Before we get started, i'd like to point out that several reviews have asked about Sora's other Drive Forms and why I haven't used them in my stories. The answer is simple. I like the Master form best. I've used all four that were in KH2, and while the Final form is the most powerful in the game, i used the Master form the most, I just think it's cool. I hope that clears that up. We now return you to your regulary scheduled fanfiction.

Last time, upon hearing that Heartless were sighted near Central, our heroes left the village with Ed, Al, Robert and Linda, along with Aiden, Travis and Kaylee. But before leaving, Sora and the others watched as Ed and the other Alchemists destroyed the village, so as to deny it to The Heartless. We also learned that Aiden and his friends have much more talent in Alchemy than they let us believe, but it has to be kept a secret from the State authorities.

Elsewhere, Reddik was visited by Maleficent, along with Rakel, another Hakonian, who happens to have a rather 'close' relationship with Reddik. He sent several new types of Heartless to destroy our heroes, resulting in a high-speed chase on the road to Central. 'Nuff said, on with the show!

Chapter 6: Chaos in Central

Back at the fortress, Reddik and Rakel, their carnal passions sated for the time being, sat in his workshop watching the chase via crystal ball. Pete had managed to find the kitchen and return with popcorn in time for the show.

"The suspense is terrific," said an eager Rakel as the chase got under way, "I hope it lasts."

The three of them were enjoying themselves as the Psycho Bikers and Mad Hogs kept attacking, but then the good mood of the baddies was spoiled when over half of the pursuing Heartless were destroyed by the summoned wall.

Reddik was particularly outraged when four more of the Heatless pairs were destroyed by the trench.

"How dare they!" exclaimed Reddik, "those miserable State Alchemists!"

"There's still six pairs left," said Rakel.

"I don't think so," said Pete. On the crystal ball, Sora and his friends were approaching another set of State Alchemists.

They then saw Mustang destroy nearly all of the Mad Hogs and their riders.

"Incredible," said Rakel, "all that power and all he did was snap his fingers. Who is this Alchemist?"

"I intend to find out," said an irate Reddik. He then used a spell that ordered the last Psycho Biker and Mad Hog back to the fortress. "In the meantime, I shall bolster the Heartless we have at hand. We're going to have to accelerate the schedule yet again."

Just then one of the dark Alchemists came into the workshop, "initial reports from the operatives, master Reddik," said the Alchemist.

"Go on," said Reddik as he prepared a piece of dark magic that would increase the number of Heartless on hand.

"There is no sign of the Keyhole, master Reddik," said the dark Alchemist, "not in the west, or the south. And the first reports of our operatives in Central say that the Keyhole isn't in the city either."

"Hardly a surprise to me," said Rakel, "from the information I've gathered, it is my opinion that the Keyhole wouldn't be in Central, or any part of The State at all."

"Then where could it be?" Pete asked.

"If it's not in The State," said Reddik, "then it's somewhere else in this world. But one thing at a time. All the military forces of The State coordinate their movements through Central. Take out the city, and you leave the rest of the nation in discord, and in that discord, The Heartless shall spread the darkness throughout The State."

"An all out assault on Central," said Rakel, "but can it be done? Do we have a suitable amount of Heartless to ensure victory?"

"That's what will have to be accelerated," said Reddik, "you know that aside from Alchemists, I've been collecting lesser Villains; the darkness will always find a use for criminals, lowlifes and other sorts of scum. Come."

Reddik showed Rakel and Pete to a large laboratory where several dark Alchemist were experimenting on the assembled criminals that answered Reddik's psychic call. The Alchemists were working on using Alchemy to force a person's heart to be consumed by darkness, and they were having a shocking amount of success. Over half the non-Alchemists had been transmuted into Psycho Bikers, Mad Hogs and other advanced forms of Heartless

"Impressive," said Rakel, "very impressive. Can this means of creating Heartless be used at a distance? Or can it only be done in a laboratory?"

"We're still in the experimental phase," said Reddik, "we've only achieved a 55% level of successful transmutation into Heartless. The other 45% simply die before the transmutation is complete. The result is an interesting blend of human and Heartless, dead, but interesting to examine."

"I'll be sure to examine some samples," said Rakel, "but what about the ones that survive the transmutation? Are they as compliant as natural Heartless?"

"You saw the results on the road," said Reddik, "those Psycho Bikers and Mad Hogs were the first of those to be successfully transmuted. They were perfectly capable of following complex orders."

"But them Keyblade brats destroyed them," said Pete, "and those goody two shoes State Alchemsts as well."

"True," said Reddik, "what is required is simply to make The Heartless stronger, which is what I'm going to work on now. Since we know where Central is, it is only a simple matter of teleporting The Heartless there, once we have enough. Several score of the new types of Heartless, as well as a horde earlier templates, can be assembled, with increased powers, within a matter of hours. Even less time, assuming you are willing to assist." that last part was directed at Rakel.

"Maleficent said I should help if the situation demands it," said Rakel, "and this is such a situation. The sooner this world falls to the darkness, the sooner we can move on to more, 'interesting' projects." She then gave Reddik a sly wink.

"I couldn't agree more," said Reddik.

"What are ya' talkin' about?" Pete asked.

"Just a private joke among us Rakel and I," said Reddik, "nothing an incredible nincompoop like you would understand."

"Uh…" said Pete.

"Never mind," said Reddik in an annoyed tone, "let's just get to work," he then whispered to Rakel, "the sooner we're done here, the sooner we can be rid of this moron."

"I couldn't agree more," said Rakel. With that they resumed their dark task.

********

"Let's see how bad it is, Al," said Ed. Al bent down so that Ed could look at the area on Al's armor where a Psycho Biker damaged it with a spiked stick.

"It doesn't look so bad to me," said Sora.

"And since Al is all armor," said Riku, "he doesn't feel any pain."

"That's true," said Al, "but that doesn't mean I can be utterly reckless." He then took off his helmet, once again revealing nothing inside his armor.

"That still freaks me out," said a slightly disturbed Kaylee, while Kairi, Donald, Goofy and Aiden nodded in agreement.

"It is creepy," said Travis.

"It's just a single hole, Al," said Ed in an assessing tone, "a quick repair transmutation should do the trick," he then looked more closely, "but you really did have a close call today."

"How close was it to it, brother?" Al asked.

"Too close," said Ed, "another inch or two to the left and you'd be gone for good."

Sora took a closer look and saw that at the top of the back of Al's armor on the inside was an Alchemic symbol drawn in dull red ink. But a more closer look revealed the ink to be dried blood.

"A blood seal," Aiden in a hushed tone, "ink and chalk are standard materials when drawing a transmutation circle. But a circle drawn in human blood is exponentially more powerful."

"Powerful enough to seal a human soul inside a suit of armor," said Travis, "but if the seal is ever damaged or destroyed…"

"Then Al would disappear," said Kaylee, "forever."

"Which is why we both need to be careful," said Ed, He then clapped his hands and touched the damaged part of Al's armor. With a flash, the hole was gone, like it never was there.

"Good as new," said Al as he put his helmet back on.

Just then Mustang and the other State Alchemsit that came out to help, as well as several soldiers in blue uniforms, walked over. With him was Linda and Robert, "if you're all ready, we can go."

"To Central?" Sora asked.

"Exactly," said Mustang, "Fuhrer Bradley has been fully apprised of the situation, and is most eager to meet you, Sora, you and your fellow Keyblade Wielders."

"I'm sure we'll have lots to talk about," said Riku.

Mustang then looked at Ed and Al, "I see you two have been keeping busy as usual."

"We do what we can, sir," said Al.

"Just doing our job," said Ed, "we can handle The Heartless, any day of the week."

"I mean becoming guardians to war orphans," said Mustang, indicating Aiden, Travis and Kaylee, "they say they're capable, but did you, Edward Elric, ever think that bringing three civilians with you might be a risk? A risk in more way than one?"

"It's not like we could just leave them there," said Ed in an irritated tone, "their whole families were destroyed, as was everyone in their town."

"Speaking of which," said Mustang, "in what way did you think it was a good idea to destroy their town? Other people may have interests in it."

"They asked me to do it!" said Ed.

"Everyone connected with our town was there when The Heartless first attacked," said Kaylee, "there's nobody to bother about settling affairs there. As far as my friends and I are concerned, the town might as well have been destroyed by The Heartless themselves."

"And we want to help," said Aiden, "it's bad enough that we and so many others have suffered because of The Heartless. We want to make sure that nobody else suffers as we have."

"Even if it means working with those you'd rather not," said Travis.

"Can I make a suggestion?" Kairi asked, "I think we should just call a time out on who's right and who's wrong, for now. We should go to the city, rest up and plan what to do next. Then we can play the blame game."

"That's actually a good suggestion," said Robert, "in my opinion."

"I concur," said Linda. She then looked at Mustang, "with all due respect, sir, we are all tired from the ordeal, so perhaps it would be in everyone's best interest to rest and plan while we can."

"I agree, Captain Areas," said Mustang. He then looked at Kairi, "your suggestion happens to be one of the best I've heard in days, compared to the rest of the idiotic ideas I've had to listen to recently in Central."

"Things are that bad, sir?" Robert asked.

"The Heartless have nearly everyone at the high command at wits end," said Mustang, "this has never happened before in the history of The State, nobody knows what to do."

"We've fought more Heartless than I can count," said Sora, "If nobody in Central knows what to do, then maybe they'll listen to us."

"We'll be more than willing to share what information we can give," said Riku, "I honestly don't know if anyone will listen, but we'll try."

"I couldn't ask for more," said Mustang. He then looked at Sora, Riku and Kairi, "you three are something else; not only are you outstanding warriors, but you each have brilliant minds, a combination that, I'm sorry to admit, is in short supply in The State."

"He's right," said Ed, "there is a serious lack of intelligence in the bureaucracy of The State."

"But it won't be that way forever," said Mustang in a smug tone, "someday, and that day will definitely come, I will be Fuhrer, and when that day comes, I'm make sure that the hierarchy of The State is restructured to include brains as well as brawn," he looked again at Sora, Riku and Kairi, "if you three weren't already occupied, I'd recommend the three of you as officer material."

"Really?" Sora asked. He could already imagine himself in the blue uniform of a State Alchemist.

"What about us?" Donald asked, while Goofy nodded in agreement, "we're smart!"

"And strong," said Goofy.

"You two I'm not so sure about," said Mustang, "but who knows what the future will hold? I know one thing for certain," he then struck a heroic pose, "the first change that will come when I'm Fuhrer, will be that all female officers in The State will be required to wear tiny miniskirts!!"

"Oh sir!" exclaimed Robert in an ecstatic tone, "such an change in military wardrobe would be a dream come true! You have my pledge of loyalty, now and forever!"

"He's not Fuhrer yet," said Linda in a disapproving tone.

"I'm starting to like this world," said Riku, "I mean, a world where girls have to wear flattering clothes, he's got my vote," he indicated Mustang.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't heart that," said an slightly annoyed Kairi.

It was then that a woman with bright blond hair tied back and wearing a blue uniform, walked up to Mustang, "orders from Central, sir!" she said in an official tone as she handed a message to him.

"Thank you, Lt. Hawkeye," said Mustang.

"That's Riza Hawkeye," said Linda to Sora and the others, "Mustangs aide-de-camp."

"There's some rumors that she and Mustang have more than a professional relationship," said Robert, "but it's just rumors. Hawkeye is Mustang's most loyal supporters, some say she's willing to die for him, but that's my opinion."

"We've got trouble," said Mustang after reading the message, "Heartless have just been sighted within the city limits."

"Whoever's controlling The Heartless is starting to make their move," said Riku, "it won't be long before they launch an all out attack."

"Then let's not waste any more time," said Mustang.

"Couldn't agree more, sir!" said Robert in a sycophant manner.

Linda and Ed then both coughed something that, to Sora and the others, sounded like 'brown noser.'

A short time later, Sora, Riku, Kairi got into the back of the truck with Aiden, Travis and Kaylee, while Ed, Al, Donald and Goofy got into the jeep with Robert. With that everyone got back on the road.

********

Less than an hour later Sora and the others saw the fist sign of a large city that resembled a metropolis one would find in the 1920's; one with electric lights and early automobiles.

"It's weird," said Kairi as they drove through the streets of Central, "this is kind of like our world. All that's missing is some handheld electronics, some more modern fashion styles, modern cars, and you'd feel like you were back home."

"We will get home," said Sora, "if not today, then tomorrow."

"Nothing would make me happier than to go home right now and give my mom a big hug," said Riku.

"Me to," said Sora.

"Me three," said Kairi.

…((Central))…

"You're lucky you've got homes to go to," said Travis.

"We didn't mean to make you guys feel bad," said Kairi.

"We'll be alright," said Kaylee, "just not now."

"We'll worry about putting our lives back together later," said Aiden.

"First thing's first," said Kaylee, "stopping The Heartless and whoever is controlling them. Then we'll think about what to do next."

"Sometimes worrying about the future can make things worse," said Riku, "I've always found it better to focus on one problem at a time."

"I feel that way as well," said Aiden, "we'll have plenty of time to think about the future when this is over."

"Assuming we survive," said Travis, "you know that it's only a matter of time before we'll have to fight again. We won't be able to keep our secret for long if we want to stay alive and human."

"You don't have to remind me," said Aiden.

Just then the convoy pulled up to a large building gothic-style building.

"Here we are," said Ed as everyone got out of their respective vehicles, "State Alchemist HQ."

"You sound like you'd rather be somewhere else," said Sora.

"Let's just say that this isn't my favorite place to be in the world," said Ed.

It was then that a man in a blue uniform came out of the building. He had short black hair, a short beard and wore rectangular glasses.

"Ed! Al!" said the man in a friendly tone as he waved at the two brothers.

"Major Hughes!" said Al, "when did you get here?"

"Last night," said the man, Hughes, "every officer and State Alchemist has been pulled off their assignments to counter the threat of the Feeders, whatever they are."

"Heartless," said Sora, "they're called Heartless."

"Really?" said Hughes, "and you kids," he indicated Sora, Riku and Kairi, "you're the ones everyone's talking about, the ones with those special swords," he held out his hand, "Maes Hughes, at your service."

"Are you an Alchemist?" Riku asked as he shook Hughes' hand.

"No," said Hughes as he shook Kairi's hand, "I'm just a soldier, And a very good friend of the Elric Brothers," he then looked at the two brothers, "Oh, Ed, AL," said Hughes, have you seen the latest pictures of Alicia?" he pulled out his wallet and showed the two brothers a photo of a smiling 3-year old girl with bright blond hair and wearing a blue sundress, "isn't she the most precious thing in the world!?"

"Uh…yeah," said Ed, "she is."

"You must be very proud, sir," said Al.

"Oh!" said Kairi in an ecstatic tone as she saw the picture, "she's adorable! How old is she?"

"Little Alicia just turned 3 a few weeks ago," said a widely grinning Hughes, "I have some more pictures if you'd like to see them."

"You don't want to do that," said Robert.

"He does this with everyone," said Linda.

"Why not?" Kairi asked, just in time to have several dozen pictures of Hughes' daughter shoved into her face.

"That's why," sad Robert.

Just then another man in a blue uniform came out of the building. This one was very tall, very broad in the shoulders and very bald, except for a single very blond lock above his forehead. He also had a very blond handlebar mustache.

"Oh no!" said Robert in a nervous tone, "it's him!"

"The muscle freak!" said Linda in an equally nervous tone, "you think he'll leave us alone this time if we ignore him?"

"It's our only chance," said Robert.

Fortunately for the two young State Alchemists, the tall, broad man had only eyes for the two brothers, "Edward Elric!" he then embraced Ed in a bear hug strong enough to break some ribs, if Ed wasn't already a tough character, "you and your brother Alphonse have been getting into trouble again."

"Nice to see you to, Major Armstrong," gasped Ed. The man, Armstrong then put Ed down.

"It's not like we could avoid trouble, Major," said Al, "someone had to find out what The Heartless were about."

"And I take it that you discovered that they are creatures of pure evil," said Armstrong.

"That's it in a nutshell," said Ed.

"It's a bit more complicated," said Riku.

"We'll tell you all about The Heartless," said Kairi.

"Ah," said Armstrong, "so you are the ones whom have the power to vanquish the foul Heartless," he bowed, "Major Alex Louis Armstrong, the Strongarm Alchemist, at your service, I can see that you are powerful warriors, powerful yet beautiful in your own manner."

"Uh…thanks," said a slightly uncomfortable Riku, "I guess." Kairi was also felling a little uncomfortable, but she was also slightly flattered.

"You!" shouted Armstrong as he pointed at Sora, "you are another of the warriors who have vanquished The Heartless, are you not?"

"I am," said a slightly nervous Sora. Being looked at such a large man left Sora more than a little intimidated.

"You are indeed a warrior," said Armstorng, "yet your body leaves more to be desired. I shall take it upon myself to train you. Within six weeks, my lad, you shall have a form and style to be envied among your peers!"

"I'm quite happy with my body, thank you very much," said Sora.

"What?!" exclaimed Armstrong, "how can you possibly be satisfied with the way you are, when you can have this!" he then flung off the top part of his uniform, revealing a heavily muscled upper torso, and this writer does mean heavy.

"That's a lot of muscle," said Riku.

"He's bigger than Hercules," said Goofy, while Donald nodded in agreement.

"I think I'm going to be sick," said a disgusted Kairi, while Robert and Linda nodded in disgusted agreement.

"This vision of manly perfection is a result of a training regime passed down through generations of the Armstrong family," said Armstrong as he flexed and posed, "look at it and tell me that you are satisfied with what you are now. Look at it and tell me you are not filled with the desire to transform yourself into an equally perfect vision. Look at it! Look at it!!"

"I'm looking at it," said Sora, "and I told you already that I'm fine with who I am. Besides, it takes more than muscles and fancy moves to be a hero. It's the strength of one's heart that counts, and the knowledge to use that strength, to know when and when not to fight. And when you have to fight, it should be to protect that and those whom are precious to you. It doesn't matter what's on the outside. It's what's inside," he tapped his head and heart, "that truly matters."

At that Armstrong laughed heartily, "well spoken, young one," he patted Sora on the back, but it was more like a shove that knocked him to the ground, "well spoken indeed."

"You okay?" Kairi asked as she helped Sora up.

"That's going to leave a mark," said Sora as he felt where Armstrong showed his 'affections.'

"We all know how proud you are of your physical achievement, Armstrong," said Mustang, "but do us all a favor and put your coat on, for crying out loud."

"Of course sir," said Armstrong as he picked up his discarded coat and put it on.

Just then Sora, Riku and Kairi had the sensation that something bad was going to happen.

"They're coming!" shouted Sora, just as hundreds of Air Soldiers, Gargoyles and Wyverns appeared in the air above the city, while the streets were filled with thousands of Shadows, Neo Shadows, Bandits, Luna Bandits, Psycho Bikers and Mad Hogs.

"They'll destroy the city!" shouted Linda as she hastily loaded shells into her shotgun, while Robert loaded his revolver.

"Not on my watch!" said Mustang. He then snapped his left and right fingers, (insert two finger snapping sounds) causing dual explosions that took out two large groups of Heartless, one on the streets, one in the air.

A group of Luna Bandits, backed up by several Psycho Bikers and Mad Hogs, charged at the building. Hawkeye pulled out a pistol and emptied a magazine at them. But her shots had no effect.

"Bullets don't work on them!" shouted Kairi as the approaching Heartless attacked. She sliced and destroyed two Luna Bandits, then threw a Strike Raid at a Psycho Biker, destroying it. The riderless Mad Hog kept charging, but it was destroyed by a Dark Aura from Riku.

Sora, Donald and Goofy attacked and destroyed several Luna Bandits, while Ed dueled a Zip Slasher. Ed fended off the dual blades of the armored Heartless with a summoned spear, then transmuted the ground underneath into mud, trapping the Zip Slasher, leaving Ed free to stab it in the head, all the while Al grappled with several Large Bodies and Fat Bandits.

At the same time, Robert and Linda shot at the attacking Heartless with their Alchemy-charged weapons. Kaylee and Travis fought back with their Alchemy, transmuting the ground under attacking Heartless into spikes or mud traps, while Aiden dueled other Heartless with his sword.

Then there were no more attacking Heartless, or so it seemed. Just when our heroes thought they were getting a break, another wave of attacking Heartless charged.

"You got to be kidding me," said Travis.

"Foul beasts!" exclaimed Armstrong as he pulled on a pair of metal gauntlets that had Alchemic symbols, "you shall be destroyed by the artistic beauty of my Alchemy!!" He then punched the ground, sending a charge of yellow energy towards a group of charging Neo Shadows. The energy caused the ground under the group of Heartless to erupt in spikes that destroyed the Neo Shadows.

Armstrong then kicked up a large piece of pavement that got broken by his attack and punched it, charging it with yellow energy and sending it towards a group of Bandits. The piece of pavement exploded on contact.

"Whoa!" said an impressed Sora.

Mustang then blew up the rest of the attacking Heartless with a series of finger snaps.

Just then ground shook like a small earthquake. Then the ground shook again, and again, and again.

"What's happening?!" Kaylee asked.

"It's trouble, that's what it is!" said Riku.

"It's coming from over there!" said Al. He pointed to a spot several blocks away.

"Get going!" shouted Mustang to Ed and Al, "we'll coordinate the city defenses with the rest of the State Alchemist at HQ!"

"We'll help!" said Robert and Linda.

"Right," said Ed. He and Al then ran towards the source of the small quakes. Sora, Riku, Kairi, Donald and Goofy followed, as well as Aiden, Travis and Kaylee.

After seveal blocks, they rounded a street corner to see a very large Heartless that shook the ground with each step it took. It looked to be a green and yellow version of a Guard Armor, but with much more streamline plating and had six arms. The first two arms cast orange freezing spells, the second pair shot purple fireballs, the third shot green lighting bolts. The giant Heartless shot its spells at nearby buildings, destroying them in fire, electrical fires and freezing them solid.

"Whoever's in charge of The Heartless on this world has a really sick imagination," said Sora. Just then the improved Guard Armor saw our heroes and shot a pair of fireballs at it.

Sora and Donald countered with Blizzard spells, then shot back with fireballs of their own at the head of the giant Heartless. Both made contact, but did very little damage.

The improved Guard Armor advanced, shaking the ground with each step and shot several bolts of green lighting at our heroes. Everyone took cover behind various cars. Ed and Al were behind one car, with Sora, Donald and Goofy behind another. Kairi and Riku were on the other side of the street, as was Aiden, Travis and Kaylee.

"How do we stop this thing?!" Ed shouted.

"We have to destroy the individual parts!" said Sora.

"Easier said than done," said Kaylee as she drew a transmutation circle, the Alchemy then changed the pavement underneath the improved Guard Armor into mud, but the giant Heartless stepped over the mud.

Aiden then prepared to draw a transmutation circle, but he hesitated, his stick of chalk hovering above the ground.

"What are you waiting for?!" Travis shouted.

"I…I can't!" said Aiden, "I can't!"

"What are you talking about!?" exclaimed Kaylee. She and Travis then realized that the improved Guard Armor was about to attack. They grabbed Aiden and ran, just as a purple fireball hit the car they had been behind, which then blew up.

Sora and Riku then threw a double Strike Raid at one of the fireball shooting hand of the improved Guard Armor, destroying it. The other five hands then began shooting out from the body, striking randomly at the buildings and cars along the street.

Al grabbed one of the flaying hands, one that shot lighting bolts, and wrestled it to the ground. Ed transmuted his arm so it had the blade and stabbed the Heartless hand, destroying it.

Riku blocked another of the flying hands with his Dark Shield, while Goofy deflected another flying hand with his shield. Donald cast a Stop spell at the one of the Blizzard shooting hands, then crushed it with a Gravity spell. It took a lot of damage, but it was still active, until Goofy slammed it with his shield, destroying it.

The three remaining hands then regrouped around the body of the giant Heartless, then formed up in front of the body so they formed a triangle, with the lighting bolt hand at the top, the blizzard hand on the lower left and the fireball hand at the lower right.

The three hands began rotating, shifting positions, while they shot their respective spells at the same time. Our heroes had to take cover again as the triple blasts of Fire, Thunder and Blizzard, tore up the street.

"We have to separate the parts!" shouted Sora.

"How about this?!" said Ed. He clapped his hands together and touched the pavement, transmuting part of the street into a large cannon

"Bullets can't destroy Heartless," said Ed, "but I'll bet they can still knock 'em down!" he then used Alchemy to fire the cannon. The large cannonball, which had a caricature of Ed's face drawn on its front, hit the improved Guard Armor and exploded. The blast didn't damage the giant Heartless very much, but it succeeded in separating the hands and feet from the torso and head.

Ed and Al then attacked the feet, while Riku blasted one of the hands. Donald and Goofy went after the second hand, leaving the last for Travis and Kaylee.

Only the head and torso of the improved Guard Armor remained to hover above the street. The visor of the head opened up, revealing a pair of yellow eyes. It then shot a beam of red energy from its eyes at a car, vaporizing it.

"If that thing hits us, we're dead!" shouted Travis as he dodged a laser blast.

"Then let's finish it!" shouted Sora.

"Ready!" shouted Donald.

"Willin'!" shouted Goofy.

"And able!" shouted Sora. Donald and Goofy then transferred their powers to Sora, whom then activated his Master Drive form. With the two versions of Ultima Weapon in his hands, Sora charged at the torso of the improved Guard Armor.

But the giant Heartless had other ideas. It locked its vision of Sora and shot its laser at him. Sora dodged and charged from a different direction, but the giant Heartless was locked in on Sora. It shot its laser again, forcing Sora to back off.

"He can't stay that way for much longer!" said Kairi as Sora dodged another laser blast

"When the drive form ends," said Riku, "he'll be too exhausted to move for several seconds."

"That'll be long enough for that thing to incinerate Sora," said Kaylee.

"We have to help Sora!" said Donald as he and Goofy tried to regain their strength, but failed due to the power transfer.

"We have to take out that laser," said Riku.

"I'm on it!" shouted Al. He grabbed a tire off of a destroyed car and transmuted it into a large discus that had a serrated edge. Al waited until the improved Guard Armor was between laser blasts, then threw the discus at the head. The discus imbedded itself in the eyes of the giant Heartless.

With its last weapon out of action, Sora charged and delivered a devastating barrage to the torso. He jumped away, just as the Drive ended. Donald and Goofy got their powers back, leaving Sora nearly exhausted. He fell back into Riku and Kairi's arms.

The torso of the improved Guard Armor then fell down and exploded. From the smoke of that explosion rose a large crystal heart, which ascended into the sky and vanished.

"And that's that," said Sora as his strength returned and stood up.

Just then Robert and Linda ran up to them, "It's over, the Heartless have been defeated."

"The city's safe for now," said Linda. "no more Heartless have been spotted in Central."

"Let's hope they stay gone," said Travis.

"They'll be back," said Riku, "if not soon, then later. I've got a feeling that this attack was just a test."

"A test that had terrible results," said Mustang as he walked up, "a lot of State Alchemists were in the city today. If it weren't for them, things would have been a whole lot worse."

"How bad was it, sir?" Al asked.

"It's too early to tell," said Mustang, "but at least 50 soldiers and policemen are dead, while nearly 400 civilians are either dead or missing, that we know of right now. The amount of wounded was approaching a thousand, and it'll be more before long.

"But tens of thousands are still alive and human, and nearly all of the city is still intact," he looked at the street that the improved Guard Armor attacked, just in time to see one building collapse, "almost anyway."

"Things were bad enough," said Ed, "if whoever is controlling The Heartless can use more like that big one we just fought, then we're in real trouble." He tried to scratch the back of his head with his right arm, but the metal limb would only rise halfway.

"Uh-oh," said Ed as he took off his coat and shirt to reveal that the elbow and shoulder joints were damaged. His hand was also damaged, three of his fingers wouldn't bend, while the other fingers would only bend part way.

"Oh man," said Ed in a complaining tone, "Winry's gonna kill me."

"Your arm will be the least of your problems if The Heartless attack again," said Riku, "like I said, I've got a bad feeling that this was just a test."

"A test?" Donald asked.

"I didn't even study," said Goofy.

"I'd hate to ask if we'd passed the test," said Kaylee.

"We probably wouldn't be here if we failed," said Travis.

"That's what I'm thinking," said Riku, "the one controlling The Heartless in this world, they used this attack to see what The State Alchemist can do, how well they can fight The Heartless."

"Then the controller will launch an even worse attack next time," said Sora.

"And there will be a next time," said Kairi, "we've got to figure out where The Heartless are coming from and how to stop them."

Just then a soldier ran up to Mustang and handed him a message. He read the message, "you'll get your chance to do so. Fuhrer Bradley wants to meet you, Sora, and your friends. And you as well, Fullmetal Alchemist, the Fuhrer has a few words for you as well."

"Just my luck," grumbled Ed.

"After we help those who need help," said Al, "and there's sure to be a lot of people who are going to need our help."

"Of course," said Mustang.

"We'll help to," said Sora, while Riku, Kairi, Donald and Goofy nodded in agreement.

Just then Aiden walked up as if in a daze. "You okay, man?" Travis asked, "you sort of wigged out on us back there."

"I don't know what came over me," said Aiden in a distant tone, "I just froze up."

"You were scared," said Sora, "it happens to everyone."

"It's nothing to be ashamed about," said Kaylee, "I was scared to, so was Travis."

"I nearly had a heart attack," said Travis.

"But I did nothing," said Aiden, "while you and the others fought back."

"Look on the bright side," said Kairi, "you are still alive, alive to fight again."

"And if you're worried about freezing up again, just don't think about it," said Riku, "When the time comes, just don't think, act."

"I hope I'll get the chance," said Aiden.

Sora hoped that Aiden would get the chance, and not just to destroy more Heartless. Sora felt that Aiden was seeing himself as a coward. This was more than fear, it was self doubt, and self doubt can, if not taken care of, can allow the heart to be consumed by darkness.

The end of chapter 6.

Next chapter, our heroes try to figure out what to do next, while at the same time, they meet somebody from Ed and Al's past. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!