9/22/12 A/N: Relax. Take a deep breath. Trust me when I say, it's going to get bad before it gets better. :)

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Chapter 9: Pull the Trigger

Well, I'm loaded and ready,
Calmly holding steady.
Looking for a sign to show me when.
Well, I'm waiting and willing.
The clarity is chilling.
But I'm not turning back
And neither can you.

"Someone to Pull the Trigger" Matthew Sweet

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His hands started to bleed after so many minutes of digging into the debris of the council building. Alphonse had already extricated several members of the Milos government, unfortunately, all of them were dead. None of the other rescuers spoke as they moved charred furniture and items destroyed by the blast. He couldn't give up until he found her, until then, he choked back the tears and did the hard work like a man.

"Over here!" A voice yelled from the next room and Al got up to see what was found. "I think I heard something in there!" He pointed to a pile of wood and ash.

"Julia!" Alphonse was afraid to use alchemy for fear that it would harm the structure or the poor souls trapped. He dug only a few feet and came upon a hard steel shell, a barrier made by alchemy. He knew that Julia could do simple alchemy to heal, but that was before she swallowed the last sanguine star three years ago. Now, they both really hadn't had the chance to talk about what she could do. He put his ear to the smooth surface and heard muffled sounds. Al slapped his hands together and placed them on the steel cocoon causing the molecules to spread so that an opening appeared. From the darkness a deathly pale and slender hand emerged. He grasped it and he knew it was her. She was weak, but she was alive. "Someone! Get a stretcher!" Al stroked the small hand reassuringly. "Hold on. Just hold on!"


Ashley soared to the bottom of the ravine, to the valley below. The people of Milos had long deserted their former homes for the freedom of the city above. Now, only criminals and transients lived here. He landed carrying Winry and he removed his pack, discarding it on the dirt of the valley floor. He hoisted the girl up in his arms and walked toward the old base of the Milotian rebellion. His superior and those chimeras were waiting for him there. Soon, Edward would come and they'd produce the star at last. It was a shame, really. He did like Winry. The fact that she was kind to the eyes also didn't hurt. He hoped that they'd leave her fate to him and he could protect her. Chances were slim they'd let her live though, but he was determined to fight for that. She really was a good girl.

Julia. Ashley winced at the thought of his sister dying in that explosion. So be it. "She chose her path." He thought. She didn't have to be involved in the government, she could have stayed out of it. Still, it saddened him that she did choose this life and for this, she had to die. "If only things were different." He fingered the necklace around his neck, the silvery-tin scrollwork square with the green enamel stone, the mate to the earring Julia always wore. He sighed, knowing he couldn't go back in time and change anything. He only hoped that she didn't suffer.

"Come on, Winry, let's get you inside and wait for Edward."

He soon found himself inside the old rebel base, the cell block. There, sitting at a wooden table were the chimeras in human form and his commanding officer.

"It's about time, Herschel!" He stood to inspect the hostage. "She's the one Fullmetal would open the gate for?"

"I'm certain."

"Good, is he on his way?"

"Yes." He carried Winry into one of the cells and set her down on a bed of warm hay.

"Very pretty." One of the chimeras eyed the girl in the cell, he got up to get a closer look. Ashley closed and locked the bars before he could enter the cell.

"Any harm to her and Fullmetal will not perform the transmutation." He did not move his eyes from the dark ones of the wolf chimera. Ashley could not read minds but it was very easy to see from the sweat pooling on the monster's human face just what he was thinking.

"As long as she is…alive…." He snarled.

"Enough!" The superior stood and paced. "Get your mind on your job, there's plenty of young ladies back home…oh wait, they don't let you out often, do they?" He chuckled. "Leave the hostage be, that is an order." The chimera growled and sat down next to his friend, who also eyed the sleeping girl in a way that Ashley did not like.

"You said the array is set up?" Ashley waited until his commander sat before he followed.

"It is, why don't you inspect it for accuracy?"

"I'd rather wait for Elric." He didn't want to disobey orders, but felt he needed to keep an eye on the wolves who still eyed Winry lustfully. Ashley couldn't wait to obtain the star, those two would be the first to die.

"So be it. He's the alchemy genius anyway." The officer hoped to twist the knife with his words. "He'll correct any of your mistakes."

"It took me two years to have this hell hole excavated so that the transmutation circle encompassed the entire city, I doubt there are any mistakes."

"Still, we can't afford it not to work. We need intelligence from above. Soldier!" The man yelled to a group of Cretan soldiers stationed just outside the room. A young officer appeared and saluted. "What's going on above?

"Spies report chaos now. I don't think they've figured it out yet."

"Not good. We need a bloody swath in order for this to work, right Hershel?"

"Yes." Ashley wasn't sure where they were going with this, but he knew that many lives were needed to start the transmutation that would create the philosopher's stone. The last time one was created by his imposter, the city itself had been used, blood from the dying above flowed into what they thought were "speaking tubes." Instead, they formed a three dimensional transmutation circle under the city and those souls-mostly trapped Amestrian soldiers, were sacrificed into making one tiny stone. He couldn't gain access to the tubes, the Milotians destroyed as many as they could,. So, he theorized that death and destruction up above in conjunction with the huge array down below would be enough to do the job once more.

"Don't worry." A chimera spoke. "We planted it as instructed." He hissed and continued staring at the girl in the cell.


Edward really hated heights and yet here he stood on the precarious ledge just beyond the hole Ashley made in the fencing. He would do it though, for her. He slapped the metal gauntlets together and placed them on the rocks below his feet. He hoped, no he prayed that this worked, that his construction-as-his-only-means-of-alchemy worked. Utilizing the Dragon's pulse, the rocks started to move outward, forming a crude staircase of stone. He sighed with relief, knowing that he didn't have to deconstruct any molecules of soil and rock, just construct them in another arrangement of atoms. Edward didn't use all his time marveling in this new found ability, he ran down the random stairs because his life, his Winry was down on the valley floor and in trouble.

It took him a very long time to make it to the bottom. When he finally set down on the lofty, sooty soil of the dirty valley, he longed to cry out in celebration but knew it was far to soon for that. Not really knowing where to go, he just ran forward toward the dilapidated structures that used to house the people of Milos. Ed soon met a group of soldiers, Cretan soldiers as evident from their uniforms. He startled them but they diligently took him into custody, thankfully without beating on him, much. He smirked when they failed to remove the four small metal fans secured along his back and safely under his trench coat, nor did they wrangle off his gauntlets. On second thought, maybe they were under orders to allow him to use alchemy. "Boy, they'll be sorry when they find out I can't do that anymore." He thought as they drug him deeper and deeper into the bowels of the underground.

Finally, his captors took him into an enormous cavern, lit with strange bioluminescence he could only imagine belonged to some sort of insects covering the ceilings. Everything appeared glowing green, everything except the blood red lines scrawled on the floor. Edward couldn't miss the enormous alchemy array and even though he could only see a fraction of it since most of the lines traveled into tunnels, he recognized it immediately as very similar to the one Father tried to use to turn the souls in Amestris into a philosopher's stone.

"Are you all FUCKING NUTS?!" He screamed to the solders around him who ignored his shouts. "Ashley Crichton! Do you hear me? I know you are here!" He looked around, scanning the room for the asshole who kidnapped Winry. Not seeing him, Edward continued his rant. "Do you know what this will do? Are you seriously going to sacrifice the people above for a stupid stone?!" The chilly voice that answered came from directly behind him.

"No, Edward. You will." Ashley stood, defiantly and smiled.


She saved four. Only four remained of the Milotian government, in addition to Senator Crichton. Prime Minister Marshall escaped with cuts and bruises and the other three had various injuries, none of them life threatening. Julia, however, was not so lucky. Alphonse ran his hand through his hair and got up to pace the waiting room of the hospital, the place still in chaos from the bombing. He caught sight of a doctor walking briskly out of the room they had Julia in and he quickly grabbed his elbow making him give him information. "I need to know!" He pleaded. The man gave in.

He told Al that Julia had inhaled hot air and smoke, this had damaged her lungs, resulting in difficulty breathing. She didn't escape the blast either, a large portion of the left side of her body was burned severely, so severely the physician didn't know she'd survive just that injury. To make it worse, she'd lost her left eye and hand and they weren't certain she'd be able to keep her left leg. In her haste to create a barrier with alchemy, she made a barrier of steel to surround them while the building burned. Her left side was closest to the hot metal and caused most of the horrifying damage. The doctor sighed, tired after the hours spent stabilizing the girl and he and Al both knew it was probably to no avail, her injuries were far to serious.

"I'm sorry, young man. I truly am. But I don't think the injuries she sustained are conducive with life." He patted the back of Al's shoulder. "We've made her comfortable, it's all we can do right now." He pointed toward the door. "You can go in if you like. Just, be prepared."

Al held back the tears he knew he'd let fall in private. Tears would not help Julia now, so he wouldn't cry. He thanked the doctor, but those words stuck in his brain like a knife: not conducive with life. He knew that meant she would die. He searched his head for alchemical answers but he had only just began to understand the medical uses of alkahestry and he knew he could harm her if he did it wrong. Still, if she were going to die anyway, he might as well try. Alphonse slowly opened the door and walked in.

Julia didn't look as horrifyingly bad as the doctor described, mostly because she was lying in a bed with her left side facing away from him. Her face and neck were covered with bandages, only her beautiful single turquoise eye remained uncovered and fixed on him as he walked slowly to her bedside and sat down.

"I'm so sorry, Julia, I'm sorry I didn't get there to save you." He took her right hand in his, he noticed how cold her skin felt. She grunted angrily back at him and he took this as "It's not your fault, idiot."

"You can't talk, can you?" He looked into her eye and noticed that her hair, not covered with a bandage was cropped short now. "Listen, blink once for yes, two for no." He gently stroked her hand. "Do you know how…" His voice caught before he could continue. "how badly injured you are?"

One blink.

"You are burned, pretty bad. Did the doctor's tell you anything?

Two blinks.

He sighed, not wanting to be the one, but knowing he had to be. "You're dying." He couldn't stop the single stream of tears falling from his eyes at this point, but wiped them away with his left hand hoping she didn't notice the catch in his voice. "I, I might be able to help, but I might make it worse too. Will you let me try?"

Two blinks. She was in pain, she knew she had little time left but one thing she didn't want was for her death to be hastened by Al trying to help her and have him live with that guilt for the rest of his life. No, she would fight as long as she could and if that didn't work, she'd join her parents.

"What? Please let me try!"

Two blinks.

"Then, let me get Brother! He's figured out how to use alchemy to heal, I know he can help!"

Before she could answer, the door burst open. Maria and Ivan stormed inside.

"It was Amestris!" Ivan shouted. "They found a bloodied Amestrian soldier's uniform in the building. Marshall is meeting with Fuhrer Grumman now." He was out of breath. "The militia is organizing, they are preparing to attack Border City."

"It will be a massacre." Al said softly, hoping Julia didn't hear but knowing she did. "They'll use this opportunity to take Milos." He shook his head, hating this violence and what it did to Julia.

"Mister Alphonse, what should we do? Where should we go to be safe?" Maria wrung her hands.

"Ivan, you need to get your family someplace safe. Do you have a basement?" The mechanic nodded and motioned to Maria to join him.

"Julia!" Maria ran to the Senator and gentle kissed the soft and perfect skin on the right side of her face. "I will stay with you!" She held her hand.

Blink. Blink.

"She says, no. She wants you to go with Ivan and be safe, Maria." Al didn't miss Julia's only means of communication.

"Julia." Maria let her tears fall freely and set soft kisses, kisses of a mother, onto the girls cheek once more. "I'm honored to know you. I love you, dear." Ivan hugged her and took her place before the girl.

"Miss Julia, please, please get well." He took off his cap and twisted it nervously in his hands as he spoke. "I can't thank you enough for helping me and bringing Miss Winry here…I, I…goodbye, Miss Julia." he turned to leave before anyone could see his tears. He pulled the reluctant Maria out of the room with him.

"Get down, lock yourselves in until this blows over!" Alphonse yelled as they retreated. He was glad they were getting somewhere safe and he knew he should probably do the same. Not only was he NOT going to leave Julia's side, but there was the problem with his brother and Winry. He had no idea where the two could be at this moment.


"Damn it!" Allen Harris cursed under his breath as the men in his barracks ran frantically around getting ready for battle.

"What's the matter?" A fellow soldier stopped to ask.

"I just found out, they're shipping me to Briggs in two months!" He crumpled up his orders in his hand and sighed.

"Shit. That's too bad. I hear it's cold there. But aren't you from North City? The cold shouldn't be a problem to you."

"That's not it." He palmed his face. "I thought I'd be here much longer."

"So?"

"I threw all my wool blues over the cliff."

"Harris? All of them?"

"Yeah, all my winter uniforms."

"Sorry." He slapped his friend on the back. "You're fucked." He ran off to get ready for the fight.

"Yeah." It was going to be hard to explain this.


"It's about time you got here, we can't start without you." Ashley moved aside and behind him stood Winry. She was startled but her eyes grew large upon seeing Edward.

"Ed!" She ran to him, ignoring the guards that Ashley waved off, letting her pass. She grabbed onto the young man as if he were her only source of light.

"Are you alright? They didn't hurt you?" He sounded so calm, so together.

"I'm fine, I feel stupid for getting myself into this. I should have known better than to trust him. Even his SISTER," she yelled for emphasis, "told me not to trust him!" Her blue eyes glared with anger at Crichton who stood and smirked.

"Winry, I'm sorry too. You're their pawn to make me do something, something terrible." He suddenly remembered the question he wanted to ask her, but felt this was not the best time.

"What?"

"He's going to help us create a philosopher's stone. No harm will come to either of you."

"Yeah, but the people above, the people NOT harmed by the fighting, their souls are the ingredients for this, you bastard!" Ed ground his teeth in anger.

"Ed? What fighting?" She had no idea what had transpired above. "And, you mean, like the Promised Day?" Her eyes grew wide with terror. She remembered when the countrywide array was activated and her soul was ripped from her body. As long as she lived, she'd never forget the agonizing pain and terror of those few minutes she died in the process of Father's plan. Her worst nightmares always contain that feeling of utter torment and pain and remaining helpless to do anything to stop it.

"Winry, I think they caused the explosion at the council building. More than likely, the Milotians are blaming Amestris…." He took her hands. "And yes, like the Promised Day."

"How could you!" Her fright turned to rage aimed at Crichton. "Julia was in that building!' Ed had to hold her back from assaulting the soldier.

"Oh the emotions of women!" Ashley's superior waltzed into the room, closely followed by the two Chimeras. "You must contain yourself." He smiled at her, his gray eyes emotionless. "I have news, blood has shed above, we are almost ready. Bring in the alchemists!" As he spoke, several people entered the room: A sickly man in a wheelchair and two soldiers, both with assorted automail limbs. They all stood before the outmost line of the array. "Now, Herschel, if you wouldn't mind." He motioned for Ashley to stand in his place. "Mr. Elric, you…over there." Edward responded by laughing.

"You didn't do your homework, Ashley!" His laugh turned maniacal and he doubled over for a minute.

"Ed, this is not funny!" Winry shouted, not understanding this at all.

"He, he," He stood and tried to hold back his chuckles. "He doesn't know, Winry."

"Know what!?" The superior screamed at Crichton who just stared at them all incredulously.

"He doesn't know I can't use alchemy anymore!" Again, a wave of laughter overtook Edward, even when the officer struck him out of frustration, the young man didn't cease.

"He's lying! Just to get out of activating the array!" Ashley growled and moved so quickly no one had a chance to say anything further. He grabbed Winry from behind and activated the weapon in his automail. He stood with the barrel at her head. "You will activate the god damned array Fullmetal Alchemist!" He screamed in emphasis.

"Even if I could, I wouldn't!" Ed glared back. He didn't notice the superior snapping at the chimeras who circled the young man, then grabbed him by each arm. He groaned as they pulled his arms out and forced him in a kneeling position.

"Mr. Elric." The officer paced behind him, Ed starred through his right eye with hatred. "Fullmetal Alchemist, famed Alchemist of the People of Amestris. Why should we believe you can no longer use Alchemy?"

"Ask Ashley. We both fought the last time I was here. Ask him about by right arm!"

"He lost his right arm and left leg and his brother lost his body-they attempted human transmutation."

"Correct, asshole." Ed grinned. "I still have a metal leg, but check out my right arm!" He had meant for one of the Chimeras to push back his sleeve so his flesh arm was in better view. He didn't count on the officer bringing down his knife into the outstretched arm and whisking the weapon out again. "Ahhhh!" Ed screamed in pain, but quickly recovered. It wasn't the worst pain he'd suffered.

"Hmmmm, he's right." The man back off as a red stain spread on the fabric of Edward's trench coat.

"See?" Ed panted. "I got my arm back. Ashley's also met my brother. Remember? He's no longer in armor anymore. He got his body back." His feral yellow eyes would tear right through Crichton if that were possible. "Ever wonder what I paid, what my toll was for bringing us both back whole?" He smiled.

"No." Ashley couldn't believe he missed this, his intelligence didn't reveal this one significant fact- the Fullmetal Alchemist was no longer an alchemist at all. But, his mind quickly switched gears. "His brother! His brother saw the gate! He can be the fifth!" He had to redeem himself to his commander.

"Al?" Ed didn't think they'd bring Alphonse into the equation. "Leave him out of this!"

"Your brother, eh?" The man paced in thought behind Ed and the chimeras. "We still have time. Kill the girl, we only need one hostage."

"Keep your hands off her!" Ed struggled but couldn't get out of the chimera's grasp.

"Sir!" Ashley held tight to Winry. "Don't you think he will cooperate more if…"

"Just shoot her, Hershel! Or do you want me to?" He grinned evilly. "Or, just let my chimera friends here have her…."

"Winry." Ashley hoped it wouldn't come to this, having to end her life. But, he rationalized it would be more humane to shoot the girl than to let the chimeras ravage her. "I'm sorry." He pressed the barrel into her temple.

"No!" Ed screamed. "You can't! Alphonse is my brother, he'll, he'll be crushed if I die, but he, he loves her!"

"Hmmm?" Ed's words caught the superior's attention.

"Shut up, Ed!" Winry yelled. She didn't know why Edward was lying, she couldn't understand.

"He's loved her since he was a kid! He even has an engagement ring in his right pocket right now!" He couldn't hold back any longer. "Al meant what he told you at Risembool station, he wants to marry you!"

She understood now. Her eyes grew wide with the realization. She knew Ed was telling the truth, only it was about him, not Alphonse. She also knew what he was trying to do. "That jerk!" She thought. She was not going to let him sacrifice himself for her, oh no way.

"Is that so?" the officer drew his knife and stood ominously above Ed, whose arms were still pulled tightly out by the Chimeras. "We'll let her live, then." He moved his left hand and grabbed Edward's ponytail, pulling his head back and revealing his neck.

"Oh no you don't!" Winry struck Ashley in the groin with all her might, she wrestled with his automail arm and being the creator of said arm, she knew just what to do to put it under her total control. She first thought of shooting the officer before he could hurt Edward, but she knew from this range and having never fired a gun before, she'd most likely strike Ed than the man. Instead, she made a terrible decision but once made, she decided to go with it. She twisted the arm around and maneuvered the gun to her head once more only this time, SHE was in control of the finger mechanisms, not Ashley. "Edward!"

His head was brought painfully back, but he could still see her shining blue eyes. He saw her mouth the words he had longed to hear. "I love you." And he knew what she was going to do, he knew it and could do nothing to stop her.

She'd said it. She saw him and knew he understood it. That load off her heart, she closed her eyes and pulled the trigger.

Click.

"Winry!" Ashley took this moment to gain control of his arm again and wrestled the strong woman to the ground. She sat there, in shock. "You forgot." He stood and rotated his arm in the shoulder socket. "The safety." He grinned.

"This is hilarious!" The officer laughed and before anyone could find their senses over the little scene that transpired, he drug the knife blade across Edward's throat from ear to ear.

Just like that.

No big ceremony.

No threats.

He just slit Edward's throat.

"Close...close your eyes Winry!" Ed didn't know how he managed the words, but he definitely didn't want her last sight of him, the last memory to be of him like this. The chimeras dropped him, thankfully and his hands immediately went to the wound as he fell face down in an ever growing pool of crimson. He hoped he'd have enough time. Edward heard Winry's screams, but they sort of became drowned out by the thump, thump, thump sound in his ears. The sound, he quickly realized was his own heart beat. Edward grinned and hoped no one would notice the fine blue sparks.

"Only one hostage." The officer bent down and grabbed Ed's ponytail once more only this time, taking the bloodied knife and cutting the hair off, just above the tie. He stood and wiped the rest of Edward's blood off the knife with the hair, then tossed it to one of the Chimeras. "Find the other Elric. He should smell similar. Give him this and get him here, quickly!"

The chimera ran off, clutching the wilted strands of golden hair, now flecked with red. He disappeared into the night in search of Alphonse, the sounds of battle wafting down into the valley as he ran, sounds intertwined with the heart wrenching screams of the mechanic.