Well, here we go, not too much to say about this one. :)

Chapter Ten

The next day, two others fell victim to the strange sickness.

Colonel Miles was found on the floor of his room. Adeel, one of the Ishvalan councilors and Scar's former master, was found in the hallway. Both bleeding from their nose and eyes, weak, unconscious, and they were moved to a free room; the other was filled up by Winry, Riza, Mei, Colonel Armstrong, Demos, and Vanni, now. There was not much discussion about the shared rooms, only brief talk of finding one big enough to fit them all. Soon, it was decided upon and made into action. The weakened people were moved into one room- one large enough to accommodate should even more become sick.

There was worry over Adeel, not as young as he once was, of dying like Mrs. Bradley had. However, nothing had yet happened, and he, alongside others, remained asleep.

There was an important order given to the cooks; whatever food Mrs. Elric could get down had to be mixed with some kind of vitamins- vitamins that pregnant women needed.

Ran Fan, still unconscious, was often visited by her Emperor, who sat at her side and said nothing, and did not touch her in the familiar way others touched their loved ones.

Vanni and Demos did not wake yet. Their spouses sat at their sides, and Ciros did not respond to anyone that tried to talk to him. He would not eat, instead trying to get some water down his wife's throat. Aleka sat at her husband's side, and did not cry. She had cried the first day. Now she watched, and when the meetings were called, she stood, and went to them without complaint.

During the day, meetings ensued, but there was little discussed; none of them knew what to do but watch the dying people waste away.

In the evenings they returned, watching their loved ones, taking turns sleeping, whispering amongst themselves what could have happened. Ed knew that they had to find a more private place to meet; keeping everyone in one spot may have been more practical, but it wasn't easy to discuss anything with those they may not want listening just a few feet away.

The phone rang behind him, and he barely glanced up. Winry was smiling, just a little. He'd been telling her one of the stories his mother had told to them- one not about princesses or anything like that, one about a dark lord and an all powerful ring. Even with the more fantastical elements, Ed, a man of science, had loved the story as a child, and telling it now brought an odd sense of comfort, even if he had to make up a few parts he couldn't remember. Winry had been paying attention though; even in her weakness she had shaken her head, laughing softly, but she did not correct him.

On his other side, Al would take over when his voice began to get hoarse. Mei had never heard the story before and watched with wide eyes quite recognizable in the faces of Maisa and Selim, who sat at Riza's bedside and listened. Maisa had not made one remark about how impossible it was, likely due to Selim. During the story he did not laugh, but a few times he smiled and Ed knew it was a start.

"Sir?" The maid called out for him, and he turned around. "The phone is for you."

Probably Granny, Ed thought in sadness. He'd called the Rockbell house and left a message the day before, but he was surprised she'd responded so quickly. She was supposed to be making a trip to Rush Valley (much to Domonic's reported horror) and Ed had not expected the message to reach her so soon. He watched as Maisa and Selim ran out the door, discussing the food they would bring back.

He picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"Hello, FullMetal Alchemist."

He stiffened, raising an eyebrow. The female voice on the other end was cool, and almost amused. "Who is this?" Al, from Mei's side, looked over in concern.

"We warned you once already. Turn yourselves in, or all of them will die."

Ed froze. He couldn't breathe. He heard Al's worried voice, heard Roy coming back into the room, and could only stutter as the words hit him. "You…"

"Us," the woman responded silkily. "Its hardly just me. We have been watching for a long time-"

"SHUT UP!" Ed shrieked into the phone, talking over her. "You bastards! Tell me what you did- now, tell me, fix it, you fuckers or else-"

The woman laughed. "Your famous temper, FullMetal Alchemist! Truly, I am honored." Her voice lowered. "Tell me, how much is she bleeding? She'll be throwing it up soon too-"

"You bitch-" Ed snarled, and he only vaguely registered more people drawing around him.

"The woman continued quite calmly. "There is a cure."

Ed stopped mid sentence.

"We have it," she went on. "The moment you give yourselves over- all of you that got that letter- we will administer that cure. One of us will call each day to get your answer."

"Why are you doing this?" He demanded. "Give me that cure now, or I swear I will find you fuckers, find you and-"

"-until you give an affirmative answer, more will be hurt, and more will die." She snorted. "Why are we doing this? Because you deserve to pay for your crimes. And we intend to make all of you pay until you beg for mercy. You'll die eventually, not unlike how she is dying now, bleeding, weak, hardly able to move at all-"

"No! Shut up, you-"

"You have less than two weeks until they die."

The line went dead. Ed threw the phone at the wall.

Give- give anything-Winry-oh Winry- give it all, give myself over

He knew they were talking to him, but his thoughts whirled too fast for him to speak.

But Al- no, no, not Al, Al can't do that, no, no, no-

But he had to save her. He couldn't let her die.

Hurt the bastards, kill them-

Yes, that was it.

He realized belatedly that Al was shaking him, calling his name desperately. "-ther, brother, who was that? Ed, what-"

"There's a cure," Ed whispered.

Everyone in the room stopped moving, and a heavy silence fell. "She told me…We give ourselves over- all of the leaders too, and Olivia, everyone that got that letter before. They'll kill us, but give them the cure."

Ciros stood suddenly, half stumbling toward him, blind hope shining in his eyes. "Let's do it. Now. Can you call them back? We can-"

"Don't be a fool," Olivia growled, crossing her arms.

"Fool?" Ciros rounded on her, fresh tears in his eyes. "Why is it not worth it to save them? Tell me why their lives aren't worth our own! Tell me, you-" Much like with Al before, Olivia very calmly hit him in the gut with the hilt of her sword. He sank to the ground, gasping, and she said cuttingly, "We cannot trust these murderers."

"Trust?" Ciros gasped, struggling to his feet. "They will give them the cure! What else matters?"

For a moment, they all stared at him, and Ed couldn't pretend he didn't sympathize. Ling watched Ciros with a tight jaw, and spoke through clenched teeth. "And after we die? What then?" Ling spat the words. "If you think that you can trust these people to fulfil their promises than you are delusional!" He put his face very close to Ciros's, and spoke quietly. "If I could do this and know that they would stay safe, I would do it. But I will not take a gamble on their lives!"

Roy did not speak. Ed knew that he was thinking along with Ed- to stop them stop them from hurting their loved ones ever ever again.

Aleka spoke now, coldly, a hand on her own sword. "For their crimes, these terrorists will die. For doing these things, they will die."

Al, Ed knew, was thinking of giving himself over, but they couldn't protect those they loved if they were dead. He remembered what Al had screamed at him, all those years ago, when he had been willing to give into his despair.

"How could you give up and choose death?"

The anger filled him like a raging fire. "You would leave your wife in the mercy of those murderers?" Ed spat at Ciros, who flinched. In the silence that followed, he sank to the ground, shaking, his head in his hands.

Scar spoke, then. "We must use what we know. If we do that, we can stop them."

"Kill them," Ling corrected in his quiet fury. His hands were shaking.

Majid looked at Ling in slight surprise. "Justice is rarely brought about by death. They will pay for their crimes, and if it is seen fit, they may face a firing squad-"

"They will face a firing squad," Ling countered. A few Xingese guards looked faintly surprised at his vehemence.

Ed could hardly think as they argued back and forth. There was a cure, a way, a way for Winry to be okay, for the little life inside of her to live, a way for all of them to sit back up and smile again. It took him a while to realize that the talk had died down. "We don't really know anything," he said furiously.

"We must double the guards," Roy said aloud. "I'll tell President Grumman. FullMetal, Alphonse, come along, the President wishes to see you."

Ed snorted, and Al looked at Roy as if he were insane. "He can come and see us, then! We can't just leave now, when-"

Roy's eyes narrowed, and Ed stopped mid sentence. "Dogs come when they are called, FullMetal. Come with me."

Fuck, Mustang, what do you want?

Ed scowled, but followed him out the door, Al behind him.

Roy didn't leave the house; rather he took a few turns and walked down several hallways before he stopped, looked around, and handed Ed a piece of paper with an address and a time scribbled on it. Without a word, Mustang nodded, and then turned on his heel, leaving them in the hall.

Al called after him, but Ed nudged him, and gestured to the address.

"Two days?" Al whispered next to him, eyebrows drawing together. Ed nodded, stuffing the paper in his pocket.

Two days. We will plan. We will figure out how to find these fuckers, and make them pay.

(~-~-~-~-~-~)

"How were you able to sneak away?" He demanded.

She crossed her arms. "Even my guards are distracted right now- and I left a decoy, something I learned from stories about Ed."

"Well good for you, but what does that have to do with me? I don't want to argue about alchemy-"

"Will you stop talking for just a moment, please!" she growled at him, and Fuwaad scowled.

"Why should I be quiet? You dragged me in this room, and now you're telling me you need my help! What could I do to serve the Lady Jia?" He finished sarcastically.

She raised her eyebrows, and for a moment looked almost hurt. "Quit being so cranky and listen, dammit! I need your help, please!"

He was tempted to keep arguing, not even sure why he was so angry, but then nodded stiffly.

She let out a deep breath. "Listen. There is something major going on here. Mei and everyone- I think that Ed is right, that someone did this to them. I want to investigate further if I can, but the problem is, I'm surrounded by guards. So I need your help to sneak me out, and to look around when I can't. If we keep looking hard, we may be able to discover something-"

He felt as if every muscle in his body had frozen solid. "Why are you telling me these things?" His voice was a whisper.

She looked surprised at his reaction, and then straightened. "Because you are less concerned about my safety, and won't tell me to not act." She hesitated, and spoke more softly. "And because you could have let Ran Fan fall. But you didn't. Just consider what I'm saying, okay?"

He could not speak.

He saw their eyes, suddenly, as they had been- clear, warm, loving. This girl, the annoying girl that always had to be right, was surrounded by those that loved her.

Revenge. Right. They deserve it.

But they loved her, and she them, and now there were crying children and husbands and brothers, just like back home, and there was no satisfaction, no relief. He begged for it to come, tried to call the righteous anger and sadness forward. It came, but not how he had expected.

My uncle never looked at me that way. He raised me but never looked that way. He lost the ability to do that long ago-

Jia glanced back at him once before she left, and her eye and skin color did not strike him, just her pain, her desperation.

-and his anger is not mine.

For a moment, pure clarity washed over him, and he could not move. He stumbled, catching himself on the wall, his shoulders shaking.

He hardly remembered the war. He knew he'd lost his parents, his sister, but he only vaguely recalled them. He could just barely remember blasts and cries and screams of fear and anger. Amestrian, Ishvalan, mixing together until he could not tell the difference.

Fuwaad felt possessed, and yet free, his body moving without thought, not knowing who he was searching for, realizing as soon as he saw Scar, kneeling beside his master, praying.

His words were almost a whisper, but still they came, and he did not regret them.

"Can I speak privately with you?"

Scar looked up and searched his face, and Fuwaad saw the pain in the older man's eyes. After staring at him for a moment in silence, Scar rose, and nodded.

(~-~-~-~-~-~)

Two days after the warning phone call, the Red Lion Hotel blew up. Staying inside were many of the people that came to represent trade- Carl Webb among them. Most guests escaped, but many still did not- including Webb.

To those in the Armstrong estate, the warning was clear.

"Who can we trust?" Grumman asked. They were in an old warehouse, waiting for Scar and Olivia to arrive. Ed sat on a barrel, Al standing against the wall, both staring at the floor.

"No one," Roy said. "Whoever is doing this knows us, and-"

"-and our weaknesses," Ling said from the corner. He was still very adept at sneaking away from his guards. Seeing him there, legs crossed, hands clenched on his sword, brought back memories of another warehouse years ago.

"That's right," Ed said slowly. "They didn't attack us directly." He stood. His mind had been sluggish for days, but now everything fell together. "Our wives, our sisters, close friends-" he turned to Ling. "They knew to go for Ran Fan. Mei is your sister but they didn't attack your future wife- they knew better."

Ling nodded stiffly.

"How could they have been watching us so closely…" Al whispered, a hand over his eyes. "They have to be close by, here with us, watching still- like in the days of President Bradley!" Al lowered his hand suddenly. "What about the ambassadors, or their guards? Some of these people could be there- they would know where we were staying, what the security was like- everything!"

The door slid open behind them, and Scar stood there, pale, and pushing Fuwaad in front of him. Olivia followed behind, scowling.

"Scar!" Grumman stood. "Why did you bring the boy with you?"

Scar spoke through clenched teeth. "Because Fuwaad has rather unique insights. Tell them." He pushed the boy forward, and Fuwaad stumbled into the center of them, looking around nervously. His eyes were red as if he'd been crying, and he ran a hand over his face, standing straighter. When he looked at them again, he was determined- and sorry.

"The people who did this are part of a group called Pravda. It means Justice. Their goal is to make all of you suffer in the worst possible way, surrender, and then die. Then they plan to take on the world and make it a better place." He spoke the words in a slight rush.

No one moved, and Fuwaad took a deep breath, continuing. "Their leader is someone they call 'The Victor'. Another member is known only as 'The King. I know that there are three of them among the leaders and guards and ambassadors here, somewhere among them. They have more bombs, more poison, and they have a cure in case they are accidentally poisoned themselves. I don't know who has it. These people are from all of the countries, and they want all Amestrians dead."

The silence continued to stretch on. "…how do you know all of this?" Roy said softly.

Fuwaad closed his eyes for a moment. "My uncle is among them. He brought me into the group as well. My job was to…" he choked for a moment. "To work beside Scar and discover his weaknesses…" He went on before they could say anything. "My uncle raised me. He told me that this was right, that you all had to pay for this, but I don't think I ever really believed it-" He stopped suddenly, and looked at his hands. "His name is Anjum."

"One of the Ishvalan councilors," Grumman said shrewdly.

Fuwaad nodded. "Yes, he-"
"What did you all do to them?" Ed demanded roughly.

Fuwaad closed his eyes again. "Poison. Devised by someone in the group- a chemist. I don't know who, but that it's a woman. She created the poison herself."

"Tell us everything you know," Ling said fiercely. "Now."

So the boy spoke. His words were desperate, fevered, but Ed noticed that he was not desperate for forgiveness- rather, he was desperate that his words be of help. He spoke of how they had been planning this for years, how they had followed them and watched carefully, how they had made sure to target ones they loved.

"- and there is another known as 'The Queen' who's supposed to be really rash, my uncle was complaining about it once, and all of them have personal reasons for hating Amestris." He stopped rather suddenly, panting a little. The silence came again, filling the room, somehow louder than shouts.

"You do realize," Grumman said after a while, "That this very well could be all part of the plan? That we have no reason to trust you?"

Fuwaad sagged a little, but nodded.

"Willing to turn in your uncle, are you?" Ling asked, his head cocked to the side.

Fuwaad hesitated. "He raised me. I don't want him to die, but…I can't let him- I can't." His shoulders were shaking. Ling nodded to himself, as if in deep thought.

"We can't ignore this," Ed said, his hands clenching. "We have to do something about this. If we do it right, we may draw them out, or else get information-"

"And possibly alert them to the fact that we have an informant?" Grumman asked, one hand curling his beard absentmindedly.

"What else can we do?" Al was looking at Fuwaad very hard, as if trying to sense if he was innocent or not.

Olivia snorted. "Hate to agree with him, but we have to act. Inaction will get us nowhere. We don't have much time. We act quickly, and soon." She looked at Fuwaad in disgust. "And you, you can prove your usefulness by telling us everything you learn from now on."

"And," Ed added, his eyes narrowed, "We can't let you go anywhere alone when we can help it."

Fuwaad nodded. "Yes, but-"

"They will catch on fairly quickly once we arrest his uncle," Scar pointed out, and Fuwaad nodded again, looking worried.

Ling was looking at Fuwaad again. "Maybe not. Do you know if your uncle poisoned anyone, and how he did it?"

"Yes." Fuwaad hesitated. "He poisoned Adeel. With his ring, he coated the jewel in poison, I know because he told me to not touch it."

To Ed's surprise, a very satisfied smile grew on Ling's face.