have a sizable enough force to stand a chance at fighting through and clearing their gateway's location, the door is opened again.

Immediately inside the door is a desolate, grim scene. What had previously been the coast of Japan is now scorched earth, blasted sand, and little else. As the first point of contact for this world, it has undoubtedly suffered the worst. Here, the UE didn't stop at governments, financial centers, and capitols — the UE destroyed everything in sight. There are enough UE soldiers remaining in the broken country to give the Transports a difficult battle, although by now the bulk of their forces have moved on.

The Initiative will soon realize the necessity of opening more gateways, just as the UE had done. Transports will be deployed to London, Berlin, Paris, DC Washington, Moscow, Beijing, New York City, Hong Kong, Madrid. Through each of these windows, the destruction is staggering. Buildings are more husks than structures, everything that can burn is alight, and the death toll is off the charts. Blackened bodies seem to line every street, while pieces litter the ground among the rubble. There's no doubt that the UE has no need of the people of this world. They're after resources only, and anything and anyone already here is to be removed.

You can find UE soldiers everywhere. They move in coordinated squadrons of 20, and each of them carries a small arsenal. Even without their incredibly advanced and destructive weaponry, they're fearfully formidable. Each soldier, while still only human, is a genetically perfect clone, further enhanced by technological implants. They're all highly trained in physical combat. Even if you can disarm one of them, don't count on close-range attacks being any easier to handle. They've brought along cannons, small flying craft, and lightweight tanks. Each of these is the top of the line in terms of technology, geared toward destroying as much as it can, as quickly as it can. The United Earth is here to destroy, and they won't stop to wonder why their targets go from being civilians and scrambling, off-guard, comparatively primitive militaries, to trained and powered Transports.

For anyone staying at home, they'll find that any Initiative presence has withdrawn fully to the Hold. All Initiative employees are needed, and most of them in the med bays. The majority of the Initiative focus is on recalling and resurrecting fallen Transports, but attention is still needed for the living-but-wounded. Any Transports who stay in Exsilium and offer their help will have it immediately accepted; they'll be put to work in the medical wings, runnings supplies, or simply set at a machine and told to keep an eye on the numbers: Transport vitals, UE movements, and maps upon maps of changing statistics and colors.

At 1500, the Initiative will recall all Transport soldiers back to Exsilium and seal shut the gateway. The UE numbers are too great, their soldiers too powerful, and Elmer's world is lost.

Comments

[imperfect]

[In an act which may not help convince Al that he's feeling entirely himself, Ed refrains from snapping at the nurse as well, who in any case is too preoccupied to stop for more than a hastily mumbled apology. He can't exactly blame Al for worrying, it's true - he'd understand that with or without the particular past experience he's currently doing his damnedest not to let gnaw away at him. But it's just as true that Ed was only half joking about having to cart Al out of here in pieces at this rate, and the alarmingly unfamiliar rattles and clicks he can hear mixed into those clanking footsteps as Al steers him back towards the bed only cement that as far as he's concerned.]

Well... don't tell me you were planning to just sit around in the meantime. You've got other stuff to be doing. [That's something he can be sure of even if he hasn't been updated on the Initiative's situation yet. As long as there's still a chance...

Actually, how long was he out for? (Even thinking about it as casually as that doesn't sit quite right with him, but how else is he supposed to think?) He can't imagine circumstances could have improved much - one cursory glance around the med bays practically confirms that and more, never mind looking at Al - but it's always kind of stressful not to know as much as he'd like about what's going on. And nothing's impossible.]

[alphonse]

This is important too.

[Which is an extremely vague answer, but in a matter of seconds he's already convinced himself that the bad news will be easier to deliver if Ed isn't on his feet. Or at least lower the chances of him trying to bolt.

And Al can't exactly dismiss concerns about his armor one minute and admit the truth the next--he'd like to be doing something more to help in the aftermath, but there's no way he's sturdy enough to hold up the strain of any additional weight or unnecessary movement. He'll be lucky to make it home, but that's something to think about when the time comes. Right now he can't imagine leaving Ed, not when he's barely convinced he's really even alive.]

Here. Lie back down and I'll get you caught up.

[imperfect]

[With a lead-in like that, Ed is almost prepared to make a break for it just on principle. Still, he makes the small concession of at least sitting down, resting his weight on his right hand, and has to admit it's an improvement.]

What happened?

[alphonse]

[Al leans against the edge of the bed for lack of a chair, not yet looking at Ed directly. Discussing this will ruin any chance of his brother getting some rest, but it isn't like he has any right to withhold information.]

They gave the order to retreat. Even... even after all that, nothing we were doing was making a difference.

[He does glance up then, knowing he doesn't need to explain what that means. Everything they'd done, everything they'd sacrificed... none of it had been nearly enough in the end. Al's seen people die before, sometimes in pretty gruesome ways, but never anything like this, the bodies of women and children indiscriminately lining the streets just for the crime of going about their daily lives. And now, to be expected to accept that even the ones they'd managed to save have been abandoned to the same fate... If he'd been any less frantic about Ed convincing him to leave would have been impossible, but that isn't something he needs to say either.]

[imperfect]

[The enormity of what Al did just say would probably have overshadowed anything else. As is, although Ed breathes in sharply at the word "retreat", it takes a few moments for everything it entails to coalesce in his mind. He stares blankly at Al, but Al isn't what he's seeing, and not all of the images are from today. There's undeniably a part of him that does want to bolt, would without a second thought if Al wasn't standing right there, to collar each and every lackey of the Initiative he can hunt down until he finds the one who'll give in and give all of them another chance. To give up on an entire world, and so many people's lives no less real than their own... Of course he can't wrap his head around the true scale of it; the little he can grasp already makes him sick to the stomach.

But presently he inclines his head, and oddly enough a little of the tension in his shoulders seems to ease.] I see... I thought it might be something like that.

And we're still alive. [He's reluctant to look anywhere near Al as he says that.]

[alphonse]

Yeah. Somehow.

[Except he doesn't sound sure of that at all. Returning the dead to life is the one thing in the world that's supposed to be truly impossible. It wasn't long ago at all when that knowledge had been their only proof that Al's body must still be alive somewhere, a shred of hope in an otherwise grim reality.

Can future technology really overturn something so fundamental? Al is torn between being disgusted by the thought and immeasurably grateful; as much as he'd love to take such a miracle at face value, it may be some time before he can shake the feeling that it must come with some horrible consequence they aren't yet aware of.]

All of the Transports are. No matter what happened to them out there, the Initiative was able to bring them back.

[imperfect]

Yeah, and patch them up. They were doing it before any of this happened, too.

[He shifts uneasily.]

The first time I heard about it here, I thought it must be shorthand for something. They couldn't really mean dead. Hacked to pieces or no longer breathing, you can just about imagine science learning how to deal with all of that. An actual life, body, mind and soul... there was no way.

[He doesn't put much emphasis on the past tense, but it's there - and that's where his real point is hiding, reluctant to come out in the open.]

[alphonse]

[Al nods. He'd figured about the same, really. Once he'd heard someone say that the Initiative's time travel technology could simply pull the same person in from an earlier point in their world, and even that had sounded more plausible than death suddenly having no meaning. But Ed obviously remembers how the battle ended for him, and that leaves no room for denial.]

But that was before what we saw today.

[He doesn't want to talk about it, but shirking the truth, however uncomfortable, would be to go against his nature as an alchemist. Not to mention do nothing for his peace of mind.]

Brother... You were really dead, weren't you?

[imperfect]

[Ed shrugs.] I just know what I remember, Al.

[It's a deliberately ambiguous answer. Hopefully it'll do. Overrun as the Hold may be, to the point that would-be eavesdroppers are more likely to get trampled than to pick up anything sensitive, it's not private.]

I could let myself stay hung up on it for the next million years if I wanted, but it wouldn't change anything.

[alphonse]

No, I wouldn't want you to do that, I just...

[He looks away again, taking a long moment to gather his thoughts. More than anything he's tempted to revert back to apologizing, but he knows that Ed would never accept it and any resulting debate would only make things worse. So instead he musters up as much optimism as he can, a little weak but still very genuine.]

I'm really glad you're okay.

[imperfect]

[Not wanting to dwell on the topic for long, Ed just grins. It probably says more than any words he could come up with on the spot.

The sight of the same nurse from before hurrying past in a different direction prompts him to look away and crane his neck a little, trying to see what else is happening in the vicinity. It doesn't tell him much that wasn't already apparent from the racket in here.]

Tch... it's too bad. Doesn't look like anyone around here could spare a moment to give us the time of day, let alone play fetch. [He pauses.] I think I could make it to the lab...

[alphonse]

[Al follows that look, privately a little embarrassed that he's allowed himself to dismiss so much of the activity in the Hold as merely background noise. Now that most of his panic has started to subside, he's really taking the scene around them in for the first time, and can't help a twinge of self-consciousness over having been in plain view of everyone while looking this busted up.]

Forget it, Brother. You're not going anywhere until a doctor says it's okay. Why are you so determined to get to the lab, anyway? You need a lot of rest before you can even start thinking about going back to work.

[imperfect]

When did I say anything about work? [He reaches up to rap his knuckles pointedly against Al's battered-looking shoulder, is immediately reminded why he was sparing his bandaged arm up until then, and settles for a somewhat awkward light pat.] Unless you know where else to find a load of scrap metal on short notice without people asking questions...

[alphonse]

Scrap metal?

[Remembering what Ed said earlier, Al's voice climbs higher in indignation.

Though, technically, he supposes it's a possible solution. As long as he doesn't make the damage worse then he isn't hindered in any way that affects his movement, so adding new material to reinforce the missing parts of the armor might just do the trick. Sill, it's unfamiliar territory and that alone is good reason to be cautious.]

I guess something like that could work, but we'll have to find someone who knows how to work with armor first. You can't just go using alchemy on me. I don't think that'd be safe even if you took me completely apart.

[imperfect]

[He looks up.] Why not? [Mostly he sounds confused by the reaction - he's still not sure why it wasn't obvious what he was talking about earlier - but his ego is a little bruised by it too, and the fact that this brings it in line with pretty much every other part of his body at the moment isn't much comfort.] Maybe it has been a while, but I know what I'm doing.

[alphonse]

I know you do in most cases, Brother, but this isn't that simple. Even though you had to the same thing in your world, you aren't actually the person who attached my soul to this armor. Are you sure fixing me wouldn't be too different from what you're used to?

[There's been enough off in their respective approaches to alchemy to make Al wonder, and something as complex as dealing with a soul transmutation isn't the time to take chances.]

[imperfect]

[...Oh. Right. Ed frowns slightly, not sure if he really appreciates the reminder.

He slides off the edge of the bed and wobbles to his feet, straightening up only slowly so as to try not to aggravate his injuries.] Let me look at it a second.

[alphonse]

Careful.

[It's too late to try to hide anything from the rest of the med bay at this point, so he lifts his helmet off without protest, leaning forward to give Ed a better look.]

Is it the same?

[imperfect]

[Before long, Ed backs off.]

It... looks the same. [The note of doubt in his voice says it all, though. Risk-taking is one thing; screwing around with a blood rune is something else altogether.]

I mean, if we don't try it, who else is going to fix you up? And we can't exactly keep you around like this...

[He starts to clap, but hesitates just before bringing his hands together. ...Today just hasn't been a good day for the whole "competent older sibling" thing, has it?]

[alphonse]

You're going to try right now?!

[Which isn't exactly a vote of confidence, so Al quickly tones it down, securing his head back in place.]

I mean, I'm not in any hurry, Brother. And you were right before--making the armor thinner to cover this much damage would just cause more problems. So it's fine if it takes us a few days to think of something better. I never should have been so reckless in the first place.

[imperfect]

Don't say that, Al.

[But as much as it pains him to admit it, Ed can think of no reason for Al to trust his ability in this one specific case any more than he does. He looks uncertainly down at his own hands.]

I wasn't going to thin out the whole thing. I just figured it'd be a waste of time planning anything complicated if it turns out I can't even manage one bullet hole or something.

[alphonse]

It really isn't a big deal. I'm just happy both of us are still here to even worry about it.

[He probably should have expected the conversation would go this way. After a fight as brutal as the one they've just made it out of, none of them are in a hurry to feel powerless about anything.]

I know it's possible for someone else to fix me. [Instinctively, he touches the hand "Father" back in Central had transmuted for him.] But it isn't like we've ever experimented to see what could go wrong either. There's a lot I don't understand.

[Still, Al does trust Ed's judgement, and if they can't manage to find a way to put him back together then he's going to be utterly useless in the continuing fight against the UE.]

I don't mind if you want to try. But please don't take the risk unless you're sure you won't get yourself hurt.

[imperfect]

[Ed nods, unsmiling, and brings his palms together for real, a shade more gently than normal in deference to his bandaged arm -

- before stopping again. This time it's more deliberate, though. Something just happened to register with him.]

...A lot you don't understand, huh?

[For now, he settles back down on the edge of the bed and starts to run a hand through his hair.]

You know, I didn't say anything about it, but... all this time, you've been transmuting without a circle. Are you sure you don't have a better way to do this?

[alphonse]

You think I could do it myself?

[Huh. The idea's never really occurred to him. His understanding of the Truth has always seemed separate from the way his own soul is bound. Al looks down at his hands, wondering.]

It isn't something I've ever tried before. The last time I got beat up like this I wasn't in any shape to use alchemy, so I guess it didn't seem to matter. Maybe you're right, though. It's definitely better than putting you in danger of a rebound too.

[imperfect]

Hey, I'd be fine. This is me we're talking about. It's just... [...that Al hasn't been the only one who's noticed tiny discrepancies in their methods of alchemy by now, and that there's absolutely no way he could live with himself if he unintentionally caused the worst to happen with his own hands - even though indirectly it'd be his fault either way, of course. But after a second of mentally wrangling with that phrasing and failing to make it sound better, he slumps a little and leaves all of that unsaid.] Well, it was just a thought.

[Absently, with a small grimace, he flexes his bandaged arm at the elbow a couple of times.]

Can't say I missed this kind of place... Forget the noise, the smell in here's giving me a headache.

[In an unnecessarily roundabout way, it's almost another apology.]