Author's Note: I do not own FMA or its characters. This is AU and was previously posted in An Apple a Day.
One Little Mistake
This was a bad idea. Riza didn't need to be an alchemist to know that. Unfortunately, the colonel was under orders to carry out this experiment, and there wasn't much they could do about it except take all precautions possible. Mustang hadn't wanted her here, but she had insisted. She knew enough about alchemy to be at least some help if things went wrong, and Riza wasn't about to let him face danger on his own.
From her understanding, the Fuhrur wanted Mustang to test the possibility of creating alchemic portals for transportation. She wasn't sure why the colonel had been picked for this particular task, it wasn't his area of expertise at all, but orders were orders. Mustang had spent the last two months researching the subject, and now the moment of truth was upon them.
They had set up the array in an empty warehouse. Mustang hadn't wanted to endanger anyone else with the experiments, and it gave them plenty of space in case something did happen. The morning had been spent carefully chalking the arrays onto the floor, and now came the tricky part.
"I want you at least five feet away from the array, Hawkeye. I'd ask you to wait outside, but I know you'd refuse." Mustang sighed. "I honestly don't know what is going to happen."
Riza nodded and took up her position. Mustang knelt beside the array and activated it. She found herself shivering as the lines of chalk began to glow. The floor beneath the array faded away leaving the glowing array. Mustang looked back at her before tentatively prodding the edge of array. His finger disappeared. Riza checked the second array, what was supposed to be the other end of the portal. No finger poked out of it. In fact, the chalk lines of that array looked just the same as they had when he's drawn them.
"Sir," she started only to bite her lip as his arm also went into the array.
He turned his head towards her. "It's like a vacuum. It's won't let my arm out. I want you to go and get Armstrong."
"Armstrong is currently visiting his aunt in West City. I'm not leaving you, sir."
Mustang sighed, his shoulders slumping, at least the one she could see. "It's pulling me in, Hawkeye. I want you out of here."
She found herself crossing the room to his side, taking his free arm in both his hands. This close to the array she could feel its pull. "I told you I'm not leaving."
His free arm pulled her closer. "I'm sorry."
She was about to ask him what for when cold invaded her limbs, and she found her hands disappearing. Closing her eyes, Riza gritted her teeth against the cold and closed her eyes. It was the last thing she would remember.
Theme: Down the Rabbit Hole