Chapter 1: Crossroads
Sand swirled around Alphonse's feet while he stumbled through the blinding daylight. From above, the sun scorched Alphonse's skin. Alphonse thought Where am I? Several buildings were outlined on the horizon. Am I in the Great Desert? Alphonse asked himself. Skeletons were scattered across the sand. Several carrying weapons and what appeared to be tattered camouflage military uniforms.
A hiss echoed down from atop a sand dune s a king cobra acknowledged Alphonse's approaching presence. The silhouetted buildings grew closer until they towered over Alphonse. A gust of wind blew some sand off of the ground revealing what appeared to be a road. Alphonse squinted and noticed the buildings were scorched and destroyed from simultaneous blasts.
Bullet holes decorated destroyed vehicles littered across streets that seemed never to end. Alphonse came across the wreckage of what appeared to be a tank. Shadows flashed down from the rooftops as something or someone jumped from rooftop to rooftop. Alphonse shouted, "Who or what are you and what do you want?" With no answer, Alphonse yelled in frustration and clapped his hands together and blue sparks flashed and a stone fist tore through a building.
"Alchemy works here?" said Alphonse to himself. Out of the debris and dust, two silhouetted figures strode out of the devastation. Alphonse barely had enough time to conjure up a stone barrier to shield himself from a barrage of fire projected straight at him. Gunshots followed in close pursuit of the flames and dull thuds could be heard as the bullets almost ruptured the barrier.
A familiar voice could be heard whispering orders to the other voice and Al called out, "Colonel Mustang?" "Alphonse Elric," replied the colonel. "If you're here then the Hawkeye must be here too," Al said. "Still pumping lead in full grown men," replied Riza. Al stepped from behind the barrier and said, "Do you remember how you got here?" "Not really, there was a flash of light and a transmutation circle burned in my mind and the next thing I knew I was here in this desert," replied Riza.
"Same thing happened to me," said Roy. "And me too," said Alphonse. Roy racked his brain for an answer and then his eyes widened in shock as he remembered the Gates of Shamballa. "Alphonse, you don't remember this but you gained your body once before but lost it when a rebound destroyed your body when you attempted to destroy the Gates of Shamballa," said Roy through clenched teeth, "Edward lost that part of his memory too, and you were launched through the gates and arrived back in Amestris, the gates also self-destructed so somehow part of it survived."
A flashback flashed through his mind as he remembered the terrible event that had transpired. Al saw himself wiping dust off of a cobblestone courtyard and made the mistake of placing both hands down and a very large transmutation circle activated. "It's my fault I activated the gate," said Alphonse breaking the silence between everyone. Roy replied," I wonder how many people were dragged through the Gates."
"What happened here, it reminds me of Ishval," said Riza. "It's an absolute wasteland," Roy said. "Let's get out of here," said Al. They sprinted away until they reached what appeared to be a ruined military base. They jumped through a hole in the mesh and barbed wire fence and proceeded to the airfield cautiously. Riza had her pistols at the ready, until she came across a building with the side blown to hell. She popped her head in and she whispered to herself, "Oh my god." Guns and other weapons lined the surviving walls and large cases lay scattered across tables all over the room.
Riza grabbed some Desert Eagles and holstered them in her rear holsters. She placed an assault rifle around her neck, and found a heavy duty coat and placed grenades, ammo, and guns in hidden compartments. She hitched a machete and a commando knife on opposite sides of her waist. She walked out of the building and returned to Roy and Al. Roy asked, "So what's under the coat?" Riza smiled evilly, "Things that do not concern you Roy Mustang."
They ran to a large plane and ran up the ramp Roy and Riza flicked several switches and the ramp drew. Al jumped up into the cockpit and yelled out, "All systems are go." Al flipped some switches and pressed some buttons and the engine roared to life. The colossal plane taxied down the runway before taking to the sky. A strange machine flickered to life and Roy said, "Loo there's a man trapped in there." "Riza shouted, "We'll save you." The man spoke as if to nobody not even seeming like he had heard a word they just said.
"The Middle East is in complete rebellion and in some parts an absolute wasteland from the war-torn cities. "That must be where we are," said Riza to Roy. "Probably," replied Roy. Alphonse peered out of the cockpit window, watching the eternal golden sands flash by until lush, green foliage sprawled across the landscape with a few scattered cities here and there.
Which eventually even the foliage disappeared cascading to water. Alphonse yelled into the intercom, "We're at a crossroad, which direction to my passengers; thank you for riding Alphonse Airlines." Riza and Ro shouted back, "North!"