NYTE TIME

A Fullmetal Alchemist Fanfiction

By Shadow Mage Evelyn

A.N. - Hey guess what? I'm alive! This is a random thought that just wouldn't leave me alone, so I decided to give it birth. Hope this is better than my last fic, Conviction of Character.

Read and Review, please!

ONE

Moonlight glazed over the rooftops of East City, coating everything in a blanket of pale, milky light. Every now and again, three figures could be seen darting to and fro amongst the roofs. They traced ragged, zig-zag lines across the city, skimming along from roof to roof in such a way that the people below on the streets were offered nothing more than mere glimpses of shadows against the moonlit sky. Such curiosities were merely brushed off with gentle shaking of heads or rubbing of eyes, the apparitions there and gone again so quickly that many just chalked it up to runaway imagination or tired eyes.

Up above, a much different story was playing out. Of the three figures, there was a distinctly feminine figure swathed in form fitting black clothes in the lead. Her ensemble was further covered in sheer black fabric that streamed out behind her like a pair of translucent wings. She dodged and rolled, her high-heeled boots scarcely making but an occasional clicking noise as they touched down every so often on the concrete roofing. Her face was obscured by a black mask with an intricate red swirling pattern on it, and further curtained by her long dark hair. Her hands were all but non-existent in the long sleeves of her garment, which dropped down in narrow cylinders to somewhere below her knees. She hardly appeared exhausted or out of breath, skimming from roof to roof with silent ease, very much the creature of the night she appeared to be.

Behind her pursued two figures of unequal sizes and dissimilar appearances. One was a seven-foot suit of armor with a plain loincloth draped around its waist. Two glowing orbs of red light peered out from the eyelets of the helm, and hollow clank-clanking noises could be heard as each metal foot touched down. Beside this bizarre figure ran a small young boy barely 16 years of age with blond hair fastened behind him in a braid and a coat of brilliant scarlet flying out behind him like the wings of a bloody hawk. He was breathing heavily with exertion, but from the set of his jaw and the look in his tawny golden eyes, it was evident that he had no plans to slow down until he'd caught the woman ahead of him and his companion.

These two figures were known far and wide as Edward and Alphonse Elric. They were brothers, and the eldest, Edward was better known as the Fullmetal Alchemist, the youngest State Alchemist tied to the military command of Amestris. He'd passed the State Alchemy Exam at the tender age of 12 to pursue one goal; find the legendary amplifier of all alchemy, the Philosopher's Stone.

Many alchemists had pursued the fabled gem for reasons of glory or wealth, but Edward and his younger brother had other reasons for wanting the Stone. A year before taking the State Alchemy Exam, Edward and his brother had attempted a forbidden alchemic ritual known as Human Transmutation. Their attempts had failed horribly, leaving Alphonse as a soul attached to a seven-foot suit of armor and Edward with two missing limbs; limbs which had quickly been replaced by automail within a year.

Unfortunately for Edward, being a State Alchemist meant he was nothing more than a tool to their whims, and when the time came and he was called upon to complete a mission, he had no choice but to obey.

Which explained how he and Alphonse had landed themselves in the situation they were in right now.

"Get back here!" Edward yelled at the fleeing back in annoyance.

The woman before him was a criminal known simply as "Nyte" by all reports. She'd showed up in East City a few weeks ago, terrorizing the civilians and burglarizing private properties and banks. Colonel Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist and the commanding officer of East City—and incidentally Edward's assigned CO—had issued a simple and curt command to his young protégé: "Capture her by any means necessary".

It turned out that Nyte was not an easy lady to pin down. It had taken the Elrics the better part of a week to even get a whiff as to her whereabouts, but they'd gotten a lucky break and had tracked down a rumor that she was planning to strike one of the National Banks in the city for a second time. Edward and Alphonse had laid a trap for her, but she'd managed to evade that through means still unclear. Which was exactly why Edward and Alphonse were now in hot pursuit of her.

"Dammit! Where's the backup that the Colonel promised?" Edward griped as he hurtled another ledge to the next roof.

He was beginning to feel a stitch forming in his side and growled it away.

"I'm sure they're on their way," Alphonse replied calmly. With a body that did not get tired, Alphonse could easily keep the pace. Edward threw him a sarcastic look and then gestured to the left with his chin.

"You go that way. See if you can cut her off. I'll keep on her here."

"Right!"

Without another word, Alphonse took off to the left, disappearing off the edge of the roof to the street below. Gritting his teeth in annoyance, Edward picked up the pace to try and close the distance between himself and his target, who wasn't showing any signs of slowing down.

After this dogged game of cat and mouse continued for another few minutes, Edward decided he'd had enough. He clapped his hands together and, instantly, blue-white sparks of alchemic energy danced around his hands as he touched them to the concrete roof beneath his feet, deforming the material to create a series of walls that prevented Nyte from going forward or to the right. She paused a moment with a curious click of her heeled boots and turned to look at him. Huffing and puffing, Edward flashed his trademark grin at her, but was unable to detect any emotion through the white material covering the eyelets of her full face mask.

"I'm glad you finally stopped," Edward said. "The chase was getting boring."

If his opponent was unnerved at this confrontation, she didn't show it in her body language. Her stance was easy, arms hanging loose at her sides, the wind stirring her long sleeves and sheer drapery eerily around her body. Undeterred, Edward pointed at her.

"Alright, who are you? What's your purpose here?"

For a moment, the woman didn't respond. Edward ground his teeth and balled his hands into fists, getting ready to strike, when her voice suddenly floated towards him.

"I am called Nyte."

Edward scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"I know that! I meant your real name!"

"What you see before you is the apparition named Nyte. That is my real name. I have no others."

Edward growled.

"Give it a break, lady. This cloak and dagger crap has gone on long enough. You're caught now, and one way or another, I'm going to find out who you really are."

"You haven't captured me yet, little alchemist, just merely delayed me. However, if you think you can beat me then come at me."

Edward stared hard at her. She gave him no indication of what she was thinking, but it was clear to him from everything he'd seen of the way she moved so far that she was not to be underestimated. She was quick and silent as a cat, and with that mask on, it would be hard to pick up any tells she might give and predict her moves. Her stance was easy but not over-confident, meaning she knew what she was doing, but knew, too, that Edward was not to be underestimated either. Edward eyed the sheer cloth and her long sleeves again with a measure of trepidation. He was sure the drapery was for more than show; it no doubt acted as a means of confusing her opponents. And there was no telling what she had hidden up those sleeves. He'd have to be cautious.

He settled into a defensive stance, movements easy and sure. She was going to be tough, sure, but he was positive he could beat her, and sometimes, it was all about attitude. He darted forward suddenly, charging right at her and taking a swing with his left hand. Predictably, she dodged, fabric floating past Edward, distracting him momentarily as she launched a kick at his face. He just barely managed to dodge in enough time. He grimaced. He'd known it. All that cloth was going to be a real pain in his ass.

He and Nyte traded a few more cautious blows, getting a feel for one another's moves. Edward found all the fluttering cloth to be a very annoying distraction and after another close call involving a stiletto heel coming very dangerously close to his left eye, he'd decided he'd had enough of playing it safe. With an easy back flip, Edward clapped his hands and transmuted the faceplate of his automail arm into his favored blade.

Nyte's head tilted slightly left in curiosity.

"No transmutation circle?" she asked.

"That's right," Edward retorted with a grin. "So there's nothing to slow me down from kicking your ass."

"Hmm," the woman replied. "So you really do deserve the title of State Alchemist. Interesting."

"Less talking and more ass kicking!" he taunted, stepping forward and swinging his arm, cutting through the air with his armblade.

The woman hopped back out of the way, and Edward pursued, driving her further and further back towards the stone walls behind her. She danced around him lightly, and if Edward's blade concerned her, she was doing an awfully good job at concealing her unease. Edward silently cursed that mask again. He had no idea what she was planning and could only hope that his continued barrage would keep her on the defensive long enough for Alphonse to reappear.

When the steel tip of her boot dug into his solar plexus, Edward wasn't sure how much longer he could keep this up. Gagging harshly, he fell to one knee, putting his left hand against the injury while keeping his right arm before him defensively to fend off any other forthcoming attacks. She landed a one-two kick on his arm, knocking it aside before spinning on the ball of her foot and smashing the heel of her foot into the side of Edward's temple, sending him sprawling. He curled up and rolled away, trying to get out of her range.

Nyte started after him, but had to change direction quite suddenly when the ground beneath her suddenly started to warp and large spikes shot up at her. With graceful ease, she leapt far away from the danger, back-flipping in midair and coming to land easily on her feet a few meters to the left of her original position. She turned to see Alphonse Elric help his brother to his feet before the two settled back into their defensive stances.

"Ah," she said. "I was wondering when you'd show up."

Edward could sense his younger brother's grin.

"That's right," Alphonse replied, the grin in his voice. "We're a team, so if you mess with one, you mess with us both."

Nyte shrugged nonchalantly.

"One or two of you, it matters very little to me."

Edward was getting very tired of that attitude.

Without a word, he charged forward at the woman again, swinging his arm blade at her. Predictably, Nyte dodged, but as she leaped, she produced one of the many silk ribbons floating about her body and wrapped it around Edward's flesh forearm in a motion too quick to follow. As she landed, she pulled the ribbon, forcing his arm behind his back. Letting out a yelp, Edward followed the motion, allowing the arm to crumble under the pressure. Reflexively, he swung back at her with his armblade, but found only resistance as the sharp edge came into contact with the ribbon. Edward stared at it in bewilderment.

"Surprised?" she asked in his ear. "I've been fighting many years longer than you and have faced many opponents who wielded blades. Did you really think I wouldn't think to reinforce the ribbon with a steel wire hem?"

With sharp, blindingly fast motions, Edward soon found his metal arm twisted behind his back as well and tied into place beside his left wrist.

"Hey!" he protested.

Nyte shoved him aside in enough time to meet Alphonse's approaching attack. As he jabbed a fist at her, she spun around, grabbing his wrist as it moved past her and flipping the whole suit of armor over her shoulder, flinging him to the ground with a loud crash. Edward and Alphonse stared at her in shock. The only other person who could do that was Izumi Curtis, their alchemy teacher.

"Hmmm," Nyte said. She tapped Alphonse's chest with a steel-tipped boot. "You're hollow inside."

Her head swiveled so she could look at Edward.

"You're quite an interesting pair."

"Like we haven't heard that before," Edward replied gruffly, kicking his legs as he wriggled his hands against his bonds. He rolled onto his back and swept his leg at her ankles, trying, at least, to feel slightly less ineffectual against the woman. The most he succeeded at was getting her away from Alphonse, who rose to his feet and quickly untied the ribbon around his brother's wrist. They turned once more face the thoroughly unpredictable woman.

"Al," Edward said in that meaningful tone that only his brother would understand.

"Yeah," Alphonse agreed.

She was holding back for some reason.

Knowing that really bothered Edward. She wasn't even fighting him full on and he was having a really tough time against her! However, he reassured himself, fighting down the brief fit of panic, the most she had done was evade their attacks and find some way to disable them. She wasn't going to get far playing all defense. She'd eventually have to launch an attack, but he had no way of knowing what kind of attack she would make or when. He already knew she was fast, strong, and agile.

He grimaced. This was not going to be fun.

No sooner had the thought occurred to him than the woman launched herself, the only warning the sudden click-click of her heeled boots before she darted forward and landed a 1-2-3 kick to the bottom, middle, and top portions of Alphonse's chest-plate. Alphonse went flying backwards, rolling and tumbling to play out his momentum and nearly falling off the roof if not for the sharp protrusions from his elbow plates. He screeched to a stop and bumped into the ledge.

"Alphonse!" Edward cried.

He moved to run to his brother's side and regroup, but suddenly Nyte appeared before him, blocking the way. Her right hand suddenly materialized from within the folds of her sleeve, a very sharp dagger in hand, and she began to stab and slice at Edward, forcing him back onto his heels. It was all he could do to keep his automail arm up before him and block her attacks. She paused momentarily, and Edward thought he saw his chance. He took a tiny step backwards before leaning forward suddenly, bringing his arm in a wide horizontal slice. He cut nothing more than air as his target leaped and flipped straight up over his head to touch down lightly behind him. Before he could turn, her right arm slipped around his neck while her left hand grabbed his braid, locking him in place and forcing him to tilt his head backwards. Alphonse, too, was likewise immobilized by the dagger Nyte held tight against Edward's now vulnerable throat.

Edward growled.

"What the hell do you want?" he asked through his snarl, glaring at her from the corners of his eyes.

"You intrigue me," she said quietly. "You're barely more than a boy, but you've done more in the last 3 years than most men will do in a lifetime. By all accounts, you're brave, hot-headed, and smart. And it's evident to me that you think quickly on your feet."

"Get to the point!" Edward rasped, tugging at her arm.

She tightened her hold, pulling hard on his hair and pressing the sharp edge to his throat warningly, causing his breath to hitch in his throat cautiously. He gritted his teeth again.

"Mmm, yes," she said a moment later. "I think you'll do nicely."

Her left hand released his braid and vanished into her sleeve again. Edward couldn't see what she was doing until suddenly her hand appeared holding a syringe.

"How would you like to take part in my little experiment?"

Edward knew that being in the clutches of crazy women in masks holding syringes was a very bad situation to be in. Not to mention the fact that she was still holding a syringe full of some kind of chemical, the effects of which he had no way to predict but could venture a wild guess and say most likely not good. Frantically, he struggled against her hold, not caring whether or not she slit his throat. She started loosen her grip and he was finally able to slip free, but the moment he turned to face her, she plunged the syringe needle right into the junction of his neck and jaw line with clinical precision, nailing him right in the main artery and pressing the syringe's plunger viciously with her thumb. Edward cried out and pulled back, but it was too late. She'd succeeded and the chemical was in him. He stumbled back and grabbed for his neck, staring at her while panting heavily. He felt no different, but he didn't know how long before whatever she'd just pumped into his system took effect. Alphonse, meanwhile, had come up behind his brother and now had his hands on Edward's shoulders, a reassuring presence against Edward's back.

"What was that?" the younger Elric cried. "What did you do to him?"

Nyte shrugged noncommittally, but before she could answer, a gout of flame suddenly belched across the roof at her from the left, forcing her to leap and dodge out of the way. Alphonse and Edward snapped their gazes to the left to see Colonel Roy Mustang on the roof across the way, his fingers poised to snap and his trademark smirk on his face.

"Good job, boys. We can take it from here."

"Colonel!" Alphonse cried. "Be careful! She did something to Ed and we don't know what it'll do!"

Roy's lips tightened and the corners of his mouth dropped into a frown.

"What do you mean?"

"She injected me with something," Edward replied. He was feeling just a little bit hazy and his heart skipped a beat in panic. He looked over at Nyte who had not stirred since she'd dodged Mustang's flames.

"We don't know what it is," the young alchemist said. "Or what it will do."

Roy turned his stare to the masked woman.

"Explain yourself!" he commanded.

"All will be revealed in a few short hours," the woman replied. Suddenly she lifted her left hand and held up a vile of a bluish-green liquid.

"This is the antidote."

"A poison?" Roy replied. The woman shook her hand.

"Not a poison, merely an experimental drug that needs testing."

Roy glared.

"If you think for one second I'm letting you walk out of here without handing over that antidote, you're mistaken."

"I will administer the antidote once I've gathered sufficient data," the woman replied coolly. "And not before."

"So he's your guinea pig?"

"You're all my guinea pigs. The whole world is my laboratory."

"You're insane," breathed First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye from her position behind Roy. Despite her nervous tone, her aim never wavered. Nyte tilted her head.

"Perhaps," she said. "But when you see what my experiments are capable of, you'll be begging me to come to work for your government."

Before anyone could say anything else, Nyte's arm flashed too quickly to follow, throwing down a smoke globe. The Elric's coughed and Roy growled.

"Lieutenant?" he asked.

"No good, sir," she replied. "Cloud's too thick."

In a few moments, the smoke cleared and everyone looked at Edward in concern. For his part, he looked appropriately terrified.

He had no idea what was going to happen next.