Chapter 9
Satori tried her best not to scream as Gluttony lunged for him.
Wrath punched the ground with his automail arm, anchoring him where he stood. Gluttony struck, biting Wrath around the middle.
"Do it." Wrath ordered. "Transmute, take us back."
"Of course, the final ingredient!" Al exclaimed.
"That's right," Wrath choked on his blood. "That's why they couldn't transmute properly. They needed a soul...I won't let you see you give your life for saving your brother. That will never happen, ever again!"
Wrath screamed as Gluttony tried to fling him loose of the circle.
"Do it!!"
"Wait, you mean you–"
Wrath nodded. "I just want to go home, where Mommy is."
Gluttony bit harder, spurting more blood. Wrath cried out in pain.
"Now!!" he screamed.
Al shook where he stood for a moment. Then he ran forward and transmuted both homunculi into the circle. Satori took her moment and leapt in after him as the light engulfed their surroundings.
Satori looked through the portal, using her psychic alchemy. But it wasn't her eyes she looked through, they were Ed's.
The portal on the other side lit up. Ed made a move to try and do...something.
"I wouldn't do that," Eckhart said.
She pointed and Ed/Satori looked up.
"Dad!" Ed exclaimed. "Why is he here??"
"We found he was an excellent way to keep the Great Serpent calm." Eckhart shrugged.
Ed/Satori glared at her.
"Dad, how did they catch you??"
"Easily. I wanted to create a portal between our two worlds. Using science and alchemy..."
"I'm getting you down!"
"Son, no!" Hohenheim commanded. "It is a fitting end. I failed to bring my son back to life. But I turned him into a monster instead. I took countless lives to save myself, and in the end that didn't stop him from hurting you."
Ed/Satori grimaced.
"So what!? How are those reasons for helping them!?"
Hohenheim looked up at the portal, and it was then Ed understood.
"You're trying to get me home..."
"...by using my life as a sacrifice, when they transmute Envy to open the portal–"
"Forget the portal!" Ed screamed. "I don't need to go back!"
"Give Al, my regards?" Hohenheim asked.
With that his father turned around and pulled Envy's dragon jaw closed on himself, ending his life. Ed's face clouded over with agony and disbelief, and he sank to his knees as the blood cascaded down in a shower of red.
The portal glowed to life. But Ed/Satori wouldn't look at it. Instead, he looked down. As he did so, Eckhart pulled out a gun and shot him. Ed fell over, headed over the ledge and for the ground.
She was still inside him, spiritually. Ed wasn't dead, then? But the gun...her spirit looked down, and saw the bullet in Ed's bad arm. Eckhart was a bad shot, lucky for him.
"Really, you're the lucky one, Ed." Alphons said.
Ed cracked his eyes open. He was strapped into a rocket. He shook himself awake.
"What is it–"
"Shh!" Alphons put a finger up to silence him. "I set everything up so you can go back home. You can take this second rocket while Eckhart isn't looking."
Ed/Satori looked down at his fake arm.
"Right in the bad arm," Alphons laughed. "Good thing she's a bad shot. Our rockets peak at two kilometers a second. You should punch right through."
"Wait a minute!" Ed protested. "I never said I wanted to go."
"I'm not giving you a choice Ed," Alphons's face grew serious. "We're real Ed, we're not just part of your dreams. I care, and I make mistakes. I may not live much longer; just don't forget me."
He squeezed Ed's hand, then shut the rocket shut and set it to launch. It shot straight to the portal. Through the window, Ed/Satori saw the soldier try and shoot at the rocket, then shoot Alphons.
Satori's spirit left Ed's body as he touched the fringes of the portal.
The portal on the other side of the Gate opened, shedding the old Ishbal in light. The plane flew up and out, trailing a cloud of exhaust behind it.
"What is that??" Al's eyes followed Ed's plane.
Another rumble. Satori paled as another, larger plane-like machine rose out of the portal. It was Eckhart's plane. She had come into this world. Dammit!
Al stood in the middle of one of the blue, glowing transmutation circles. Satori was torn between staying with him and following the plane.
Making a choice, she ran in the direction she had heard an earlier crash. Coming up to an area where the ceiling of the place had caved in, she saw Winry and Scheska.
"What the–" Satori sputtered. "Winry!"
They all froze as Ed's plane flew passed them, only to crash some ways off. Eckhart's plane flew over his and passed all of them. Scheska looked at Winry.
"So now do you believe in space aliens?"
Satori and Winry both rolled their eyes.
"Winry!" Al called, sliding down a collapsed wall and running over. Catching sight of Satori, he didn't miss a beat. "Satori, right?"
Satori nodded. "No time for talk; Winry, that was Ed's plane!"
"What??" Winry shouted.
Ed's plane flew over them, then. It had lost both of its wings and now skidded on the ground before crashing into the buildings a few yards from where their group stood. Small flamed licked the sides of the plane. Winry caught sight of Ed lying on the ground between the two halves of the dismembered plane.
She dropped the case she had brought with her and ran to him, Al started to follow, but thought better of it.
From their spot, Satori could hear both Ed and Winry.
"I was wondering when you'd show." Winry said.
Ed looked up. "Winry!" he breathed a sigh of relief.
Winry pulled him into a hug. Ed blushed slightly.
"Welcome home!" she said.
"Thanks."
Scheska, Al, and Satori all ran to them. Scheska had the case Winry had dropped.
"Scheska...Al!" Ed smiled.
"I knew I'd see you again!" Al smiled back.
"Yeah."
Satori stepped out into the dim light.
"Hey, Ed."
Ed stared at her. It had been years since they had spoken.
"Hey...Sato–"
Satori pulled him into a hug.
"Don't scare me like that again, you stupid little man!" Satori hugged him hard.
"Uh...can't...breath!" Ed choked.
"Sorry." Satori let go and stepped behind where Winry knelt next to Ed.
"Brother, what are they?" Al asked.
They all looked up to see Eckhart's planeflying above them. Its large bulk crashing into anything in its way.
"It's a rocket-powered air ship, and it's armed." Ed answered. "They came to conquer this world, using any power they can take from us to fuel their own war."
"It's my fault." Al whispered.
"So you're the one?" Ed asked. "You opened up the gate on this side?"
"No!" Al ran off.
"Al!" Ed tried to get up, only to fall down.
The limbs he had used on the other side of the gate didn't work here. Winry pulled the case from Scheska and knelt by him again.
"Same old Ed." she shook her head. "Home for five minutes and you're off on another mission. But you can't go into battle with that arm and leg, can you?"
She opened the case to show both Ed and Scheska the automail arm and leg. They were of perfect size for Ed's current body– having grown a bit taller. Ed and Scheska gaped.
Satori had gotten out of the underground city a while ago, and had used the hole made by Eckhart's ship to get to the surface. She ran to Central HQ, hoping that the ship hadn't started bombing the place with alchemically infused armor.
No such luck.
Hawkeye, Armstrong, and a few others were holding them off best they could from the front, while some other soldiers– Breda, Feury– were blasting the ones coming in from the back.
Satori vaulted over the barricade of sand bags. She landed next to Havoc. Even with his legs as useless as they were, he was there with a gun and helmet– and cigarette in mouth– shooting off the "robots" coming down the Central flag of the building.
They all froze as a blast sent some of the armor attacking from the front flying.
It was Mustang. He came in with his full uniform on, gloves on his hands, and a gleam of malice in his lone eye. Everyone stopped shooting and gaped at him.
"He's back!" Havoc smiled.
"Welcome to the party, General!" Breda shouted.
Hawkeye and Satori exchanged smiles.
"Warrant Officer Fallman!" Mustang ordered. "Take a squad and defend the assembly hall."
"Sir!" Fallman ran off.
"Sgt Feury! Inform the mechanized division we need a tank unit in Central now!" Mustang looked over at Breda and Havoc. "Lt. Breda, the command center is our last stronghold, nothing must happen to it!"
"Sir!" Breda ran off after Fallman.
Mustang looked at Havoc, sitting on a few sand bags, gun in hand.
"What are you doing here, Lt. Havoc?"
"Defending the people, General." he replied, with a salute.
"You're injured."
"Not my pride, sir. I will gladly defend Central."
"Carry on then."
"Yes, sir!"
Mustang turned to face Armstrong.
"Major Armstrong," he smiled. "You know, if we're going to get to that aircraft..."
"We'll need a way to fly." Armstrong finished. "Got it."
He turned and left. Mustang turned to see Satori and Hawkeye standing there, saluting. Hawkeye put down her hand and smiled at Mustang.
"I've been waiting for you, sir." She said quietly.
Satori was about to say something before her sensitive hearing picked up a crash of metal on metal. Turning, she saw Ed latched on to one Eckhart's many ships.
"Ed!" she cried, running to the barricade.
Before she could go any farther, Mustang grabbed her by the shoulder.
"We'll go up together!" he said firmly. "You're not going on your own."
"He's a pigheaded kid!" Satori yelled. "He's in over his head!"
"I know that, dammit!" Mustang's grip lessened. "But we can't fly, not until we get the balloon up and running."
"Did someone say: fly?"
Satori and Mustang turned. Rikuno Nishi, Wind Alchemist, stood behind them, arms crossed over her same grey sweater with a feather in the middle. In jeans and sneakers, she didn't look like a soldier at all.
"I can get you up there," Rikuno continued. "Mustang can follow in the balloon."
"Let's do it." Satori smiled.
"Hold on!" Mustang stopped them. "You can't just go up and risk your lives like that!"
"Why not?" Satori turned on him.
"Because then you'd be acting like children!"
"That's how Ed is acting." Rikuno pointed out. "And he saves the world by acting like one."
"That's not the point!" Mustang snapped.
"Isn't it?" Satori asked. "Sir, with all do respect, I have to do this."
Mustang glared at her, but she didn't move. Finally his features softened. He clapped her and Rikuno on the shoulder.
"You've been thinking."
"Bad sign, I know."
"Good luck."
Rikuno and Satori stood on the ground just outside of the barricade. Rikuno stood up, having drawn a transmutation circle around both of them.
"Take her away," Satori said.
Rikuno activated the circle, bringing to life two tornadoes. They started out small, surrounding their passengers, then grew bigger. Soon both women were high above the city, parallel to Eckhart's ship.
"So what is that thing again?" Rikuno asked.
"Powerful airship bent on destroying this world, and using our power to fuel their own war on the other side of the gate." Satori shrugged. "No biggie."
Rikuno rolled her eyes. "All right then."
They flew next to the ship.
"Keep the tornadoes going until I give the signal!" Satori yelled above the engine roar.
"Why? Aren't we both getting off?"
"Someone needs to keep the wind going."
"And someone needs backup so she doesn't do something stupid."
They stared at one another for a moment. Satori knew Rikuno was right. She was a headstrong bitch whenever the Elric brothers were concerned.
"All right. On three then. One, two..."
"Three!"
They jumped out of the tornadoes and onto the ship. They were inside the storage area at the back. Luckily, Eckhart didn't hear their landing.
From her vantage point at the edge of the doorway– leading to nothing but open air– Satori saw Ed stand and transmute the ship he was on into a giant yellow sphere with wings, a faucet nose, and gold-brown eyes.
Eckhart began to fire on it. Popping, it fell with Ed, who transmuted his jacket into a parachute before he landed. From where she stood, Satori saw a cloud of dust announce Ed's arrival to the ground.
Man, she shouldn't have looked down.
Her beloved Central. The city was in ruin. Building crumbled from blasts, some aflame, some smoking. HQ had been turned into a barricade! It made her tremble in anger. How could they have let this happen? Why did Eckhart feel so bent on taking over?
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a balloon rise into the air. But this was larger than your average balloon, it was huge. Inside the balloon, powering it was Mustang.
"Stop, what are you doing??" Hawkeye's anguished cry reached Satori's ears.
Rikuno gasped. Following her friend's gaze, Satori saw Ed and Al lifting themselves into the air by an alchemically created pillar– still growing. Eckhart shot at the base, but Ed and Al were able to grab onto another building.
"They've got guts, I'll give them that," Rikuno nodded. "But brains? Between the two of them they have maybe three fourths."
Satori rolled her eyes. Leave it to Rikuno to make bad jokes at a time of war. What next?
"If you're going to strike, do it now, Fullmetal!" Mustang called out.
Ed and Al smiled. Together, they used their combined alchemy to form a solid bridge of rock between Eckhart's ship and where they stood. Running up it, they almost ran into Mustang, who had jumped off his balloon just moments before.
"Way to bring your trouble home with you!" Mustang shot at Ed.
"Smart remarks already?" Ed smirked. "Nice patch by the way, too bad it doesn't cover your mouth too!"
Satori stepped out onto the bridge, arms crossed.
"Stop bitching like a married couple and get a move on!" she yelled. "We have evil bitch ass to fry!"
Mustang took out a pair of guns off the side of the ship as they aimed for them. The three men jumping onto the roof, Ed and Al went swiftly inside, leaving Mustang to take out the rest of the outer guns.
Satori met Ed at the door to the cockpit while Al and Rikuno went off in the other direction to find something to help stop the evil dictator behind the door.
"Thanks for helping, Seiji," Ed smiled.
Satori smiled back. "Any time. Thanks for finally showing up. I know I can be a bitch, but Eckhart has me beat."
Ed laughed, before turning serious and walking into the room. Satori came in, closing the door and leaning on the wall next to it.
"This place is so foreign." Eckhart sat in the pilot's chair. "So different from my world."
She had become a monstrous thing to behold. Black, sticky-looking vines clung to most every part of her body and suit. A creature's head– in the same black vine material...right?– rested in her front. Her blonde hair was a bit disheveled, and her eyes held more malice than before.
"We're the same as you," Ed snarled. "We laugh the same, hurt the same, live the same and die the same."
Eckhart lashed out at him with a hiss of rage. A black vine-thingy came off of her arm and whipped towards Ed. He caught it with his automail arm, pulling it taught.
"What made you start the attack on our world?" Satori had gotten up from the wall and now stood next to Ed, her eyes never leaving Eckhart.
"This entire world must perish!" Eckhart laughed maniacally. "I fear it! It is too different and must be destroyed! Before it conquers us!"
Satori balked in anger.
"We have no reason to conquer yours!" she snapped.
"How would you know!?"
"We're humans like you!" Ed yelled.
"Liars!" Eckhart shook her head vigorously. "You may wear our skin, but inside you are different– monsters!"
Ed snapped away from the vine, and he and Eckhart engaged in battle. Ed's automail arm-blade against Eckhart's own blade. Ed flipped over her when her blade got too close, and kicked her backwards. Eckhart hit the door to the cockpit. She smirked.
"Let's end this!"
She opened it to show an army of armor. It came into the room as one mass. Al and Rikuno came in behind it, joining Ed and Satori in the middle of the room. The armor surrounded the group.
"Kill them!" Eckhart ordered.
"Why kill us??" Rikuno asked.
Ed and Satori looked at one another, rolling their eyes. Rikuno could be a real air head sometimes, no pun intended. (Maybe just a little! :D )
"Because," Eckhart's eyes narrowed, "when I look at you, I see monsters; that is why I can take your life!"
The armor did not move.
"Have I mentioned before," Rikuno nudged Al, "how much of a frickin' genius this kid is?"
The armor turned to converge on Eckhart. She backed up against the wall, screaming.
"Alchemy has all sorts of advantages," Al's tone was cold. "This is one of mine."
Mustang, Al, Rikuno, and Satori all stood on the outer decks of the plane. The wind whipped their hair. Ryo clung to Satori's pant leg.
Against her orderes, Hawkeye had sent Ryo up with Havoc in the balloon– which oddly enough got back to HQ... Havoc was now back on the ground, and Ryo up in the sky.
"So what now?" Mustang asked.
Ed stood at the opening of a blown off side of the ship. He said nothing as he used alchemy to cleanly separate their section of the plane from his. They began to drift slowly apart.
"I'm going to take what's left of these soldiers back to their world." he answered.
"Why?!" Satori and Al screamed together.
"I have to close the portal on their side." Ed said, turning away. "It must never open again."
Satori felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes.
"What about Winry!?" she cried. "She missed you too! We all did!"
Ed turned back with a smile, lifting up his automail arm.
"Tell her thanks," he said. "She always made the best."
"Brother no!" Al fought Mustang's hold. "I just got you back..."
"...you can't go again!" Satori pleaded.
"Mommy, can I get out yet?" Ryo asked.
"Not yet, sweetie," Satori told him. "Al, how you holding up?"
"Considering we snuck on board brother's ship and are catching a ride back to the world whose dictator tried to kill us, great." Al replied.
They rocked forward as the armor slammed into the ground. They heard Ed get out.
"I'm getting out, Mom."
"No! Honey!"
But Ryo was already out of his armor. Satori sighed and got out. Al followed.
"What!" Ed looked at the three of them. "Why?"
"Didn't think we'd let you have all the fun, did you?" Satori smiled.
"I left Mustang to close up the portal on our side," Al said.
The three of them looked up at the glowing portal, yards above their heads.
"Think we'll be able to close it?" Ed asked.
"Between the two of us, I think we can figure it out." Al shrugged.
"Hey!" Satori folded her arms. "What am I, beef stew?"
Ed rolled his eyes.
"The term is 'chop liver', Seiji," he looked over her shoulder, "and you're a mother first, before a food."
Satori followed his gaze. Ryo was sitting by a woman who held Alphons' head in her lap, eyes closed. Shooting a look at the two Elrics that said "I really hate it when you're right", she went over to her child and Noah.
Satori knew they could. Al had regained his memory of those lost years, after traveling through the Gate, and now remembered all he and Ed had been through together. If they could survive those four years, they could survive pretty much anything else.
