Look at that! Arrow wrote something that wasn't Batman or Young Justice related. I like lots of shows. And Full Metal just happens to have a wonderful community that I was just dying to add to. So without further ado, take a long one shot!
A Typical Day
Rain was pouring down in torrents, but none of the three figures on the streets below seemed to notice. They were tearing down an alleyway between two grimy, worn down buildings, the man in front constantly looking over his shoulder at his two pursuers. It had to have been strange, certainly, to be chased by a tiny, blond midget wrapped in a fiery red cloak, and even more odd to be running from a giant, seven foot suit of armor.
"Give it up Harris," Ed yelled, his voice nearly lost in the storm. "Surrender now and I might just let you off without too many broken bones."
To his credit, Harris actually snorted in laughter, but Ed didn't miss the slight clenching of the alchemist's teeth or the way the man took in a sharp breath as he'd shouted.
"Please," Alphonse's metal voice reverberated from a few feet behind. "Stop and give yourself up before you hurt any more people! What you have been doing is wrong!"
Suddenly, Harris slid to a stop on the slick cobblestones and turned to face his pursuers. Ed had to leap backwards as the criminal raised his hands, transmutation circles tattooed into his flesh visible through the downpour. There was no time to transmute, and the only thing that shielded Ed from the blast of wind was Alphonse's heavy metal body as the younger boy shielded him from the sudden gale. As wind roared around them, Ed managed to press his palms together from behind Al's protective body and then bent down, sending a wave of jagged rocks spitting out of the earth and towards Harris. He knew that even if the man decided to make hurricane force winds, he would have trouble breaking down something as solid as rock. But his plan immediately backfired, literally, as small sharp shards from the earth Ed had uprooted came hurling backwards at him and Al, caught in the blast of wind.
Next thing Ed knew, strong metal arms were closing around him and he could feel as well as hear the cascade of rocks pounding against Alphonse's armored back. "Brother," Alphonse warned as he let Ed slither out of his grasp, "you have to be more careful!"
"Yeah, yeah," Ed said as his feet hit the ground and he brought his hands up, ready to transmute in a second's notice. "Thanks for the quick save Al."
As one, the brothers turned around, ready to face the rogue alchemist and get this job done.
"What! Where did he go?" Ed exclaimed as they stared at the empty street. "Damnit, how did he get away so fast?"
Al's soul fire eyes were scanning the now deserted alleyway, looking for signs of life. "He can't have gone that far Ed. The street cuts in two ahead. Should we split up?"
"No way," Ed said, jogging to reach the two adjoining alleyways. "This seems way too much like a trap."
Alphonse was just humming in agreement and walking up to stand next to his older brother when it happened. There was a scraping from above, and the next second Ed's head shot up to see a figure drop right on top of Alphonse. His brother made a small gasp of surprise before grabbing the shadowy figure in his huge leather hands. The attacker slid to the left, jerking at his captured leg and slamming something into Al's shoulder that stuck into the armor with a horrible metallic wine.
Growling angrily, Ed shot forward, intent on helping his brother. But something was off. One second he was charging towards the attacker on Al's back, and the next he was staggering to the wet ground, clutching his chest. It took him a few numb seconds before he realized that he wasn't breathing. No, it was more like he couldn't breathe. His lungs were working hard, taking in enormous shuddering breaths, but he wasn't getting any oxygen! A pang of fear ran through him and Ed tried to call to his brother breathlessly. He was suffocating and it hurt! His mind began racing wildly with the revelation, trying to figure out what was wrong and how he could fix it. He rose his hands shakily, deciding to try his hand at transmuting some oxygen.
Suddenly a strong arm wrapped around his chest and grabbed his flesh wrist, pulling his arm back while something was pushed into his face. Eye's widening, Ed began struggling wildly against his unknown captor, a second wave of strength accompanying his furious panic. His metal arm clawed at the hand on his face and he tried valiantly to turn and see his attacker, but to no avail. This guy heavily outweighed him and had him pinned. Just as Ed's metal fingers began to peel back the weaker flesh ones, he couldn't help breathing in, his lungs begging for air as his vision flashed warningly, and he could taste the sickly sweet smell he was inhaling. Almost instantly, his limbs went numb and he reluctantly sagged into his assailant's embrace. Dizzily, he looked up, steel fingers twitching with the desire to reach out and warn his brother, before the world went dark.
…
Alphonse was caught off guard, but that didn't mean he had lost. The person on him was crawling around, taking advantage of his bulky armor and lack of flexibility. But Al was used to such tactics by now and was more coordinated than most assailants assumed. Grabbing the person's leg, he tugged at them to get them off his back. There was a loud metallic crunch and the person was suddenly much harder to move. Al looked to his left and saw a knife impaled in his shoulder like a climbing spike, helping whoever was on his back to stay there. A small part of him was suddenly relieved he didn't have living flesh, but only for a brief moment.
"Just! Get! Off!" Al yelled, letting go of the leg he had caught so he could shove his palm towards the blade stuck in him. With a slight twang, the knife was thrust free and the hand gripping it let go quickly. Seeing the opportunity, Al pivoted on his right foot, swinging himself in a tight turn. As expected, there was a gasp from above him, and Al reached up to catch whoever was on him, but no one came hurtling off. Thrusting his hand up, Al grabbed at the attacker again, this time finding purchase on the person's arm. With a strength that wasn't quite human, he turned to the thick grimy wall beside him and flung his captive to the side. The man went flying with a yelp and hit the brick hard before falling to the ground limply. Alphonse felt a small sliver of guilt for him. But only for a moment before turning to ask Ed what had taken him so long. He had thought it strange his brother hadn't come to help. But as he came to face the spot Ed had been occupying only moments ago, he found himself alone. There was no one else there.
"Ed," Al called out sharply. "Brother, where did you go?" Pausing, he listened hard for a response, but there wasn't one. "Ed," Al called again, his voice carrying slightly more worry than before. But the night was quiet. Disturbingly so. Glancing back to make sure his attacker was still unmoving, Al took a few heavy steps towards the split in the alleyway, glancing down both long dirty side streets and finding no one. Maybe Ed had seen someone else, possibly even Harris, the Gale Alchemist they had been chasing from earlier, trying to make a getaway. It would fit with the sneak attack, right? Hands tightening, Alphonse shook his head slowly, listening to it clatter loudly in the otherwise still air. Sure Ed liked to run off and be an idiot, but he always told Al about his stupid plans so that they could be idiots together. And Ed would never leave while Al was in any sort of danger, if what had just happened could be considered a threat to him in this form.
Suddenly, Alphonse's worry became something more akin to panic. Something was wrong, very, very wrong. "Brother," he called once more, unnecessarily. "Where are you?"
The man who had just attacked him gave a slight groan, and with a small jerk, Al turned to face him. He might not know where Ed had gone, but Al had a feeling his mysterious companion here might.
…
Waking up wasn't a very pleasant experience. The instant Ed's consciousness returned to him, he remembered vividly what had happened, and he wasn't happy about it. His body was stiff from the uncomfortable position he now found himself in. Strong iron manacles bit into his wrists and kept his hands separated, while some kind of rough rope had been tied snugly around his chest and onto the back of the wooden chair he was sitting in. Taking in a breath made the bonds uncomfortably tight as they constricted his torso, but the realization that he was actually able to breathe was a relief. Someone obviously didn't want him moving, or transmuting. Ed had to bite back a curse when he tried touching his fingertips and confirmed that using alchemy this way wasn't going to be an option. Nausea made him scowl and take in even slower breaths. If these jerks had given him chloroform, especially enough to keep him out long enough to drag him here, then Ed was surprised he wasn't puking all over the place. Stupid idiots.
Now having enough information to work with, Ed cracked his eyes open in order to take in his surroundings. It was surprisingly bright and he had to blink once or twice before details made themselves apparent. His first order of business was to find Al, but to Ed's displeasure he didn't see the armor anywhere. He was in a corner and had a good view of the entire room.. The brightness was coming from a set of large industrial light fixtures hanging from the ceiling, illuminating every bland grey piece of furniture in the place. The walls and floor were made of some chalky looking cement, and shelves lined the windowless walls, holding a large number of cardboard boxes with big red words reading 'caution, Explosive' on them. That definitely wasn't helping him to feel any more secure. Other than the shelving units, the only other furniture was a small square table at the opposite corner. Three men were sitting there on stools, leaning close to one another and talking in low voices. Ed recognized Harris immediately, but the other two were a mystery. They were talking too quietly to eavesdrop on, so Ed decided it was time to make himself known.
"Whadd'ya guys want," he mumbled irritably, deciding to get right to the point. He watched as the three stiffened and then turned to face him. Harris was frowning, but the other two, who Ed decided looked extremely unsavory, were grinning nastily. They were both moderately young, probably mid-twenties, one with a stained bandana tied around his neck and the other sporting a rough looking scar running down the left side of his face so that his eye was tightly closed. Harris was his normal self, with bags under his eyes and slicked back brown hair with a touch of grey running through it. Ed couldn't help stiffening as the men began to stand. He knew from the reports that Harris had been seduced by a life of crime and had started using his gifts for robbery and assault. It came to stand then that the company he associated with couldn't be much better. The tension in the room spiked.
"Information," the man with the bandana said. "We've heard you're a pretty talented little guy." Ed scowled at the way the man spoke, raising his voice as if Ed were a child and then exaggerating his words in mock praise.
Bristling, Ed snarled at the man's comment. "Careful what you say! This little guy is a State Alchemist who has the authority to arrest all of you here and now!"
Bandana guy laughed. "Ooohhh, scary. Yeah, I've heard the stories. That's why you're tied up so nice and tight little buddy."
Yanking at his metal bindings, Ed's right eyebrow began to twitch and he chewed on his next few words for a second before seeming to explode. "Just let me go and we'll see how long you're calling me a tiny speck of dust incapable of being seen with the human eye you jerk!"
This time it was scar face who laughed, though the sound sent chills down Ed's spine. "You're right Harris," he said, turning to the rogue alchemist. "He totally loses it when you call him a scrawny midget."
"Shut your face," Ed howled, all grogginess now lost! "You worthless lowlifes! I'll take you all on!"
"Easy there little guy," Scar face said in mock sympathy, coming to put his hand on Ed's head and ruffling his messy hair. Ed ground his teeth so hard together he swore he heard one of them crack. "This is fun and all, but there's something more important on our agenda."
Giving the metal cuffs one more good shove, Ed stiffened and bit back his rage as he stared up at the man. He didn't like this. Not one bit.
"Back off," he snarled. "I'm not telling criminals like you anything about anything."
"Is that so?" Scar face asked. Before Ed knew it, he was struck with a furious backhand that sent his head snapping to the left. The room was silent for just a fraction of a second as Ed blinked stupidly.
"Now you listen here you little punk," Scar face snarled as he leaned down to Ed's eye level. It was extremely unnerving to him how fast the man's attitude had taken a 180. "You might get special treatment in the military because you're a child, but we don't care about that crap. Na, to us you're just a little kid who happens to have what we want. And none of us care what we have to do to get it. Understand?"
Slowly, Ed rose his head to stare a defiant challenge into the man's one good eye. His heart was beating fast, but he made sure his glare was calm and collected. He could feel the slightest slivers of real fear began to prickle up his spine, preparing for what was to come if he couldn't get himself out of this mess fast enough. But the stubborn part of his brain, the part he loved so much, kicked into gear, squashing the fear and replacing it with an overwhelming sense of annoyance.
"Stooping so low as to hit a ki-," that had been close. "someone so much smal-," Hell no. He hadn't almost said that! "So much younger then you?" Ed finally spat out. Okay, maybe he was a bit nervous. He covered it with a grin and an insult. "Old man."
Frowning heavily, Scar Face stared at Ed like he was some sort of wild animal the man had never before seen. So this guy had been expecting Edward to cower in fear after one hit? Ha! Fat chance.
"You're really willing to lay a hand on a military officer, and a minor at that?" Ed continued, his voice naturally falling into a cocky and confident drawl. "You know you'll face a life sentence when they catch you, if you go through with this, that is."
They all stiffened slightly, but then Bandana guy snorted from behind. Jeez this guy liked to talk. Shame his voice was so utterly annoying! "Keep dreaming kid. We managed to capture one of the military's," he raised his hands to make air quotations as he said, "'brightest minds'. The military hasn't got a chance of finding us."
Wondering with amusement if the man had just contradicted himself, Ed sent the guy one of his signature glares before taking the opening to ask a question of his own. "And who is us?" Yanking once again at the heavy bands of steel keeping him from his alchemy, Ed waited patiently for what seemed to be a reluctant reply, noticing as he did so that his futile escape efforts had made his left wrist so raw that warm blood was beginning to seep through the skin. In that instant, an idea slammed into Ed's brain so hard that his eyes momentarily widened. Yeah, he knew exactly how he was going to get out of here. His confidence blossomed with the introduction of a solid plan. Sure it wasn't going to be pleasant, but it would work.
"We're asking the questions here kid. You shut up and answer them," Scar face said, straightening up. Darn, so maybe the guy wasn't a complete idiot. Ed watched with a small huff as the man walked briskly back to the wooden table and grabbed something before returning to him in a few large strides. His nausea only worsened when he realized the kidnapper was carrying a knife and Ed strained harder against the cuffs, ignoring the bite of the metal. He really wished Al were here. He could just imagine the younger Elric beating these guys into next week, which he himself would do if Al didn't get here first. Where was his brother anyway?
With a casual flick of his new weapon, Scar Face pointed the blade at Ed's flesh shoulder. Freezing, he looked up at the man warily. "You haven't even asked me anything," he spat. "Getting a little ahead of ourselves are we?"
Chuckling darkly, Scar Face moved the knife so its tip caught at the fabric of Ed's red coat. "To the point. I like that. Alright State Alchemist, tell us how you use alchemy without a transmutation circle."
Blood began to drip slowly down Ed's good hand as he gave another fierce tug, and he had to bite back a hiss as he glared at the man in front of him. Of course people were always curious. Transmuting without an array took hours off using basic alchemy. It turned the already dangerous science into a weapon, a deadly one. What was more was that Ed couldn't tell these guys how to obtain the truth, even if he did feel like cooperating. That would involve divulging a deadly secret that was quite frankly prime blackmail material and - more importantly - none of these guys' business.
Then again, he really didn't want to get stabbed.
"That's easy," Ed said, eyeing the knife carefully. "My automail. I had the mechanic carve specific symbols into it so that when I activate the arrays with my flesh hand I can use all sorts of different alchemy."
Scar face growled and Ed raised his eyebrows sardonically. "What did you expect? Alchemy isn't magic. You can't just form it without using arrays. That's scientifically impossible." Or at least that was the theory.
Despite what Ed believed was a brilliant on-the-spot answer, the knife at his shoulder was pushed forward just a bit so that he hissed as the steel broke the surface of his skin.
"That sound right Harris?" Scar faced asked, his icy glare not leaving Ed.
The Gale Alchemist Ed noticed, looked terrified as he stared at the scene in front of him. "No," he spluttered. "No, the kid's lying! I've seen the transmutations he uses. Even if it were possible to hide the arrays within his automail, he could never conceal enough to justify the extensive variety of alchemy he performs."
Ed froze. It would have been easy to trick any lowlife who lacked the brain cells to tell one alchemic symbol from the next, but trying to fool an actual alchemist was another game entirely.
"Or maybe I'm just that good," he growled, once again pulling against the manacles. "Ever consider that, you morons!?"
Before he could even react, a hand came up to smack Ed's face once again, and his mind went momentarily fuzzy with the impact. He took a second to compose himself before spitting the blood from his now split lip onto the floor between Scar Face's feet.
"Bastard," he muttered.
"You shut up," Scar Face snarled, and Ed glanced up to see the man looking livid. "All this work just to catch the kid and we find out he's using basic alchemy just like anyone else. Harris I swear I'll tear you apart."
"Hold on there boss," came a carefully relaxed voice from across the room. Bandana guy stepped forward nonchalantly, giving Ed a funny look as he did so. Swallowing hard, Ed returned to damaging his throbbing wrist. The cold calculating glare the guy was giving him sent all sorts of bad vibes running up and down his spine.
Scar Face stiffened and turned slowly to face his comrade. "There's a way to figure out if the kid's lying or not," Bandana Guy elaborated "We just take his arm apart and see if the circles are there."
Growling his disapproval of the situation, it was as if the man hadn't even heard, but then Scar Face seemed to consider. Meanwhile alarm bells were going off like fireworks in Ed's mind. There were a million reasons this was a terrible idea. The first being that these guys might figure out his escape attempt. Immediately, he curled his flesh hand into a tight fist, trying his best to conceal the slick blood covering his palm.
"Fine," the so called boss said after some consideration. "Get over here and do it then. And Harris, you help."
Watching the criminals begin trudging forward, Ed shook his head vehemently. "You'll regret it," he said as the two men joined the third to all three tower over him like shadowy black pillars. "This is ridiculous! I already told you what you wanted to know You pathetic paranoid idiots!"
As Mr. Bandana and Harris stepped to his right to pull his coat down past his shoulder, Ed started to thrash around madly. No point in making things easy. These guys could go to hell if they wanted to mess with his arm. A strong hand closed around his automail port and he tried to bite at the fingers.
"Damn! Harris, calm him down will ya?"
Ed gave one more admirable buck before a hand grabbed his hair and pulled his head back violently while the deadly gleaming tip of Scar Face's knife rested half an inch from Ed's left eye.
He stopped moving.
"Good," Scar Face said. "Now stay that way."
Ed stared up at the blade, momentarily dumbfounded and breathing hard. These guys, showing up and doing whatever they wanted just because they happened to have him in a rough spot. They were just low life criminals who needed a good long life sentence in one of Amestris's prisons. He would be happy to oblige them as soon as he could escape. But then again, his plan was going to have to change rather quickly if he subtracted his arm from the equation.
"How do you get this thing off?" Bandana Guy's unusually relaxed voice asked. Ed could feel him picking at the sensitive mechanics around his right shoulder and suppressed with much difficulty a string of curses. His eyes didn't move from the knife though.
"Well?" Scar Face asked harshly. Jumping at the rough tone, Ed's eye came far too close to the metal blade.
"You want me to tell you guys how to remove my arm?" He asked disbelievingly. "Seriously?"
Scar Face flicked the blade forward and Ed had to lean his head back to avoid it while shutting his eye tightly. "Son of a-," he began before cutting himself off when he caught Scar Face's eye. "Fine," he spat. It felt wrong to give in so quickly, but he liked his eye intact and working thank you very much. At least if worst came to worst, Winry could always make him a new arm… after she killed him. "You need a knife or something, but a wrench would work best."
Bandana guy pulled a switch blade lazily from his pocket and flipped it open with a flourish. Ed had to work really really hard not to kick him.
After eyeing the new blade wearily, Ed returned to staring at the knife in front of his face. "You should see the main screw that connects my arm to the port on the side of my shoulder under the main paneling. You need to…" He couldn't help trailing off, dreading the inevitable despite himself. Lucky for him, it seemed he wouldn't have to elaborate. Jamming the knife into the seal, Bandana guy gave it a good hard twist and Ed couldn't help screaming through his teeth. The next second, he felt his shoulder shift and all control of his arm was lost. Shuddering, he watched as the two managed to disconnect the rest of the arm from his shoulder and the metal cuff with a bit of trial and error before sliding it out and picking up the steal appendage. Letting out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, he uncurled his fingers from his left hand, hoping for a chance to continue his work without being too obvious.
Crap, he was losing ground and he needed to make a smart ass comment fast. "I would say I'd miss the arm, but if it means I don't have to look at your faces any more then I think I can live without it." Eh, a little childish, but not bad for on the spot.
"Do you ever shut up kid?" Harris huffed as he carried the automail with two hands and placed it with a reasonable thud down on the table in the back. Deciding he would rather not watch the two men pick apart his arm, Ed refocused on Scar Face, who was thankfully moving the knife away from his eye. He scowled at the boss who gave a sour sort of smile in return. (Seriously, it was impossible to read the man's sporadic emotions.) But they both let the silence stretch.
Reluctant dread started bubbling in Ed's stomach. With Harris being an alchemist, they could cause some serious irreversible damage to his arm. And if it was unusable, that meant his usual form of alchemy was out of the picture. He had to work fast or he would be screwed. He just had to keep these guys distracted.
Sighing, Ed gave his now single wrist yet another fierce tug, feeling the metal bite even further into his arm and open up the cut that had begun to dry. "Where is my brother," he asked aggressively. It was actually a question that had been bothering him since the start of this fiasco.
As if on cue, there was the unmistakable hiss of Alchemy coming from outside, and the next second the small room shook with the aftermath of a far off explosion, light fixtures dancing dizzily above.
Eyes widening, Ed's heart leapt at the introduction of familiar chaos. "Back in the alleyway, you guys were trying to attack him too, weren't you?" Ed shouted triumphantly, feeling an out of place pang of humor tugging his mouth into a lopsided grin. "How'd that go for you?" He had to raise his voice to compete with the noise outside.
It was easy to notice the warning signs of a very angry adult, the tug in the man's mouth, the slight twitch in his forehead that reminded Ed so much of Mustang; but he continued talking anyway, if but to distract Scar Face from what he was really up to. Ed had to work hard to hide a smirk as blood finally dripped onto his fingers. Oh yeah, these guys were about to pay big time.
"Ya know, you might be confident that the military won't find me, but my brother is a different story." He let himself laugh quickly as his bloody fingers worked carefully. It was surprising to hear muffled shouts and gunshots as what sounded like groups of men ran around confusedly outside, trying to regroup and fight back. Where the hell had these jerks dragged him off to anyway? "People scarier then you have tried to keep us apart. Funny thing is, my brother and I, we can never stay separated for long."
Scar Face was actually shaking his head, and to Ed's annoyance, grinning. He tried to work out what this meant until Ed saw the lethal shine in the man's eye. Maybe he had gone a little too far?
The next second, as another explosion made dust fall in rivulets from the ceiling, Scar Face strode forward with a single powerful stride and swung the knife at Ed. Yelping, he activated his single finished circle and pushed all of his weight to the side. Scar Face's knife fell short as Ed toppled to the right, a blinding light proving the activation of a transmutation. His metal manacles formed into a wickedly sharp blade that Ed clasped in his now free left hand as the leader turned to him, furious.
"Come here you little punk," the kidnapper snarled, reaching out and grabbing Ed's collar with one hand and bringing the knife down with the other. Trying desperately to cut away at his binds, Ed closed his eyes as the knife made contact, but opened them a second later when the expected flash of pain didn't come. Instead, the thick rope winding around his chest was falling off him as Scar face hauled Ed to his feet. His mind tried to make sense of the situation before Scar Face's knife was pressed none too gently to his neck and the man's intentions became startlingly clear. Edward Elric was not a bargaining chip! Breath hitching, Ed couldn't help swallowing hard as he gripped his own knife with white knuckles. He had two options here, and liked neither of them.
Making his decision before anyone had time to react, Ed let his weight fall and dropped to his knees, the tactic surprising Scar Face just enough to let Ed get away with it. Lucky. The next second he was twisting and jabbing his knife at the captor's stomach, the man bringing his own knife down instinctively in defense. Using the momentum of Scar Face's swing, Ed rolled to the left and then jumped to his feet, stumbling partially because of another explosion and the missing weight of his right arm.
Catching himself, Ed bolted straight at Harris and the man with the Bandana, hearing Scar Face's footsteps right behind him. The two men who were supposed to be working on his arm blinked stupidly at Ed before Bandana Guy came to his senses first and stepped into Ed's path, his own switchblade brandished dangerously. Caught in the flow of pure adrenalin, Ed jumped and kicked the man's stomach hard, jabbing his own blade against his opponent's. Wishing he had his other hand to keep the aerial maneuver going, he again let himself fall to the ground and settled for kicking at Bandana Guy's leg. The man gasped and stumbled forward, his balance put even more off by trying to turn around to keep Ed in his sights. Clenching his teeth, Ed barely noticed Harris, the man scrawling something on his mechanical arm with a black marker, before his hair was grabbed from behind and Ed was tugged backwards. Snarling, he put his knife between his teeth before reaching back with his single hand and clasping onto what had to be Scar Face's arm. Jumping and using the man's wrist as a hold, Ed kicked out backwards and felt his heavy boots meet with his opponent's stomach. There was a gasp before Ed was free and stumbling forward again, but he had to shield his eyes from the flash of blinding light in front of him, accompanied by a screech of splintering metal.
Oh no.
No no no no NO! Eyes burning, Ed stilled for a fraction of a second before the scene in front of him connected with his brain with a cruel sharpness.
His arm was completely totaled. Harris had deconstructed the steel, breaking it apart at a molecular level so that it was fragmented and torn in the worst kind of ways. Okay, he could handle this. He knew there had been a possibility they could destroy the arm. So it was time for the backup plan of the backup plan.
"Al!" Ed yelled as loud as he could while pulling the knife from his teeth. He had to duck to avoid a huge fist coming from his right and then jump, almost dodging the swing of a knife that pinged harmlessly against his automail leg. "Al where are you!?"
A fourth explosion erupted much closer than before, and they all stumbled with its impact. Head bolting up, Ed gave himself a second to listen to the dying rush of the sound before shaking his head in disbelief. That sounded like-
Something flashed and Ed used the knife to block the blade thrown at his face. He supposed they were past trying to catch him and were moving on to the 'kill the pipsqueak' stage. Really it was surprising it had taken this long.
As the weapon clattered lifelessly to the floor, Ed surveyed the three men charging at him before turning on his heel and sprinting for the single wooden door in the corner. He was enough of a realist to realize his luck had lasted long enough. Besides, he was making a strategical retreat! It wasn't like he was running away damnit!
Taking the turn into the hallway a little too tightly as he overcompensated for his nonexistent arm, Ed heard another rumbling explosion, even closer than before, and this time he was sure of it. That wasn't Al's alchemy. That was fire alchemy. Apart from filling Ed with relief however, it merely made him groan in irritation. So he was here. Perfect.
"I'll tear you apart you damn brat," Scar face's crazed voice reverberated from the hallway not far behind. "You're dead kid! You hear me? Dead!"
Snorting, Ed focused on looking for a window, a door, any kind of way out. It's not like these lunatics could kill him but better to not give them any more opportunities than needed. Turning, Ed just vaulted behind a wall to his left before a gunshot tore through cement inches from where his head had been a second before. Heart speeding up slightly with the realization, Ed cursed Harris for destroying his arm. Clapping his hands and tearing a hole in the wall seemed like a great idea right about now. But there was no time to carve an array, neither with his knife or his drying blood. Another gunshot rang out and Ed heard the bullet ripping through the air as he dived into a room to his left. Ignoring his surroundings completely, Ed lashed out with his foot and slammed the door shut before vaulting to his knees and locking the bolt with a final click.
Footsteps thundered just outside and Ed wasted no time in turning and searching for something, anything to get him out of this mess. He had back up, he just needed to buy time. Gritting his teeth, he tore forward when his eyes landed on a small window tucked in the shadowy recesses of the room. Dang it! He had just felt relieved that his superior was here. Ed had to wonder if the few hits he had received while at the mercy of his captors had rattled his brains, because why would he let his guard down like that? Ed would save himself and prove he was totally capable right here and now. No need for the colonel to show up and declare how much he had messed up on his stupid mission. Ed would not allow himself to feel relieved because of Mustang. No freaking way!
The locked door behind started to shudder and Ed half listened to the enraged shouts of his pursuers just feet behind him. That door didn't stand a chance against those three. Not for long anyways. Blinking as he came to stand at the small window, Ed took in the inky black sky and sliver of silver moonlight before realizing that he was in fact situated on the second floor of whichever building the jerks had dragged him to.
Well crap.
The pounding at the door increased and Ed half considered staying and taking his chances fighting the jerks head on. But then his stupid logical voice told him that three armed men who wanted to kill him while he had no real means of defense was more of a suicide mission then some sort of heroic act of bravery. So with a deep breath, Ed placed his hand on the metal window frame and pulled. The stupid thing was rusted and at first didn't want to move. Glaring at the frame as he strained to lift it with his single arm, Ed willed the window to budge as he heard a treacherous squeak from the door hinges behind him. Finally, just as the glass relinquished its grip and slid upwards, the door swung open and there was a roar of triumph from the three men. Knowing he had precious seconds, Ed leapt from the safety of the floor and flung himself into the night air. His stomach dropped as soon as he did, and Ed merely glimpsed the brown dirt below before he was hitting it. The impact shocked his whole body as he fell forward and rolled. Pain lanced up his right leg as his automail port in his left gave an unpleasant tingle. Then everything stilled. Gasping, Ed just laid on the ground, trying to regain his thoughts and his breath.
Bang!
The sound was enough to jolt Ed out of his stupor and onto his feet in a second, even as he gasped painfully, just beginning to breathe again. There was another shot and all Ed could do was stiffen in anticipation as his dazed mind acknowledged the line of trees in front of him.
Don't get shot. Don't get shot. Oh hell I really don't want to get shot!
He had to simply rely on the sounds coming from behind him to paint a picture of what exactly was happening. Ed's eyes were far too focused on not tripping on anything as the small grove of trees came closer and closer. However, he couldn't help but swing his head around when there was a familiar "oomph" from behind, accompanied with the unmistakable thud of something heavy landing on earth.
Harris was laying there stunned, having it seemed jumped out of the same window Ed had. Wasn't that impossible!? Wasn't Ed the only one small enough to fit through that window? What was the point in being normal sized for his age but still comparatively small to most adults if one couldn't even use it to their advantage? Or maybe the better question was, why did the world hate him?
Another shot disturbed what should have been a peaceful evening and Ed shuddered as he heard the bullet lodge itself firmly in the soil not 4 feet from him. He saw both Scar Face and the guy with the bandana pointing pistols his way from the second story window. Apparently if they were too big to use it as a door, they were going to settle for it being a vantage point to try and kill him. Perfect. The only redemption Ed could find in the situation was that they were no Hawkeye.
The next second, Harris was pushing himself to his feet as Ed whipped his head forward once again. He was almost to the trees, so close he could taste it, but a familiar light caught the corner of his eye, and he threw himself to the ground even as the roar of alchemy and wind confirmed his realization. Gusts tore at Ed's jacket and hair, whipping them into the air and threatening to blow him forward as he huddled as close as he could to the soft dirt. His flesh hand dug into the earthy smelling soil around him even as he closed his eyes to prevent getting the dust that was now whipping around into them. He needed to move, to crawl even! Anything to stop him from being a sitting duck for the kidnappers to pick off. Because as soon as this artificial torrent of wind died down, Ed wouldn't be able to stand fast enough to avoid being a prime target for gunfire. Darn it! Being flung around and battered by this wind was a better choice than being shot! Snarling, Ed jumped up and was immediately caught by the wind that was howling in his ears and causing the trees in front of him to groan. He felt the gale increase and immediately he was hurled forward, albeit none too gently, towards his original destination. He half staggered, half flew as he was thrust onward. The wind was so strong that it was picking up almost anything in its path and spitting it out in all directions. Something rough cut Ed's temple while a large object slammed into his back, causing him to stumble to his knees, and then fall to his side as his single arm wasn't able to hold him up against violent gusts. Visibility was completely void now and Ed had to close his burning eyes again, trying to protect them against the nightmare surrounding him. Originally, he had thought that an alchemist who could control air pressure through temperature and manipulate currents sounded pretty pathetic, but he was now realizing firsthand how wrong he was.
Coughing as he took another deep breath and inhaled who knew what, Ed bit back his doubts and launched himself forward again, using the direction of the wind to make sure he was traveling towards the trees. His feet barely hit the ground and he let himself be flung headlong into the dark, trying to shut the shrieking wind, the sting of debris, the complete disorientation that he found himself lost in out of his mind. Staggering, Ed put his hand forward. He had to be close right. Judging distance was hard when one was unable to use their sight, and being flung around with hurricane force winds wasn't helping. But Ed trusted his instincts, and they were saying he had to be close. Please be close.
And then, the nothingness his hand was venturing through gave way to something hard. Hard and cold and, if Ed was right, hollow. Definitely not the rough thickness of tree bark. This was much too familiar for that. He should know, he'd felt it a million times.
Another gust of wind brought Ed smacking into the something he was exploring with his hand. But if he was right, if it was really him…
"Al," he choked out. His whole entire being shook with relief as a leather hand closed around his shoulder, accompanied by a voice that vibrated the steel Ed was clinging to.
"Brother! That's you right? We were looking for you everywhere!"
In an instant, Ed felt two huge arms wrap around him and swing him back so that the horrible wind was cut away as Al shielded him with his huge body. Looking up, Ed could just make out his brothers spirited eyes, shining like beacons in the gritty darkness.
"Al," he yelled again, raising his voice so that his brother could hear him over the storm. "What took you so long?" Just for a second, he allowed himself to wrap around Al's cold, metallic body in a rare show of affection. He hadn't realized how much he had missed him until the title wave of relief washed over Ed with their reunion.
"Ed," the terrifying looking suit of armor all but squeaked. "Are you okay? I heard gunshots. What's going on? Where's Harris? I can't see him!"
Taking one more second to compose himself, Ed let go of Al's enormous chest plate and mentally steeled his mind for a fight.
"I'm fine Al. I don't know if those bullets of theirs can pierce your armor, but I'd rather not find out."
Grabbing one of Al's huge gauntlets, Ed began tugging his reluctant brother back towards the trees. "Harris is right behind us making this mess, and there are two idiots on the second floor of the building with guns."
Al was careful to shield Ed from the worst of the wind as they made their way backwards one step at a time. He seemed to be surveying their surroundings before his eyes fell upon his brother once again and his head jolted up with a clang that could be heard through the shrieking wind. "Ed," he exclaimed. "What happened to your arm!"
"Those idiots happened Al," Ed yelled behind his shoulder. Al's huge body was protecting him, but he still had to squint his eyes against the onslaught of airborne debris. The black silhouettes of the trees finally came into his field of vision however, and Ed pushed towards his goal for what he thought was the final time before he realized that Al wasn't budging.
Stopping, Ed turned with some difficulty to face his little brother with an annoyed grunt. "Come on Al. We need to get to some cover before this wind dies down!"
Ed gave Al's wrist another hard tug before the younger Elric spoke up, his voice uncharacteristically low and shaking with anger. "No Ed. I can take them."
It took Ed a seconds to discern the need for revenge twisted into his brother's statement. Vengeance was an emotion he himself was so used to dealing with, that he was caught off guard by his brother's words. Once Al's intentions were fully realized however, Ed immediately started shaking his head and readjusted his grip on Al's arm. "Don't be stupid Al. I'm fine. Taking them head on would be too risky."
Standing still in the dying down whistle of wind, Ed swallowed hard as his brother so much resembled the suit of armor he was trapped in, stock still and terrifying. But finally, just as the kidnappers began to shout something in the background, Al let Ed drag him the few paces forward to the tree line. As the two brothers slipped behind an old looking pine, a gunshot reverberated through the now still field, setting Ed's ravaged nerves on even higher alert.
"Come out now before things have to get messy," Scar Face's enraged voice called out from across the field.
"Yeah, so you can shoot me? No thanks," Ed shot back.
Ignoring whatever furious response was being screamed at them, Ed preoccupied himself with quickly taking in his surroundings as Al bent over and began carving a transmutation circle in the dust. They were in a small grove, and even though the sturdy old trees would provide them cover from gunfire, they were effectively trapped. Grass fields stretched out in every direction for miles, and the next cluster of trees Ed could see through the settling dust was a good 400 meters away.
A soft clink of metal told Ed his brother was staring at him, and he glanced up to meet with the armor's worried eyes. "Really Al," he assured. "I'm fine."
Gazing at him quietly for a second more, Al finally sighed and slumped against the tree at his back, continuing his work. "I was worried," he admitted in a small voice.
"Likewise," Ed said grinning. Tapping Al's armor lightly with his flesh knuckles, he pressed himself to the rough bark behind him before quickly leaning his head to the left to survey their enemies. "Seems the idiots are regrouping. Darn, I thought they would just keep shooting until they were out of ammo."
"Well," Al suggested. "We could always just wait here. Mustang also came, so I'm sure he'll show up eventually."
Ed stiffened with the mention of his Superior officer's name, and all traces of resting and letting someone else take care of the scumbags behind him vanished. "Why did you have to bring him along anyway?" Ed snapped. "We could have gotten ourselves out of this on our own."
Al's response was a long sigh. "Brother," He began. "You do realize that you're missing an arm right?"
"Obviously," Ed muttered angrily.
"And then of course there's the fact that you're up against another full-fledged alchemist."
"Whatever."
"Oh, and did I forget to mention that this building is swarming with armed gunmen?"
"Sheesh Al, I get it, all right?"
"I hope you do," his brother warned. "Because without your alchemy, you're going to have a hard time taking these guys down. In fact, the only reason there aren't more maniacs shooting at us is because of the colonel's distraction."
Frowning with that bit of dismaying information, Ed was just opening his mouth to once again tell his brother how unappreciated his superior's involvement was when another flash of Alchemy exploded behind their haven of trees.
Wind began clawing at the barriers surrounding them, tearing leaves from the branches and howling its dismay. Immediately, Al's huge leather hand came down and activated his carefully constructed array before it could be blown away by the wind. White light lit up his armor brilliantly before the ground shook and a wall erupted from the soil to surround the trees to their backs.
"All right Al," Ed yelled. "We need a plan."
Nodding, his brother shifted to his feet, the wall he had constructed just barely tall enough to shield his helmet. "We can't go attack Harris because of the gunmen. So how are we gonna stop this?" He gestured to the tree branches being whipped around overhead.
Pushing away from the heavy oak he'd been leaning against, Ed considered. "It would probably be best to take out Scar Face and Bandana Guy first then."
"Who?" Asked Al.
"Uh, no one," Ed said quickly. "I meant the guys shooting at us. We need to figure out how to get past Harris and take them out."
The two stared at each other, their minds working in unison. "Collapse the building," they said together.
A particularly harsh gust brought a cascade of leaves and small branches down on the boy's heads and Ed swiped furiously at his hair before continuing in a loud enough whisper to be heard over the wind. "So how are we going to get close enough to draw a transmutation circle?"
Al scuffed his foot against the ground, thinking. "We don't really need to," he said at last. Ed looked at him questionably before it struck him and he smacked his hand to his face.
"Send a wave of earth towards Harris while aiming for the building," he said. Al nodded, the brothers almost telepathic understanding nothing new to the armor.
"I just don't know if we can create a transmutation powerful enough to reach that far," Al said worriedly. "The last thing we want is a rebound."
"Good point," Ed agreed, shielding his eyes from the dirt in the air with his left arm. Being able to control a transmutation so far reaching was easy to theorize, but both brothers knew directing it was much harder in practice.
A tree branch suddenly snapped with a loud crack and plunged towards Ed. He just barely jumped out of the way before the limb hit the ground with a hefty thud. Glaring at the offending object as if it had meant him purposeful harm, he finally spoke up. "All right Al," he said slowly. "We'll control it together."
The small audible gasp he heard even above the wind was enough to tell Ed his brother had come to the same realization he had. The last time they had actually performed Alchemy together was before Ed had seen the truth and gained his ability to act as an array. Four years ago...
"Let's do it," Al said, his voice full of fierce determination that snapped Ed from his spiraling thoughts. His brother's resolve and trust was just what he needed to build up his courage, and swallowing hard, Ed knelt down and immediately set to work carving out a large circle with his knife. Al soon came to help him once he had found a suitable stick to draw with, and the two brothers worked quickly, side by side. Ed's mouth was pressed in a firm line as he carved the necessary alchemic symbols, noting how Al worked flawlessly next to him. Despite everything, they were still a perfect team.
"All right," Ed said, leaning back to observe his handiwork. "You ready?"
"Yeah," Al breathed next to him.
As one they placed their palms on the array, willing the reaction to be as strong as possible.
Sparks shot from the ground as light danced in the clearing. Ed focused hard on deconstructing the minerals making up the soil and bedrock under him, willing them to form into something new and powerful. He recognized the familiar touch of Al's presence as his brother worked to control the transmutation alongside him. It startled Ed to realize that the feeling of his brother's alchemy hadn't changed from when Al was flesh and blood.
The ground began to shake violently and Ed watched as pillars of rock stuck out from over Al's protective shield and shot towards the worn down building. With a smirk of satisfaction, he heard Harris shout in fear as earth raced towards him, and the next second, the unmistakable thunder of their attack meeting the building head on rumbled throughout the small meadow. Savoring how powerful the tremors running through his feet felt, Ed glanced at Al before the two ran out from either side of their temporary shield.
As expected, the spikes of rock had indeed torn through enough of the main supporting pillars that the room the Gale Alchemist had been standing directly under was reduced to crumbling rubble. Thick pieces of cement and plaster were scattered across the grass, and it didn't take long for either of the brothers to spot two figures lying motionless in the aftermath of the collapse, their identities hidden by a mixture of dust and shadow.
Two. Not three.
Al's cry of warning was all he heard before something smashed into his right shoulder with so much force that Ed stumbled backwards and lost his footing, coming to slide to a halt on his back. Gasping, all he could manage to do was blink for a few seconds before the world began to tunnel in. There were noises all around him and with a feeling of dread, Ed felt his right shoulder start to go numb sickeningly fast. Blurs of colors were flashing in front of him as he picked up on familiar images and sounds that his mind couldn't register. Everything was just so confusing and it was all he could do to focus on his thundering heart and fast breathing.
Suddenly, there was an enormous blast of sound and even through his disorientation, Ed could feel heat lick at his face. Lights flickered in his vision, and he blinked rapidly, willing his mind to focus. It did, and with it, he noticed just how much pain he was in. He couldn't hold back a single groan as he lifted his left hand and grasped his automail port. The throbbing ache renewed his nausea and Ed could feel the unmistakable warm trickle of blood between his fingers.
I got shot. He noted stupidly. Crap, I was really trying to avoid that…
"Fullmetal," a familiar voice called from what Ed perceived was a far way off. "Edward, you with us?"
"Please brother!"
Nothing except Al's frantic worry could make Ed jerk awake. When had he closed his eyes anyway?
"Good," Mustang said from above him. "Stay awake kid. You're going to be fine."
"Yeah," Al's young voice cut in franticly. "It actually doesn't look too bad. So don't fall asleep again okay?"
The sight of the two looming over him swam into focus, and Ed worked hard to force his brain out of shock. Something was pressing down hard on his shoulder, and he grit his teeth against it. A blue military jacket was bunched up against the steel automail port, and Ed had to stare at the white gloves applying pressure to his wound for a second, fixated on the salamander carved into them.
"C-colonel?" He muttered, cursing furiously at the way his adrenalin spiked brain made him stutter.
"Hey Ed," came the dreaded reply, laced with just a bit of underlined worry.
Chewing his lip, Ed turned his head to stare at his brother before taking in a breath and beginning to push himself off the ground. Both suit of armor and superior officer made sounds of protest, but he ignored them in favor of sitting up shakily. Al's huge hand immediately came up to support his back.
"Ed," Alphonse scolded. "You're hurt; you need to lie still." Ed frowned at him in response and looked back at the jacket. Honestly, the bleeding wasn't bad at all. Crimson stained the metal of his automail port, and flecks of it could be seen on the blue fabric, but it was nowhere near life threatening.
"I think," he said slowly. "I think the metal in my shoulder stopped the bullet." That would explain why his right shoulder was so numb along with the lack of bleeding. Another wave of pain lit up the nerve endings connecting the mechanics to his collarbone and chest and he closed his eyes against it, tasting bile. Crap, he messed up his arm plenty of times, but now the port that connected the nerves? Winry was going to murder him in his sleep!
Feeling the concerned stairs aimed his way, Ed decided he wanted to change the subject.
"What exactly happened while I was out?"
He opened his eyes in time to see both his brother and superior officer looking sheepish. "What?" he asked, brows furrowing.
"Well," Al said hesitantly. "We, uh, we took down the guy who shot you."
Something in Alphonse's voice piqued his curiosity, and Ed turned his head to survey the aftermath of the fight. He couldn't help it when his mouth quirked up into a grin.
"Little overboard much?" he asked, the irony of this statement coming from himself not lost. Flames were sputtering around the clearing, their light illuminating the remains of chaos brilliantly. All three men were bonded to the ground with alchemy, their arms and legs tightly secured by what was obviously Al's handiwork. Harris seemed to be semi-conscious and groaning, but the other two were out cold. Sure Bandana Guy was in pretty rough shape, but Scar face… That was Scar face right? The man was so covered in burns and bruises that it was hard to tell. "Might want to get that dirt bag to a doctor," Ed said, grinning.
"You'll come first Fullmetal," Roy stated in his best no nonsense tone.
Ed's eyes widened with the thought, even as pain tore up his neck. "You know, I'm already feeling better. I think I just need a good night's sleep."
"Ed," Al said sharply. "Don't even try it."
The two helped him to his feet, Ed stuck between biting back a groan of pain and muttering angrily that he was fine and they were being ridiculous.
"Where's your automail arm Fullmetal?" Mustang asked. Scowling, Ed looked back at the three kidnappers who had caused this mess in the first place.
"It's totaled. Harris deconstructed the steel."
Al shot him a sympathetic glance, and for once, Ed accepted it with a resigned nod. He was so dead.
"I'll call Winry and explain things," Al offered, and Ed almost slumped into Mustang -who was supporting most of his weight as he was closer to his height- with relief.
"Al, you're the best brother a guy could ask for!"
Al nodded grimly, but Ed didn't miss the way his eyes sparkled.
The night had been exhausting, but they were finally going home. Really it had just been another typical day in the life of the Elric brothers.
Look at that. It's happy...
Sort of.
So if you liked it, please say so because I will happily write more action packed Full metal if you guys are enjoying it.