[ video ; open ]

[how_i_tease]

They said this isn't the end of the world. Sure had me fooled.

[ The image hovers strangely, like the device is floating in front of him as he lights up a cigarette. The man in the feed is scruffy and pale looking, with thick coke-bottle glasses. He runs a hand distractedly through dark, shaggy hair as his gaze flits to the side to take in the ruined city around him, peering this way and that. ]

Woke up to worse, though.

So any word yet on what that's supposed to be?

[ He turns the camera to point towards the domes in the distance. ]

Comments

[equivalent_trade]

Some kinda city where they hide from all the bombs.

[how_i_tease]

Judging by the look of the place? It seems to be working for them.

We're not expecting any more soon, are we?

[equivalent_trade]

Doesn't look like it, but so far, no one's really sat still long enough for me to ask them everything I wanted to know.

Guess as long as it's just bombs, we could hole up underground. Temporarily.

[how_i_tease]

So I'm guessing you were just dumped here, too?

[equivalent_trade]

I woke up on the ship, yeah.

[how_i_tease]

You remember what they were bringing us here for?

[equivalent_trade]

Heck, I don't even remember who 'they' were that brought us here. The last thing I remember was being in Amestris, same as always. I wasn't even in a fight or anything.

[how_i_tease]

Being in a fight more usual than not, where you're from?

[equivalent_trade]

...yeah, that sounds about right.

That's the life of a State Alchemist, though. Can't complain too much.

[seesobserves]

Doubtful it's the end of the world. Whoever's still under those domes will probably survive.

[how_i_tease]

Question is why we weren't invited to that party, instead.

[how_i_tease]

State alchemist?

[equivalent_trade]

An alchemist that accepted a commission in the Amestris military.

[how_i_tease]

Don't alchemists...like, turn lead into gold? That sort of thing?

[seesobserves]

No, the question is whether we were invited anywhere at all. And as none of us remember getting on that ship? I'd say the answer's 'no.'

[how_i_tease]

Using the loose definition of 'invite' here. If were going to turn up anywhere, why here?

Someone wanted us here. Those pod-things we woke up in...someone went through the trouble to put us there.

[seesobserves]

Mn. And then they went through the trouble of downing the ship.

[Whether that part was deliberate or the result of negligence remains to be seen. But Sherlock is not, actually, interested in discussing that too much. At the moment.]

You could say it's the end of something. All of us snatched up without warning...

[how_i_tease]

The world as we knew it.

[ Tyki chuckles, taking another slow drag. ]

[seesobserves]

[He's watching you take that drag, Tyki.

You know what? He's just gonna be straightforward here.]

Sort of thing that makes you want to say 'to hell with the patch,' really.

[hi_there_aliens]

[there's a delay as Daniel inspects the domes]

Force shield probably? Maybe a shelter?

[equivalent_trade]

Haha, sort of. But that's illegal where I come from. It'd wreak economic havoc if people just transmuted gold whenever they wanted.

[how_i_tease]

Explains why the State's involved. Power like that, government has to get their hands on it somehow.

So what DO you do?

[how_i_tease]

Looks awful nice for just a shelter.

[how_i_tease]

The patch? What's that?

[equivalent_trade]

I guess that's one way of looking at it. We can also be ordered to fight on the battlefront if there's a war or a rebellion that needs to be put down. That's why people call us 'state dogs'.

I spend most of my free time traveling and doing research. Of course, I also get missions from the state to investigate civil disturbances, perform mine inspections... basically a little bit of everything.