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"That will be 50 marks."
Ed took the apple and put a few money on the table. "Thanks, frau," he said.
He walked down the lonely streets of Munich as he bit his apple. There were still a few rotten corpses and rubbles on the street. The street lamps were still standing, with the glass broken.
"Ah..." he said with a sigh. "The inflasion sure is high..."
He suddenly felt something weird in his throat. He quickly spit out the apple. "What's this sour smell?" he asked as he looked at the apple. The apple was showing some brown spots on it.
"Great, it's rotten," he said with a sigh. "So, 50 marks for a rotten apple."
He looked around him, to the corpses laying on the street. They were rather brown, and some has some crows sitting on it. Most of them were red in colour.
Ed held a deep breath as he continued eating. "I'd better eat something before I turn to be like that," he said as he walked faster.
"Yes, that's the one," a soldier said as he pointed at Ed. A man looked at him for a while, and sighed. "You sure?" he asked. "Positive, sir," the soldier said. The man looked at Ed and looked at his man. "How will we do this, then?" he asked. "I don't know, sir," the man asked.
"Brother! Brother!"
Ed looked back and saw Al running to him. He was holding a small red box and his white shirt was dirty.
"Ah..." he said. "How did you manage to live?"
Al showed the box. "Some rice," he said with a grin. "And some vegetables."
Ed rubbed his nose as he closed his eyes. "Must be rotten," he said. "No, last night's leftovers," Al said. "It may not smell good, but I'm sure it's better than you apple, brother," he said with a grin. Ed sighed and smiled. "Let's go. Heiderich's waiting," he said. Al smiled and nodded.
"Yeah," he said. "Let's go."
•••
"Who are you?"
"You'll see."
"What do you want? Let go!"
"You'll see, be patient."
•••
"Hm..."
Ed opened his eyes slowly and blinked a few times. "Ah..." he grunted as he saw darkness around him. "I'm here again... No, I'm still here..."
He sat up and felt some pain on his back. "Ow..." he said as he rubbed his back.
"Hey, guy, woke up already?"
Ed looked up and saw a man looking into the dark room. He sighed and laid his back against the wall. "Yes, I'm awake. What's wrong?" he asked. "We've got a gift for you," the man said.
Ed sat up. "What kind of rotten gifts do you have?" he asked. The man sighed. "What a sharp boy," he said. He then closed the hole. Ed sighed and laid down. He could hear cracks and jingles.
"Well..." the man said as he opened the door. "You'll see."
Ed smiled. "I have no more power for your tortures," he said. "No, it's not that," the man said. "Then what is it?" he asked. "You'll see," the man said as he dragged Ed out of his cell. Ed held the man's hand tight and stood up. "I can still walk," he said. "Don't underestimate."
The man smiled. "Walk on your own, then, strong guy," he said.
•••
Mengele walked around in the small wooden room with only a table and two seats on the centre. His boots clicked loudly with the wooden floor.
KNOCK KNOCK
"Yes," he said as he stopped walking. "Sir, he's here," a man shouted from outside. Mengele smiled and sat on one of the chairs. "Come in," he said. "Just him and me. You guys may leave."
The door flew open and Ed walked into the room as he looked around. Mengele smiled and stood up.
"Guten Morgen (good morning), Herr Elric. Let me introduce myself," he said. Ed looked at him for a while, a man smiling with his eyes didn't.
"The name is Mengele," he said. "Joseph Mengele."
"Oh, yeah. I ever heard of you before. You're famous in the holocaust," Ed said. Mengele sighed and sat down. "Please, sit down," he said.
Ed pulled the only empty chair and sat down. "The man said there's a gift for me," he said. "Why, impatient, aren't you?" Mengele asked with a sigh. "Can we please just make it quick?" Ed asked. Mengele smiled cynically and nodded. "Sure, we will," he said as he put his hands on the table.
"Now..." he said. "I've heard from a few people," he said. "People?" Ed asked. "Yes, right, say, Haushofer," Mengele said. "You remember him, don't you?"
Ed nodded and gulped. "Something wrong?" he asked. Mengele sighed and supported his head with a hand.
"You're not from this world, are you..."
Ed was surprised. "You mean?" he asked. "Karl (Haushofer) mentioned something about a gate," Mengele said. "A circle, and another world just like Germany," he said.
Ed sighed. "So this is what you need the Stone for," he said. Mengele smiled. "Exactly! Sharp, aren't you?" he asked. "But why are you interested?" Ed asked. "To show the world that the Nazis aren't over," Mengele said as he stood up.
"So that's why you brought me here, tortured me for a few days, asking me for a Stone," Ed concluded. "Classic."
"No, that's not it, Edward," Mengele said. He unbuttoned his collar button and took out something. A necklace with red pendant.
"What's that?" Ed asked as Mengele took it off. "What do you think?" Mengele asked as he put it on the table. Ed took it and looked at it closely, before then his eyes turned wide. "Do you know?" Mengele asked. Ed nodded. "This..."
"So don't make me laugh," Mengele said. "We do have the Stone."
Ed slammed the necklace to the table. "If you're telling me to open the door, I'm not going to do it," he said. "Why not?" Mengele asked. "We can rule a whole new world..."
"Just like you said, a country just like Germany," Ed said. "Which means there are people who will suffer if you go there."
"Oh, really?" Mengele asked synically. "If it's just like Germany, that means they're pretty used to wars, right?" he asked. "But you have to pay in order to open it!" Ed shouted. "My dad's enough!"
"Why, relax," Mengele said. "Now that we have the Stone, we've taken care of it..."
"The Stone is made of human lives," Ed said. "Sorry, doctor, I can't help you."
Ed stood up and turned back. Mengele watched him leave and smiled.
"Recalling memories, aren't we?"
Ed looked back and found Mengele smiling. "Pardon me?" he asked. Mengele stood up and walked to Ed. "Don't make me laugh," he said. "A blonde girl with blue eyes and long hair..."
Ed was surprised. "A kind, honest girl," Mengele continued with a smile.
"Come on, doctor," Ed said. "You can find a lot of girls like that in Germany."
Mengele smiled. "A house by the green hill, and all..." he said. "Don't lie. I'm sure you want to come back," he said with a smile.
Ed frowned. "Who told you?" he asked. "Karl, of course," Mengele answered with a big smile. "Don't try to fool me. All information about you comes from Thule..." he struck Ed's shoulder. "Which comes from the gypsy, am I wrong?"
"Where is she?" Ed asked. "Where do you think?" Mengele asked. "In the crematorium, of course."
Ed frowned more. "What do you want?" he asked. "Just open the door," Mengele said. "Don't try to make me do something I won't do," Ed said. "Because..."
"You will do it, Edward Elric," Mengele said. "Dp it, according to the plan..." "What if I said no?" Ed cut.
Mengele sighed and walked back. "Why, stubborn, aren't you?" he asked as he walked to the table and took his necklace.
"And however," Ed said. "Tell me, how do you get a Stone?"
"Oh, this?" Mengele asked. "Of course I can, with a bit help from my Thule friends and the Jews..."
Ed sighed. "I'm still waiting for your answer, Herr Elric," Mengele said with a smile.
"Still a no," Ed said as he opened the door. "See you, doctor."
Mengele smiled cynically. "Have you forgotten, Edward?" he asked. "We're not giving you a choice."