The rest of the semester break went by and before the kids knew it, it was time for them to go back to the Academy. None of them really wanted to go though considering Amy was still missing but none more so than Nina. They didn’t see each other much while at school, but none the less, it wouldn’t be the same there without her and Nina didn’t want to be wasting time in classes when she could be out looking for her too. To make things worse, Edward would be returning to the Central Academy with them. Mustang had tried to talk him out of it as he had done when Nina was almost kidnapped, but this time he had no luck, Edward wasn’t budging. Edward had been temporarily transferred from the Eastern Branch of the Academy so that no one would question why he was there.
The morning that they were leaving, Edward, Nina, Adrienne, Riley and Austin gathered at the train station. Mustang and Havoc had already gone back to Central Command the day before and Alphonse and May were needed at the clinic so only Natalie, E.J., and Maes were at the station to see them all off. It was probably better this way though; Nina wasn’t really up for some huge send off gathering right now anyway.
Boarding the train, they decided to sit in the rear most passanger car as many other people didn’t usually like to sit there and they all could have their privacy. There were a few last things Edward wanted to talk to the kids about anyway and in this car they were the least likely to be over heard. As the train pulled away from the station, the group got settled in for the ride.
“Now, there are a few things I want to go over with you guys,” Edward started. “Once you get back to school Nina, Riley and his friends are going to continue watching over you. There will be more of an MP presence around you too so don’t go running off anywhere without letting them know where you’re going.”
“But Dad!” Nina protested.
Edward shook his head and looked at her sternly. “No Nina, we’re not taking any chances. We don’t know why you and Amy were targeted and I’m not convinced that whoever is behind this won’t still come after you again.
Nina sat back in her seat in a huff, crossing her arms and looking out the window. Edward hating seeing her like that but he knew it was for her own good. He then turned his attention to Adrienne. “And I’m counting on you to keep an eye on her when the others can’t. You know now that the military thinks your father or you could be who are being watched and may be an ultimate goal of whomever is responsible and at this point the military still isn’t willing to count your father out as being directly involved. You’ve proven already that you’re not, that’s why I’m trusting you. I also can’t ignore my daughter’s feelings either. I know I can’t keep you guys apart and I don’t think I need to try, just… well… just protect her…”
Adrienne looked Edward in the eyes and nodded. “I’d give up everything to protect her Mr. Elric… Nina… well, she means everything to me. I’d protect her if you asked me to or not…”
Nina didn’t look at them while they talked about her but when she heard Adrienne say that she couldn’t help but to blush. It actually felt different than when he had said it to his father. Here he was pretty much declaring his intentions to her father. It almost felt like Adrienne was asking for Edward’s permission to see her. It was actually rather cute and it made her heart flutter a bit with happiness.
Edward couldn’t help but to chuckle to himself. He’d given an answer like that once upon a time himself and he couldn’t help but remember that day in Yuko’s back yard when he’d given that answer. He had pretty much looked at Natalie’s father with the same absolute resolve in his eyes that he now saw in Adrienne’s. It actually served to reassure him a little to see it and made him feel that his trust wasn’t being misplaced. “That’s good to know. There is one more thing I’d like to ask you, one more thing I’d like to know though.”
“What’s that?” Adrienne asked.
“What are your feelings about your father possibly having something to do with all of this?” Edward needed to know this especially since if the case turned up that he was involved. If that was what came to be that would possibly put Adrienne in a tough situation and Edward had to know if Nina would be in any more danger than she already could be.
Adrienne took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He didn’t want to think that his father could even think about doing such things as kidnapping girls. Then there was the chimeras showing up at the kidnapping sites and Adrienne already knew that his father was capable of making them, he was living proof of that though no one here but Natalie knew that. The evidence the military had though, the evidence that they had shared with him, well it was more than he could rationally ignore. It actually made him sick to think that maybe his father had started doing his old experiments again, the ones that had created him. Helping his mother had been one thing but after what had happened to her, how could he? And then to maybe be doing it on innocent girls too? It wasn’t possible was it? Finally Adrienne looked back up at Edward and sighed. “Before I answer that I think there’s more you need to know. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner but… well… My father forbid me from ever talking about it but I think right now it’s more important to tell you than keep it to myself anymore.”
Edward looked at him confused. Nina also turned to look at him too. Was Adrienne going to do what she thought he was going to? Was he going to tell the others the truth about him and what he was? Why would he do that? “Adrienne…”
Adrienne shook his head. “No Nina, they need to know the truth…” Adrienne took another deep breath. “As you all know, my father is a brilliant bio-alchemist but for years my mother and father couldn’t conceive a child. Of all the things my father could do with genetics and alchemy he couldn’t fix that, he couldn’t make the greatest dream that he and my mother shared come true. He then got the idea of combining animal genes with human ones at conception to create a stronger, more able to survive fetus. He toiled away and finally he was able to create an embryo from both him and my mother. He cultivated it in alchemically charged fluid that he injected into my mother’s blood stream and she was able to carry to term. That’s where I came from…”
Nina looked at him, a sad look in her eyes as she was starting to put the pieces together herself. She had known this was possible but hadn’t wanted to see it. Hearing him tell the story again and given the situation they currently found themselves it, it was like a slap in the face now. She didn’t want to believe it anymore than Adrienne did but even she couldn’t deny the possibility.
Riley and Austin just looked at Adrienne dumbfounded. They couldn’t believe what they were hearing. Edward just sighed heavily. “So what did he combine with their genetic material to get you?” he asked.
“Bird… A dove specifically. I’m actually an alchemy created, human born chimera. If I had more room, I could show you…” he said, lowering his head. After a moment he looked up again at Edward. “Well, not long after I was born, my mother died. My father thought it had been because she wasn’t already alchemically inclined to begin with and after I was born her body rejected the infused liquid he had given to her to sustain me. He swore then not to do it again though… that’s when he turned his attention to alchemically creating implantable organs and limbs for people instead but given what’s happened… I’ve never been into his lab, it was always the one place that was always off limits to me so I don’t know anything for sure but I can’t deny the possibility…”
Adrienne put his face into his hands and started to cry. Nina went over and put her arm around him. She then looked up at her father to see what he would say or do now that he knew the truth about Adrienne.
Edward just sighed heavily. This brought back way too many memories of the old days, ones he didn’t care to remember. Creating chimeras, especially human/animal ones, had ruined so many lives in those days. It was difficult for him to accept that someone would ever try it again. The irony of Nina falling in love with a chimera didn’t escape him either considering she’d been named after Shou Tucker’s daughter Nina who had been turned into a chimera by her father. Edward clenched his fists at the memory that still haunted him to this day. Then he got even angrier at the thought that one of his daughters could possibly be used for such things. He wasn’t going to let that happen, there was no way. He hadn’t been able to save Nina then but he was going to make damn sure he saved Amy.
Nina saw her father getting angrier and angrier. “Dad… please…” she said softly.
Edward closed his eyes tightly, a single tear running down his cheek. “How could anyone… Why would anyone still want to do such a thing?”
Adrienne looked up at Edward, his own eyes still damp from tears. “I’m sorry Mr. Elric, if you’ve changed your mind about me…”
Edward shook his head. “No Adrienne, it’s nothing to do with you, you never asked for this and it’s not your fault. I’ve known many human based chimeras and I know you’re not to blame. What pisses me off are people who try to play God without thought for the consequences…” He then put his hand on his automail leg and sighed. “I guess there are still people out there that have to learn the hard way… the same way my brother and I did…”
Adrienne sighed. “It’s amazing what people will do when they’re desperate, but I guess you have the answer to the question you originally asked me… If my father really is involved I don’t think I could ever forgive him.”
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