(Train Station)

        The door swung open, and my boots hit the ground while the car was still moving. I managed to balance myself as I ran down the platform, following the large man with a large crate held on his shoulder.
        "Major Arms-"
        A hand clapped over my mouth, and I felt myself being hauled away. My muscles immediately tensed, and a blinding surge of energy spread through my body.
        I shifted all of my body weight down, firmly planting my feet into the ground. The guy grunted, and the second I felt the grip on me loosen, I took the opportunity to sink my teeth deep into his hand; a metallic taste filled my mouth. When he yanked his hand away, I spun around and shoved the guy away, putting all my strength behind it, but this guy didn't budge one bit; it felt like I was just pushing on a brick wall.
        "Are you stupid?" Sgt. Douglas muttered in annoyance, "You know only a handful of people know you're still alive, right? You're like a moth to a flame, too dumb to recognize danger, and yet here you are, running away from the person who's been assigned to protect you, trying to announce your presence to the whole world. What would you have done if Scar were here?"
        Each insult felt like a punch to the gut. I opened my mouth to say something, only to receive a harsh flick to the forehead. "You should be grateful the Fuhrer even thought it would be okay for you to see the brothers off, or did you forget they were targeted too? Do you want to cause more people to die?"
        "I... You're right... I'm sorry." I muttered as I rubbed my head.
        "Idiot." He scoffed.
        My good mood had completely faded away; my body felt weightless as he practically dragged me back down the platform to the train. The air started feeling heavy, my mental health felt like it was in a rapid decline... I'm usually not someone who is easily bothered by insults or discipline; yes, sometimes it hurts, and yes, sometimes it's warranted, and I'll own up to my mistakes when it is, but there's just something about this guy who just knows exactly what buttons to push... What's worse is that it feels like he enjoys it...
        Once we got close enough, Douglas gave me a sharp push in the middle of my back, not enough to make me stumble but enough to signal that I needed to continue walking to Armstrong and Ed while he stood a little ways away. I just needed to at least try and act like my normal self, and I'll finally be rid of this guy.
        "Hey Nik, I didn't realize you were heading out today too," Ed said when I stopped by him and Armstrong.
        I forced a soft smile. "Yeah, Bradley had told me that you were heading out today, too. I'm glad we got here in enough time to meet up with you guys."
        Ed gave me a puzzled look. "We?"
        I widened my eyes and deliberately moved my pupils to the left, making an obvious/not-so-obvious hint to look that way. Luckily, Ed followed nonverbal instructions well and glanced just past my shoulder at Douglas.
        "Oh, you've been stuck with a babysitter, too, huh?" He said in obvious annoyance.
        I tilted my head from side to side. "Eh, kind of. I'm actually looking forward to being under Armstrong's watch. This guy's been a massive d-"
        I bit down on the inside of my cheek when I realized I was about to start rambling. Trying to change the subject, I stepped towards one of the large maps they have placed around the station.
        "I think we'll be on the same train until..." I trailed off as I traced my finger along the route before tapping on a spot. "East City—that's when we'll go our separate ways."
        "All aboard!"

~~~***~~~***~~~

        Ed, Armstrong, and I were sitting on the train, waiting for departure, when a knock suddenly came from the window. We turned to see Lt. Colonel Hughes waving with a big smile. I quickly opened the window, and he set his elbow on the edge.
        “Hey, just came to see you off since everyone else is busy.”
        “Great… But would you mind telling me why we're stuck with the Major?” Ed asked, annoyed, "Why couldn't he stay back like Nicole's bodyguard?"
        “For protection. What would happen if Scar came after you again? You’re in no shape for a fight…” Hughes glanced towards Ed, who gripped his automail arm.
        "As for Nicole, don't forget that she's technically supposed to be dead. I don't think things would go well if Scar saw her still walking around." Hughes continued as he looked towards me this time, "Anyway, the Major is here to help. Just grin and bear it.”
        “Children are so stubborn…” Armstrong muttered.
        “Shut up! I’m not a child!” Ed exclaimed as he stared up at the Major.
        I, on the other hand, just chuckled. I'd take being called a child all day over whatever treatment Bradley's guard was giving me. I racked my brain, trying to think if I gave him a reason for him to act that way. But the most logical reason I could think of was that he just didn't like me; no reason was needed.
        “My brother isn’t a farm animal!” Ed's sudden shout brought me out of my thoughts.
        “Looks like it’s time.” Hughes said as the train whistle blew, “You guys have safe trips! Ed, next time you and Al are in Central, come and see me! Nicole, the people you're going to help will be so lucky to have you; keep doing great things, and we'll all have to have dinner when you return."
        Hughes then backed away from the train and saluted us, which Armstrong and I returned. We waved to him one last time as the train finally left the station.

~~~***~~~***~~~

(Nameless Town)

        Some time later, the train stopped at its first stop. Ed stirred awake when it finally came to a halt. He stood up and began to stretch a bit; I'm assuming that he gets restless easily, which is awful when having to travel vast distances all the time.
        Ed looked down at me. "I've been meaning to ask, where out East are they-"
        He was then cut off, and I found myself unable to breathe as his chest pressed against my face, forcing my head into the window. Armstrong, who had suddenly gotten up, had his head hanging out the window.
        “Dr. Marcoh! Dr. Marcoh! That is you, isn’t it? It’s me! Alex Louis Armstrong from Central!” I heard the Major yelling.
        Just when I thought I was going to pass out, air finally filled my lungs again as Ed pulled himself off of me; a slight red tint had appeared across his cheeks.
        “Friend of yours?” Ed asked.
        “He’s from Central, a talented State Alchemist who was researching possible applications for medical alchemy,” Major explained.
        "I thought I had recognized that name; he was the Crystal Alchemist, correct? I was told he had died in the Ishvalan War." I asked as I looked out the window.
        “A guy like this may know something about bio-alchemy. Major, go get Al, please.” Ed had grabbed his suitcase and started heading off the train.
        We walked around town, asking the people ifthey'de seen a man named Tim Marcoh. Armstrong actually drew up a sketch of the man to help.
        “Do you know who this person is by any chance?” Major asked another person while showing his drawing.
        “Wow, Major, you can really draw,” Ed said, surprised.
        “The art of drawing has been passed down the Armstrong family for generations.” He said proudly.
        The man we were talking to only had to take one glance at the drawing before saying, “That man looks like Dr. Mauro to me.”
        “Mauro?” I asked as the man nodded.
        “All of our town’s doctors were drafted to help in the Civil War. Then Dr. Mauro came here, and he’s really been a lifesaver!”
        We continued to make our way around the town.
        “He’ll see anyone and never give up on them. We are lucky he is here!” A woman said, “You see this great big flash of light, and that’s it; you’re cured!”
        We all gave each other looks and asked for his address.

                                                                                                          ~~~***~~~***~~~

(Marcoh's House)

        “This is it,” Ed stated. The three of us stood in front of this man’s door. “Um… Hello?”
        Ed slowly opened the door.
        “You should at least knock first before you go barging into some stranger’s house; that’s one way to get shot,” I muttered to him.
        That's when I found out that I had the power to see into the future, as a gun suddenly came into view and fired off a shot.
        “Ah!” Ed shouted, Lucky it missed.
        “Tell me what you three are doing here! Are you here to take me back?!” A scared look was plastered on this man's face.
        “Please, doctor… Calm down.” Armstrong raised a hand assuredly.
        “No! I don’t ever want to go back to that place! Anything but that!” He turned the gun towards me, gripping it tighter as his hands shook.
        I threw my hands up. “That’s not it at all…”
        “So, you’re here to silence me then?! I won’t be tricked by you!” Armstrong, seemingly fed up with the situation, yelled, “That’s enough!” and then threw the crate that contained Al at the man.
        “Alphonse!” Ed cried out in shock.

~~~***~~~***~~~

        All of us were sitting at a table; Dr. Marcoh had finally calmed down enough to actually sit and have a conversation with us.
        “So you changed your name and decided to live out here in the countryside. If the rumors I heard can be believed, then you disappeared and took secret government materials with you.” Armstrong started.
        “I couldn’t handle it anymore… Order after order, to have my hands dirty with researching that thing was too much…” Marcoh explained, sweat beading on his forehead as he rambled, "It took so many lives during the Civil War. So many innocents died because of it. I could spend my whole life trying and never atone for the things I did, but I had to do something. So I came here to be a doctor, to save lives instead of taking them.”
        “Doctor… What exactly was it you were ordered to research? What thing?” Armstrong asked.
        Dr. Marcoh seemed to hesitate for a second before answering.
        “The Philosopher’s Stone…”
        I heard Ed and Al gasp. I'll admit it, I was taken aback too. I've heard the stories about the Philosopher's Stone and read about it numerous times in alchemy books—a stone that could bypass the Law of Equivalent Exchange.
        But all that was just stories, right? Nothing but an urban legend...
        “The top secret materials I took were my research documents… and the stone itself.”
        “Y-you mean you still have it?! It’s here?!” Ed asked.
        Marcoh reached into his jacket and pulled out a vial of a red substance. I leaned in on the table a bit more, trying to get a better look.
        “How can that be the stone? It’s a liquid…” I asked as Marcoh opened the vial and dumped it onto the table. We watched him in shock as the substance took shape on the table.
        “The Sage’s Stone, the Grand Elixir, the Celestial Stone… Just as the Philosopher’s Stone is called by many names, it has many forms…" Marcoh explained while Ed began to poke the thing, “It’s not necessarily a stone. This is an incomplete product... There’s no way to know when it’ll reach its limit.
        “Finished or not, it demonstrated a lot of power during the Ishvalan Civil War, right?” Ed asked him.
        If this actually is a real philosopher's stone, then just imagine what you could do with it. In the right hands, who knows what could come from it? I am now very much invested in learning how I could get my hands on one.
        “It’s just like the stone that the false prophet in Liore had,” Al said as Ed agreed.
        “Right, incomplete, but still amplified his power greatly.” Ed smirked, “If an imitation stone could be produced, then who is to say a complete one can’t be done?”
        Ed then slammed his hands on the table. “Please, Dr. Marcoh, I need access to your research materials!”
        “Major, who exactly are these kids?” Marcoh asked, giving the Major an odd look.
        “These kids are State Alchemists.”
        “What?! But they are only children! After the war, there were so many state alchemists who turned in their certifications because they refused to serve as human weapons any longer, and now children?”
        "I had to do this too, but I'm trying to do what you're doing now. I joined to help people." I explained as I gripped the watch in my pocket.
        “You don’t think I know what I signed up for?! I know exactly what I'm doing. I don’t have any choice. This is a mistake I have to make either way…” Ed spoke, gripping onto his coat where his automail arm should be.

~~~***~~~***~~~