The First Spark (Plot)(Open)

[Red Loki (admin)]

Red Lotus, current commander of the Eastern Forces of Creta, sat silently in West City. For such a proud country, Red was very surprised to find how easy it was for him to simply walk across the border. Whoever was commanding forces here was not doing such a great job of protecting their borders. Not that this fact made much a difference to Red.

Glancing up towards the setting sun Red dubbed that it was time for his mission to start. Red was not your average commander. Most commanders would be at the front of their forces guiding the descending forces upon this city. Red had other plans that did not even involve this attack nor his leadership.

It would be odd for Red to be dressed in his regular getup. Because of this he found himself in an Amestrian military uniform he had stolen off of one of the patrol men he killed. With hands behind his back he whistled one of the tunes he knew from Creta. It would be unrecognizable here in West City.

As he approached the edge of the camp he came to the section he was looking for. Looking up at the building before him he couldn't help but smile at the simple looking hospital. This building was nothing compared to the medical research center in Creta's capital. Placing his hands in his pockets he made his way up the path as at the same moment alarms by the dozens rang.

Ah the attack had come right as scheduled. Red had his most loyal man looking after those who were leading the three prong attack. Creta forces would be attacking from all three directions except for further into Amestris. As people in the streets ran in terror, Red entered the hospital. The poor nurse at the reception desk was in a fright it was no surprise that she all but let Red walk past her and further into the hospital.

Doctors, nurses, and even patients were running up and down the halls, most likely going into the execution of a well thought out plan for the hospital upon the case of an attack. It was going to be a lot easier stealing those stones then he thought.

[The Fiend]

Dr. Walt Grimmlock was in his office located inside West City's Hospital, filing papers with the brisk efficiency of someone who knew how to handle a stapler. Being the nerd he was Dr. Walt would have said that he was a master of the clipping, printing, filing, and stapling arts. In fact he had said as much to his nurses, who always rolled their eyes whenever he said it.

Humming a little ditty after placing the last folder in his cabinet, the Doc was putting on his lab coat to head back home when he heard the bombs going off outside of his window. He turned around to see flames consuming the building across the street. The Doctor stared, dumbfounded, as he saw Grey-uniformed Creata soldiers stomping down the streets, causing panic and mayhem and chaos, chasing down civilians and causing firefights with the lightly occupied Amestrian military.

Doctor Walt rubbed his face and said blandly "Well I guess I won't be able to share dinner with Mrs. Robinson tonight. Fiddlesticks." He pushed a button. "Janice, tell everyone that they get the day off with pay. My treat." Janice the secretary answered abruptly in a monotone voice "Yes Dr. Walt."

Doctor Walt walked out of the office, completely oblivious to the panic around him. He was far too focused on getting to his laboratory, for it was absolutely vital that the enemy not get into his alchemical research, although the Doctor was having a hard time remembering what that research actually was. He hadn't performed any alchemy outside of the operating table in years, and he had no idea what the enemy could possibly want with such fairly standard dabblings.

As he briskly walked down the two flights of stairs leading to the basement, Walt Grimmlock noticed that the sun was almost completely gone from the sky. "Too bad about that dinner, it was going to be such a nice moon tonight..." He increased his pace, subconsciously fondling a pair of goggles in his left pocket, and slicking back his hair with the other.

[Red Loki (admin)]

Following the map memorized in his mind he followed along the corridors ignoring those who passed while being ignored. That was the thing about chaos. When you let it rule, it gave you the open to do pretty much whatever you want. Red wasn't one who sought chaos. He simply enjoyed the opportunity it presented.

According to his source if he followed this last hallway he would eventually come to a door with an out of order sign posted on the door handle. It was there, according to said source, he would find the staircase that led to the underground laboratories. Once down there he would be on his own.

Never being the type of person who rushed anything, Red kept his steady pace even as he watched a nurse rush right past him. Poor thing could trip and hurt herself if she rushed like that. His men had explicit orders to leave this hospital untouched. What would it do to burn every single building in West City. They planned on occupying it after all.

At long last Red came to the door way he sought. Not hiding a smile, Red wasted no time freezing the door handle then shattering it. No need to play with locks when you could simply freeze the entire handle and lock system then break it with a simple punch. It made getting into things easier.

Pushing the door open, Red began his decent. Lit by small light bulbs overhead, the staircase looked like it hadn't been walked in years with all the cluttered dust. However there was no mistaking the footprints left in the dust in front him. Someone didn't care to sweep the stairs. Then again it was just a staircase.

At long last Red came to what he sought. The laboratories. "Someone's a necrophilicc." Red had not expected what he found. There were body parts hanging on the walls, scalpels with dried blood on them, very odd looking medical machinery and some dead bodies lying out on tables with their stomachs and other parts of their bodies cut wide open. How the hell was he going to find a bunch of stones in this mess of a place.

[The Fiend]

The Doctor hummed a little diddy as he finally reached the first floor. He had to hurry, time was running out and he had to salvage whatever was down there even if he couldn't remember exactly what it was. people were pouring out of the building, and if Doctor Walt Grimmlock wasn't so quick on his feet he would have been trampled.

The Military obviously hadn't wasted much time mobilizing, The Doctor could tell that just by the fact that the hospital was shaking like there was a god damned earthquake happening. Yet curiously, the hospital was for the most part intact, why wasn't anyone attacking the place yet, the Doctor wondered? It was a major government building, and it wasn't very well guarded to boot. You'd think there would be some sort of strategic attack on the place, but Grimmlock had yet to see any such thing.

The good doctors musings were interrupted abruptly when he saw the door to his lab, the handle broken and frozen off, the dark staircase seeming normal in it's mysteriousness, but at the same time obviously violated by the intruder. Doc Grim locks Green eyes widened in shock, and he grasped his head with his left hand and clenched tightly on the bangs of his hair.

"Someone...has broken into my laboratory." A gloved hand belonging to a Military Sergent caught the Doctor's shoulder. "Dr. Grimmlock! We gotta get you outta here sir! it's not safe here any more, and we've just gotten orders from command to ensure the saftey of all state Alchemists! Come on!"

The soldier tried to drag Grimmlock by the shoulder but found that it was locked in place, which was unusual given how skinny the good doctor actually was. The beginnings of a sinister smile slowly made its way across the good Doctor's face. "But they broke into my laboratory Sgt, why would they break into my laboratory Sgt? There's nothing there for anybody!" The Sergent gave him a blank look "um, I'm not sure, sir, but does it really matter right now? there are more pressing concerns!"

Too bad the Sgt wasn't really talking to kindly Doctor Walt any more. The Psychopomp Alchemist's other half had surfaced with the waning of the sun, Mad Doc Grimlock was out and about. His hair had been completely slicked back into a scalp lock, he had adorned his blue tinted goggles, and placed large gloves on his hands. His smile showed so much teeth than anything else, and his voice had deepened into a lighthearted cackling thing.

He rubbed his automail arms together, a gesture that was disguised as shock but was actually a methodical procedure to make sure the Doc had all his armaments. He did. Fun times were indeed ahead.

"But Sergent, He BROKE into my LABORATORY! That's not very polite! I need to have a talk with this ruffian." And with a grin and a wink, the Mad Doc did descend, sliding down the arm handle to the basement below. The sergent stared in shock yelling "But DOCTOR! I" "I JUST WANNA HAVE A TALK WITH HIM!" A shout echoed from the flight.

The PsychoPomp Alchemist finiished his descent with a flip, yelling "TA-DA!" upon his dramatic entrance. The first thing he saw was the pretty boy in the military uniform. Adjusting his glasses Doc Grimlock chuckled and said, while grabbing a scalpel from his coat and throwing it up and down in his hand. "I'm sorry young man, but if you want to make an appointment, You'll have to schedule one at the reception area. My office is strictly off limits, and if I find out you were messing with my patients especially Mrs. Robinson. I'm afraid we will have to have words. Now, care to explain who the hell you are, cause I know every high ranking soldier in this town, and you ain't one of them."

[Red Loki (admin)]

Why was it that it was always the crazies that Red ran into. First there was his old master. The old coon had been obsessed that his books were talking to him. Red couldn't count how many times he had walked in on him shouting at his book cases. Well the man had been a genius when it came to alchemy. Too bad he gave that all up for immortality.

Red hadn't touched a thing in this god forsaken place. He was quite afraid that he might catch something from one of the bodies after all. Then again could he even get sick now that he was a homunculus? He hadn't tested that theory yet. Not that it was the time to do so.

"No one of importance Doctor." Red replied to the Doctor with a crazed look in his eye. Red gave the doctor a distinguished bow as if he bowed to a king, with one arm stretched out and the other touching his heart. Red had been quite certain that there would be no one in these laboratories.

Standing out of his bow, Red went ahead and strolled past some of the bodies laid out on the tables. "You have a very.... interesting... setup here." Red stopped over one of the bodies and folding his hands behind him he took a closer look at one of the female bodies with her chest cut open. He made sure not to touch any of the doctor's specimens. He had no idea who Ms. Robinson was, but he didn't want to upset the doctor. Not yet anyway.

"It seems that these are all homunculi. Interesting I had heard tales of a doctor who collected homunculi. I was wondering. Just what did you do with their philosopher stones?" Walking past the table he stopped again at one of the table's with scalpels on them. "Ah transmutation circles. So you must be an alchemist them. Well alchemist. I am a man of deals. Are you a man of chance? Cause if you are then I have a deal for you! If not, then perhaps I shall find a better alchemist with a brighter mind to devour such a secret I have."

[The Fiend]

Mad Doc Grimmlock feigned interest in the intruder's diatribe, gently stroking the blade of his scalpel, flexing the the muscles of his automail fingers. While at the same time assessing his laboratory as discreetly as possible.

Judging by the state of his lab being untouched, the wretched intruder must not have been here long, nothing was out of place, not even lovely Mrs. Robinson...well except for the fact that she appeared to have finally died after all of the previous evenings fun. The Mad Doc couldn't help but feel a bit sad at the loss, Dear Mrs. Robinson had been one of his most resilient patients. Able to withstand great deals of agony that even other Homunculi would have eventually succumbed to. But she had reached her breaking point, and he had so been looking forward to this night on the town. It was such a SAD thought. He just didn't know if he could ever be happy again.

"Of course." the Doc thought with a gleam in his eye "I might just have a new plaything." This young intruder was clearly not an officer, and judging by the attack he was most likely an enemy. Possibly a homunculus! although he didn't seem to know much about his own species biology.

The Doc frowned as he stepped closer to the intruder, sliding his hand over the faces of all his good little patients. If he was even slightly wrong in this hypothesis, then he would fall under much scrutiny. Best to keep the Man talking by playing around.

The Doc snickered at the conclusion of the intruder's speech, and the dim lightbulb flickered, darkening the room further and illuminating the blue tinted goggles that the Mad Doc wore. "Ok, Mr. Robber, your arrogance has intrigued me. Tell me about this deal of yours. And whether you make me laugh or make me angry..." he cut Mrs. Robinson's red head right off. "Decides Whether you get to live or die. So start talking."

[Red Loki (admin)]

Red smiled. He was an opportunist at heart, and he would forever remain one. Deciding not to get too close to the odd doctor, Red walked over to the entrance he had come from. He was not right in front of the stair case, but it was only a couple of yards away if he needed a quick exit.

"Well you see I have something to offer, and I suppose you have something of value too someone like me. I myself have studied in the art of alchemy. And seeing as you are a doctor who also seems to have an eye for experimentation I have a wonderful proposition for you. "

Red really had no proposition. His only reason for being here had been to get those stones. Now he faced a possible maniac who was not about to simply let him come and steal his stones. However just because Red didn't have a proposition didn't mean he didn't want to make one. Everyone, be they poor, rich, good, or completely insane, was a possible client.

Folding his hands in front of him, Red looked at the head of the homunculus the doctor had cut right off. He sure hoped that wasn't Ms. Robinson. Poor thing never stood a chance. And in his pondering Red had an idea. "It seems to me doctor that you have a habit of... well.... doing things with homunculi. And it so happens that I have a growing number of homunculi disposable to me by the good Cretan government. Does this spark your interest?"

[The Fiend]

The Doc could see that this blonde haired pretty boy was the type to bolt if he felt threatened. Oh Doc Grimmlock had encountered people like him before, as proud and fierce as a lion with the same penchant for toying with prey when they were certain that they would always come out on top. And yet they would run like gazelles when they were so frightened or just even slightly intimidated.

Caressing the crimson haired head of Mrs. Robinson in his hands, The Doc simply chuckled at the intruders query. "Spark my interest? Habit? My friend you wound me! This is more than just some weekend hobby for me. IT IS A WAY OF LIFE!" He tossed Mrs. Robinson's head up and down in his hand while he explained "It's not just Homunculi I take as patients, it is all enemies of the Amestris Military! Down to the last man, woman, and child! But lately it's mostly been Homunculi that grace my office with their moral ailments." With that he tossed the head into the disposable body segment trash that he kept near the fridge.

The Mad Doc Psychopomp didn't find it all surprising that his opponent was edging closer and closer to the entrance, and why Grimmlock was in turn, playing around the lines of corpses that he had shackled to the walls. Some with heads missing, others with all of their organs removed, some he had added makeshift automail parts to just for shits and giggles. The smell of blood and death sent goosebumps riding down his back. A pity they weren't alive anymore, he would have liked to kill them all over again.

But playtime wasn't now and he had two more pressing reasons for why he was playing with the lifeless husks that were his former patients. 1: It obviously disturbed his guest. Perhaps not out of disgust or fear, but on instinctual level. And it was always good to have the psychological advantage. The second reason was that Grimmlock had hidden a certain lever in the back of the corpses, that would raise an iron wall over the entrance to the hospital. And he had found that lever.

Fondling it gently the Doc raised his index finger and shook it at the intruder. "Although I do admit that administering Homunculi to my tender treatments does give me MUCH more satisfaction than regular people. Maybe it's because they are so damn sure that they will never ever die. Maybe it's because I can do things with them that I could never do with the mundane patients. Skin them alive five times, remove muscle tissue and watch it regrow, just to rip it off again. If I wanted to I could start an organ farm with all the times they regenerate, oh wait I already DO!"

The Doc pulled the lever, and the iron door emerged from the floor. He cocked his head back and gave his best puppy dog face. "You look a little antsy friend. Sit, stay a while, take your coat off. and tell me more about these endless homunculi that I would get to kill all I want. forever and ever and ever."

The lab was one his most inner sanctums and of course Grimmlock had a back door, but it wasn't in an obvious place and required a lot of searching to find unless you knew exactly where it was. That being said Grimmlock knew the iron door was not enough to keep back a determined alchemist, much less a homunculus, but it was HOW the intruder would remove it that would seal his fate.

"By the way My name is Doc Grimmlock, but I've been called the Psychopomp Alchemist by some. Tell me what is your name and rank, Mr. Alchemist. Because you MUST be an alchemist to have frozen and broken my entrance. I mean how else would you do such a thing?"

[Red Loki (admin)]

Red shook his head. Things were getting a bit too hasty for his own liking. This was the difficulty when one dealt with a crazy person. You could never expect what they might do. However when the iron bars crashed down, Red found himself shaking his head. Did the alchemist really think simple iron was going to stop him from leaving. After all any alchemist could transmute the bars into something else.

This left Red with a choice. Should he stay here and continue to work out a deal with this insane creature, who upon learning of his lack of alchemy powers would likely want to dissect him? Decisions. decisions. Red smiled. Well if he was going to leave he was going to leave in style.

"I am none other then the Glacier Alchemist, I doubt you have heard of me though seeing I am Cretan born and raised. See things are a bit different in Cretan society. One acquires said alchemist name from the disposal of its previous owner. Well it isn't usually done this way but it is how I did it."

Red didn't waste another minute. As soon as the last word exited his lips his arms swept in motion. The first simply swiped the air in front of him as the air froze in front of him taking the shape of a large blade of ice. As it froze in a matter of a second it was propelled forward by its own force of creation heading right towards the doctor.

In spontaneous to this a growing forms of ice grew in-between each iron bar driving it out of place as each grew too big to fit between each bar. This left an opening just wide enough for Red's slick body to exit out of. Wasting no time he slipped through and began the rise up the stair case.

[The Fiend]

The Doc's eyes widened behind his blue tinted goggles as the blade of ice hurtled towards him. He barely had time to lock both of his arms together to block the more fragile portions of his all too human anatomy. But even the strength of his auto-mail arms couldn't stop the force of impact driving him back a few steps nor prevent the sleeves of his labcoat from being slightly torn near his elbows, revealing the metal limbs underneath. On top of that the blade shattered into a dozen pieces on impact, one of the shards cutting his cheek.

The Doc smiled in that enigmatic way that could either mean fury or excitement, while rubbing the wound with his fingers and then licking the blood off the tips. and then drawing two of his scalpels from within the folds of his coat. "Glacial Spring Water Homunculus huh? Thanks for sharing." He then took off like a bolt, following the intruder up the stairs. Years of stalking his prey had taught the Mad Doc how to run, if nothing else. Keeping up with a homunculus was essential, if you wanted to induce the kind of fear that would keep them up at nights.

He never should have turned his back on me. The Doc thought gleefully, while keeping his eyes firmly planted on the back of the Glacier Alchemist's right knee, lining up his sight with it in just the right way. First rule of warfare little Creatan Homunculus, never ever leave yourself vulnerable to an enemy who knows exactly how to hurt you. As the Doc finished that thought he saw his window and flung his scalpel at the back of the Alchemist's knee. Such fun this new plaything would be, once his speed was reduced.

[Red Loki (admin)]

When Red hit ground level he when not surprised to find the hospital all but vacant. Red could still hear gunshots through the windows, which told him the battle wasn't over yet. However, Red knew it was only a matter of time before West City was theirs.

As Red sprinted down the hallway he heard the running footsteps of the doctor behind him. Taking the chance to take a look back, Red swore. Damn it, but the doctor was fast. This wasn't going to be as easy as he had first hoped. This would be the last time Red trusted any medical officer's words without checking out the place.

Red was forced to slow down as something sliced into the back of his knee. Swearing aloud as the scalpel hit just below between the knee. If Red had been running any slower the scalpel would have hit between his knee and would have forced him to stop. Thankfully the knife hadn't struck there.

There was no time to take the knife out without the doctor catching him. So instead, Red flashed his hands outward and a wall of ice formed between him and the crazy doctor. The ice wasn't thick only about two inches in diameter. However it should make the doctor pause long enough for Red to take out the knife. Trusting his own judgment of the mad doctor Red pulled the syringe out of his leg. If the doctor did not pause he would plow right through the ice no doubt about it, and would catch Red for sure.

[The Fiend]

The Doc was too focused on his hunt to really notice or care about the empty hospital. It was always like this during the nighttime outings that compromised the Psychopomp Alchemist's nocturnal existence. He was a creature of self-gratification, and nothing mattered or even existed to him other than himself, the prey, and the utter thrill of the chase. During these times the Doc felt like he was having the sweetest of dreams, flying through rooftops and alleyways in a never-ending rush of adrenaline and ecstasy. Although to his prey who were often on the receiving end of his blade, the whole experience might seem more like the most depraved of nightmares.

Grimmlock was livid with glee by the time the intruder had raised his ice wall. Laughing like the madman he really was. The wall wasn't nearly thick enough to even slow him down, much less stop him in his tracks, How sloppy of his opponent to underestimate him so. If he had made this wall just a bit thicker, he might have been able to escape. As it was, it was no problem at all for The Doc to flex his left arm, thereby unsheathing the machete hidden within the confines of his automail appendage, and then slicing the blue barrier in half with the blade.

The Doctor pounced over the remains of the ice wall, sheathing the machete back into his left arm so that he could land on his left hand once he was on the other side, and then used his momentum to somersault directly in front of his opponent, who hadn't gained much distance because he had been busy removing the first scalpel. Unfortunately for The Glacier Alchemist, the Doctor still had the other scalpel clenched firmly in his right hand.

Still grinning like a maniac in the intruders face, The Mad Doc asked "Do you know what the most exhilarating sensation a man can experience in this world is Mr. Glacial Spring Water?" and with that he ducked, and sliced vertically downward with his remaining scalpel, aiming for the front of the leg that he had cut in the back earlier. "It's the opportunity to destroy something beautiful."

[Red Loki (admin)]

Red had expected his opponent to be slowed down the wall. Apparently he was wrong. Not that it really mattered. Red was prepared for every possible outcome. He had been caught in worst pickles then this one. As his opponent somersaulted in front of him, Red didn't waste any time.

Reaching into the pocket of his Amestris military uniform he withdrew three small knifes. As his opponent ducked and sliced vertically towards him Red threw the three daggers at his opponent while stepping backwards. The daggers were alchemically transmuted to explode on contact.

Not even waiting to see the outcome of his attack, Red touched the wall to his left. Ice formed in the middle of the wall and expanded causing the wall to bust in the sound of a crash. Stepping through the wall into a parallel hallway, Red sprinted down the hallway. Thank goodness he had the blue print of this place memorized. If he hadn't this would have been a much more difficult mission.

He didn't expect his opponent to be caught off guard nor did he expect for those daggers to stop his opponent. He needed to get out of this god forsaken hospital. Red decided to take a risk. Instead of running towards the exit sign at the end of the hall he sprinted into a patients room. There was only one way in and one way out.

[The Fiend]

"Son of a bitch!" Grimmlock exclaimed as the intruder somehow managed to not only dogde his attack, but successfully counter it as well. Three knives were now headed straight for him, and the only thing that could save him was quick reaction time.

The knives had all been thrown in unison, in a straight vertical line all of them aimed directly at his head, but one would strike before the other two. Given what had happened with the ice blade earlier, The Doc assessed that even these were perfectly ordinary daggers, they wre probably set to do something particularly nasty upon impact. As such, simply blocking them was out of the question, and they were going far too fast to simply dodge out of the way.

So the only other way around this was to change the momentum of the first dagger. After coming to that conclusion in the nanosecond after the daggers had been thrown, the Doc threw the scalpel in his right hand towards the first dagger, where they collided in the air,and that first dagger tilted ever so slightly, so that it was in the direct path of the second.

With that Grimmlock hit the floor and rolled to his immediate right, hiding under his lab coat and locking his arms together to protect himself from the debris of the chained explosion that had been caused. The boom caused by the knives roared inside the Doc's head for what seemed like an eternity, only to end less than a second later.

The Doc pulled himself together, stood up and observed the debris. Smoke billowed in the air, and there was no sign of either of the two scalpels that made up his first pair. Shit, he had really been fond of those two. He could replace them later of course, but they had been the implements he had used in his time with dear Mrs. Robinson. You can't put a price on sentimental value.

while muttering aloud several tasteful euphemisms, The Doc, drew his trusty handgun from the holster he kept under his coat, loaded it, and then placed it in his right hand. While cracking the finger muscles in his left. He then dashed after his prey into the next room.

The Doc realized that trying to fight hand to hand with this man was pointless, unless he could somehow inflict a significant handicap. Luckily, The Doc knew exactly how to do so. He shot four rounds directly at the glacier alchemist, one for each limb. But he didn't expect his foe to be at all hindered by this, he just wanted him to be distracted enough from dodging and blocking the bullets, that he wouldn't have enough time to intercept the second phase of the plan. The Doc was lunging after the bullets, trappesing through the air, his left hand drawn into a clawlike position, just waiting for the opportunity to grab his prey and inject him with the needles that his gloves covered up so nicely.

[Red Loki (admin)]

Entering the room, Red did an about face. As he expected the doctor came in right after him. Red was a little surprised to see that the doctor no longer held the scalpels he seemed to be so fond of before. This time he held a pistol. Red's surprise did show on his face as he backed towards a wall.

As shot after shot sounded the bullets hit. However the doctor's shot was a bit off. Gun's weren't your greatest of marksmen. Shooting at blank range like this without even taking the time for proper aim your chances of hitting your target were lessened by a significant degree.

One bullet aimed at his right limb hit his shoulder causing Red's shoulder to be thrown back. This got him out of line of the shots aiming for his leg, but the second bullet hit his other shoulder throwing it the opposite way. As he stumbled back towards the wall the look of surprise turned to a smile as the wall behind him collapsed as ice broke it apart.

What came out of the dust was not at all what the doctor surely would have thought. Ten soldiers with machine guns raised and pointed at the doctor. Just because Red had ordered his soldiers not to enter the hospital did not mean he had it surrounded. Should have taken my offer doctor. Fire!"