Take Me to Church

Explosive gunfire resounded around the small camp. Chaos was ravishing the soldiers as they raced from one spot to the other in an attempt to defend themselves from the disguised enemy. Edward growled quickly ducking behind a baricade as a spray of bullets rushed past his face. At this rate, the blonde didn't know if he would die of frost bite, or from an actual wound. The Colonel collapsed beside him holding a wounded arm.

"Damnit," Edward hissed turning to face his superior at the smell of blood. "When the hell did you get shot?" He growled prying Roy's fingers from the wound to inspect it. The skin was swollen and welted, but there was no entry wound. "Just a graze." He sighed relaxing just a bit.

"When the hell did they get so close?" Roy snarled jumping up and snapping his fingers in the general direction of the bullets. The Flame's ears soaked up the gutteral cry that followed his attack. "Got one." He looked at Edward, then towards the camp at his men as they rushed about trying to dodge bullets, but get help to their fellow soldiers. "We've got to do something or we're all going to die."

Edward bristled at the comment and shot a glare at Roy. "Like what Roy? We're surrounded." He looked up into the forest surrounding the encampment. "We were set up by the Fuhrer. He wanted us dead a long time ago." A figure dressed in white caught his attention. It was darting between the trees and firing. "That's it." Edward smirked sliding back behind his barricade. "It's a lie!" He laughed shaking his head. "There's only half of what we think!"

Roy frowned looking at his subordinate. "What do you mean?" For just a moment, Roy believed the snow had finally gotten to Edward, and drove him crazy. Edward's gloved hand shot out pointing out to Roy that each mechanical gun was run by a single person that was running between the two weapons. "I...that's Genius." Roy smirked sliding down into the snow. "Now the question is, how do we take them out?"

Edward smirked and clapped his hands together, "Simple." Slamming his hands to the ground a blue light erupted snaking towards the weapons he noticed. When it touched just the base, the gunpowder erupted and caused the guns to explode. Roy took advantage of the distraction and sent flames at the few soldiers that dare braved down from the woods. Cries of pain filled their ears, and for just a sick instance, they enjoyed it.

"Good," Roy chuckled with a new spark. There was a chance now, that they could do something about their position; a chance to save those who had trusted their lives to him. "Now we just have to find the others. How do you suggest we do that?"

"Simple," Edward looked up at the vicinity of the trees surrounding them. "Get me a break to go out there." Roy frowned looking at the blonde and glared softly. "I need to get into the woods."

"Not a lone you don't." The raven hissed grabbing the younger's arm to prevent him from vaulting over the barrier and into the line of fire. "What if it's a trap Edward?" The blonde groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Staying here is a trap!" He growled shoving Roy's hand off his arm. "If we stay here we die. If we go out might die, but we might also survive."

"Colonel!" A voice yelped from behind the two. A red haired man was rushing towards the two attempting to dodge the bullets that flew through the air. "They've breached the south side! What do we do!?" Roy felt his stomach drop as he stared at the panic on his soldier's face.

"Looks like we don't have a choice now," Roy growled standing up and rushed to the soldier's side. "Take me to them," He turned to look at Edward and the world froze. A searing pain ripped through his shoulder, and immediately turned into an ice block that froze him in place. No longer could the Colonel hear the pounding of the gunfire, or the screams of his soldiers. The world had fallen silent, and still. He couldn't even see the snow flakes as they softly floated from the sky, giving off a false sense of peacefullness.

"Roy!" Edward screamed rushing from his spot on the ground to grab the ice cicle that was sticking out of Roy's shoulder. The Flame hissed starting to come to his sense and snapped his finger at the injury, melting the ice cicle, and searing the injury shut.

"Watch out for Alchemic circles now. We're all on a giant booby trap!" The soldier holding Roy up paniced looking around.

"Hey," Edward frowned worriedly reaching his hand out softly. "Don't panic. Don't move." The flighty look on the man's face was too much. "No!" Edward yelped lunging forward just as the soldier moved, activating another circle. Roy's hand shot outward grasping Edward's just in time for the duo to collapse to the ground dodging the reaction of the circle. The soldier, however, was not as lucky. Ice cicles shot up from the ground creating a bush of frozen thorns. The young man who had come to warn Roy looked up in shock because his body simply gave out from the blood loss.

"God damnit!" Roy cursed scrambling away from the crystal coffin. "God damnit!" He stood up frowning and looking around at the chaos. Everywhere, soldiers were running for their lives, trying to escape the alchemical arrays before they went off and took their lives. "It's a damned death trap!" Roy hissed beneath his breath as anger filled every fiber of his body.

Suddenly, everything froze. The snow refused to fall, standing still and floating in the mid air. "What's going on?" Edward hissed looking around. It was rare to find someone in Amestris that could use alchemy to control the weather. Much less in the Drachman territory where they had little information or education on the ability.

"Stay very still," Roy hissed watching carefully as a figure made their way through the frozen snow. "No sudden movements." This was not an okay plan with Edward. When danger was approaching, he was more a rattle snake. He'd give plenty of warning before striking a lethal blow using either his transmutated automail, or the gun he had hidden on his person at all times now.

"I don't like this Roy," Edward hissed taking up a defensive position just in case. Something about this whole situation seemed odd, and out of character for what had been seen by the young blonde so far.

"Edward!" A voice called from the air and poisoned the surrounding area. "Edward, wake up damnit! Your ass can't die on me now, Fullmetal!" Roy was screaming at him, but he still faced the figure stalking towards them. "Edward!" A sharp pain snapped the blonde back into reality. The residual sounds of gunfire slammed into his ears as the pain of his injury slammed into him.

"Hot damn," Edward choked on his breath looking up at the dark blue tenting that provided him shelter from the frozen tundra of Drachma. "Some damn dream," He sighed feverishly. Roy chuckled darkly and leaned back in his chair happy to see the blonde was still with him.

"You stopped breathing for a moment...scared me there kid." Roy had become closer with Edward since the duo were paired off to fight together. "You can't just leave my back open like that." Roy had meant for it to be a joke, but the seriousness of the situation caused the laugh to be lost.

"Roy," Edward sighed softly holding his hand out for his friend. "It'll be okay."

"Luitenant General Mustang!" Fuery saluted Roy panting heavily. A small splatter of blood congealed on the corner of his ruined uniform. "Its the Fuhrer, He sent new commands. We're to move on by morning, and take the mine." The man had changed since following Roy out into the field. The Flame honestly hadn't exepected any of them to follow him into the dangerous pits of battle—except Riza and Edward. He had told them he would understand if they decided against it.

"The mines?" Roy frowned looking up from his position, his hand instantly dropping Edward's. "Let me talk to him..." Edward flinched pulling his arm back in causing the blanket to fall from the shoulder of his automail. The blackened skin reminded him just how un-supportive the Fuhrer had been. He had, after all, refused to pay for Edward to get the specialized automail to prevent the frost bite that now littered his joints near the metal bearings. "Keep Edward company." Roy looked back to the blonde worriedly before placing a hand on Fuery's ear and whispering something to him that Edward couldn't hear over the roar of the funfire.

"I don't need a babysitter," He scoffed forcing himself to sit up. The bloodied bandages around his torso reminded him of the shrapnel that an awaiting bomb that thrown into his side—just how close he had come to letting his brother receive the yellow slip of paper.

"Edward, I'm commanding him." Roy sighed before darting out of the blue flap ducking instantly behind the sand bags to protect himself from the fire. He snapped at the enemies whenever he could as he made his way towards the communication tent.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Edward growled forcing his feet to the ground. Fuery frowned unsure of what to do; having been put in charge of his commanding officer he would have to listen if Edward commanded that he leave him be.

"Ed, you shouldn't be moving yet," The man reached out in worry. Edward simply waved his hand away forcing himself to stand up.

"I've had just about enough of this headache." He hissed jerking on his red cloak over his naked chest. He would have loved to pull on his shirt, but that had been ruined in the incident.

"Hello! Grumman!" Roy hissed into the mic trying to get some connection with the Central holding. "Grumman! Answer me damnit!" All respect was forgotten when a bomb exploded just a few hundred feet from the tent. "We're going to die if you send us to the mines!"

The voice crackled in a silent office in Central. Gaining the use of the mines would prove to be a great gain against the Drachman army, however, was the Fuhrer really willing to destroy one of his best platoons in order to gain it?

"I think it's a bad idea," One of the ranking officials stated softly staring at the crackling box on the center of the table. "That's over two hundred lives we're losing if we send them there, and that's if they even get control of it."

"I know," Grumman sighed softly chewing on his thumb nail warrily. "But we need that area to stop what they've got planned. The activity has really picked up these last few months, and they've even started to I.D people who enter. So they've got something military going on there."

"Are you really only going to go on a report given by a private during a snow storm?"

"I can't in good conscience deliver these orders."

"Roy!" A bold voice crackled over the speakers as another explosion went off on the site. "We have to retreat. They'll kill us all if we don't."

"We don't have the orders." Roy turned towards Edward and whispered sadly. "They're going to kill us." He collapsed into the chair and stared at his injured friend. "Why are you even up? Are you trying to die before you even get the chance to get shipped out!?"

"I've heard enough," Grumman sighed sadly and turned the radio off. "Go ahead and send the letters to their families...We need that holding."

"Winry!" Alphonse called softly from the porch watching as the girl splayed on the ground with their youngest son. "Don't get too dirty! We still have to go to Grandma's for dinner!" He grinned shaking his head. He had planned his day around the phone call that would be sure to come that afternoon. Edward never failed to call him on time with news of what was going on with the frontline. The youngest Elric had even, at one point, offered to go out and help—he had learned how to properly perform medical Alchemy after getting his body back.

"Oh hush Al," The blkonde female giggled softly sitting up. "Any signs of life yet?" She made her way up to the porch and hugged her husband softly.

"Nothing,"Alphonse sighed looking back towards the phone and reciever that sat innocently on the hallway table. "It's kind of worrying me. From what I've heard from some of the others in Central, things are getting pretty bad where Edward is. Mr. Armstrong called me a few days ago saying that one of the Squadron's that was supposed to go back up Brother's group completely disappeared."

"That doesn't seem right." Winry chewed on her lip in worry. She had always hated how the oldest Elric could be so reckless and thoughless. War was not some place he should have been. "Did he say if they found them or not?"

Alphonse nodded softly and smiled, "Of course they did." He chuckled softly and froze looking over Winry's shoulder. Just yards away from the house stood the Strong Arm Alchemist himself—Louis Armstrong. The look on his face was enough to send Alphonse running out to meet the man.

"Alphonse," Armstrong whispered softly holding something tightly in his hands. "I've come to deliver some bad news...perhaps we should go inside...I think you'll need to sit down for this." Al's heart stopped beating his chest the instant Armstrong began talking. It was as if the world had completely stopped turning; time had stopped, and soon enough the birds would begin to fall from the sky.

"Al? What's wrong?" Winry asked placing a hand on his shoulder. The young man was sent crumbling to the ground. "Alphonse!" Winry yelped quickly joining her husband on the ground.

"Mrs. Elric," Armstrong cleared his throat wetly. There would be no way of delivering this information easily. "We should go inside."