"How many?"

The major looked down at his son, who stared straight ahead with something between abject terror and sad resignation in his eyes.

"Dad," Aerrow said with doubt in the word, "you told me you used alchemy to send people to Atmos, and that unlike Ed, they didn't come back."

He looked up at the man, with a strange kind of anger somewhere in the fear.

"How many did you send?" he asked. "How many people did you strand in this world?"

Lightning Strike spent quite a while looking at his face. He had known this question would come up eventually and why wouldn't it? His son had the right to ask, as well as the right to know.

"Seven," he confessed. "Over a two year period spent in a slum outside Central City. The Fullmetal Alchemist was number eight."

Aerrow took a breath. He was clearly about to shout.

"Please," Major Blitz interrupted, "please let me explain."

Narrowing his eyes in suspicion, Aerrow quietened down.

"The first was a woman named Sigrid," said the soldier. "She arrived in the slum a few months after I did with her husband Matthias. She was a northern woman by ancestry and very tough. Tougher than Matthias. She made that very, very clear. They always tried to deny it: they said Matthias was clumsy, Matthias had bad eyesight, Matthias wasn't strong enough to carry something, but everyone knew the truth. Everyone heard the rows. Everyone saw his cuts and bruises. And every time someone was called, they did nothing. We were poor and not much more than homeless, so what was the point?"

He pinched his brow. These were not pleasant memories.

"I told her I wanted to speak to her in private," he said. "My first test subject was supposed to be me, but the conversation got... heated, to say the least. It came to blows and before I knew it, Sigrid was on the transmutation circle. Like I said, she was the first, but it was more from desperation and instinct than anything else."

Aerrow wasn't sure what to say. He was glad that it hadn't been any innocent person, but even if she was so horrible, she was still a person, wasn't she?

"The next was a man named Anderson," said Lightning Strike. "He came to the slums saying his wife had died, and I think in hindsight we should have asked a few more questions about that. One night we heard one of the girls who'd been there a while - an Ishvalan named Elsanna - screaming for help, but by the time we found her, the damage had been done. Everyone knew it was Anderson, but neither of them owned up to it."

"So he..."

"Yes. He even boasted about it to me, saying that Elsanna was far more entertaining than his wife. So I got him drunk and sent him off. He may have been the only person I actually found satisfaction in transmuting."

Aerrow felt his anger fading, to be replaced with a horrifyingly familiar nausea.

"Elsanna was third," the Dust Storm Alchemist continued. "Anderson had left her pregnant with a child that she had no hope of supporting or caring for and no way of disposing of without waiting until it was born, and those Ishvalans have some rather strict rules and beliefs about unborn children. She wanted me to kill her - to take her life and relieve her of her shame - so I told her..."

He wiped his eyes on his sleeve.

"I told her that one of two things would happen with my transmutation. Either she would end up in a world where no person would recognise her, and so she wouldn't be judged or hated for what happened to her, or she would die. And she... she was probably the only person who was happy with what I did."

It was honestly becoming very, very difficult for Aerrow to remain angry at him.

"Number four was a man called Carlos," said Lightning Strike. "He was Matthias' former employer, or at least, that's what he called himself. Said Sigrid owed him money and that if she didn't come to pay up, he'd take Matthias to Aerugo in a series of briefcases. It wasn't long before he became violent. Started beating up folks in town and leaving death threats. It was infuriating, but the final straw didn't come for me until he killed Birdie."

"Birdie?" Aerrow was confused by the strange name.

"A cat that had been living in my shack before I moved in. Tortoise-shell coat, very friendly, and Carlos impaled her to my door with a railway spike through the neck. I told him that he wasn't welcome, that he needed to leave. I gave him fair warning. But he sneaked into my house that night and tried to do to me what he'd done to Birdie. I somehow wrestled him into the circle, knocked him out on the ground and..."

It was amazing how nobody else seemed to be listening to him except Aerrow. Did nobody care?

"Fifth was a woman called Sarah," said the Dust Storm Alchemist. "She'd come to the slum before I did after losing her job as a nurse. Didn't help matters that her children were sick and kept getting worse, which didn't make a lot of sense because all three of them were perfectly healthy when I'd arrived. Two daughters and a son, all suffering together, with nothing she could do about it. Or at least, that's what I'd thought."

"So what did she do?" asked Aerrow, who had noticed a recurring theme in these sacrifices.

"She'd lost her job because she'd been poisoning her patients," Lightning Strike replied. "The sicker they were, the more she was paid for treating them, but they couldn't prove much so she got fired rather than going to prison. She'd been lacing her children's dinners with arsenic in the hopes that having three very sick children would lead to people taking pity on her and giving her another job, and when I confronted her about it, she threatened to implicate me for Sigrid, Anderson, Elsanna and Carlos' disappearances. It wasn't until her son died that I managed to take her out. I offered her drinks to take her mind off it and, when she'd passed out..."

By now Aerrow wasn't entirely sure what he was supposed to think.

"A couple of months later, the slum was taxed," said the soldier. "The land it was on was owned by a second lieutenant named Blake. He said that he was tired of us freeloading off him and even got some men he'd hired to raid our houses and take whatever money they could get their filthy hands on. I'd been practising alchemy for almost a decade by then, so I used it to break into his manor and steal it all back, along with the list that detailed how much had been taken from each person."

"And Blake found out it was you?"

"Of course. Flaming blood red isn't exactly a common hair colour in Amestris. He followed me back, threatened to call the authorities and pulled a gun on me when I refused to turn myself in. He'd barely even got ten thousand cenz from the people in the slum and he was prepared to kill me for it. You can see why I didn't regret what I did to him."

"So who was the last one before Ed?" Aerrow asked, as he couldn't contain his sick curiosity.

Lightning Strike's face was solemn.

"It was Matthias," he confessed. "He'd adopted Sarah's daughters after she'd died and they'd actually started recovering. They were brighter, happier, smiling much more. A few months away from regular doses of arsenic will do that to a person. But then, one day, they were both... different. Lucy was completely silent and Catherine wouldn't stop crying, and both of them were covered in bruises."

Aerrow figured he had a rough idea of what had happened.

"As it turned out," the soldier said, "Matthias had turned to drink after Sigrid's... disappearance. He tried to take care of the girls, but one night he had too much to drink and, to put it simply, started mimicking his ex-wife. He'd pushed himself into a spiral of self-destruction and I'd been so caught up in trying to find a way back to Atmos that I hadn't even noticed. Even if he'd believed he'd had a purpose in life, there was no hope for him. On the night I transmuted him, he'd drunk himself to unconsciousness and he was barely breathing. I don't expect he survived the journey. And if he had, I hope he found himself a new life."

Aerrow's heart fell. He'd been hoping that Matthias would recover after being separated from his abusive wife, but instead the opposite had happened.

"The Fullmetal Alchemist was an act of desperation," said Lightning Strike. "I couldn't allow myself to get caught and arrested, not after I'd made so much progress with my alchemy. I knew I needed more time."

"More time?" Aerrow felt his fury rising again. "You'd had a whole decade and you didn't know if any of your sacrifices had survived the transmutation!"

"I know that now," said the major. "It wasn't until I realised I'd transmuted an innocent fifteen-year-old boy that I saw what I'd become. I was turning into a pseudo-Master Cyclonis. But when I saw he'd returned by himself and overheard him talking about Atmos, I realised I'd been successful. So I made plans for another transmutation: a reverse one that would hopefully bring the rest of my squadron to me, as I kinda thought I wouldn't have a place in this world anymore with everything I'd done. It took me a whole year to prepare and it used up the last of the Philosopher's Stone that I'd stolen, and when it looked like I'd failed..."

He gestured to his uniform.

Aerrow looked it over, taking in the royal blue fabric and its shining silver lining. It seemed far too rich for a Storm Hawk to be wearing.

"And you did all that," he said quietly, "just to try to see me again."

"Just to see your face one last time," said Lightning Strike. "I couldn't bear the thought of never reuniting with you. I'm very proud of what you've become, and you have an excellent squadron."

At the last word, Aerrow looked to his other side, and the blanket-wrapped boy that sat there next to him.

Finn hadn't moved for the entirety of Lightning Strike's explanation. He was staring blankly forward with absolutely no expression in his eye whatsoever. The sky blue that had formerly sparkled with indomitable spirit was now dull and lifeless. He looked more like a corpse than anything else.

Aerrow laid what he had intended to be a comforting hand on his shoulder, but felt the blond shiver at his touch and quickly withdrew his fingers.

"Finn, you're safe," he said. "The only person who's ever escaped from Atmosia's prison is me and that was just because I had Radarr's help. That bastard will never be able to hurt you again."

Finn blinked.

That was it.

At the sound of commotion, Aerrow looked up, and saw the soldiers trying to hold someone back.

"This is a restricted area!" one of them said.

"Sorry sir, you're not allowed past!" said another.

"I don't give a damn about that!" the intruder exclaimed. "Let me pass, you bastards! Let me see my goddamn student!"

"Let him pass," said the major. "It's alright."

The troops parted and Ed stepped forward, a furious frown distorting his face.

"Flyboy, what the hell is going on?!" he demanded. "I went up to the Condor and they said you were here and that- Major Blitz?"

The Dust Storm Alchemist nodded in acknowledgement.

"What you doing here, what's... Finn?"

Finn closed his eye and curled in on himself even tighter than he already had.

Somewhere between outrage and bafflement, Ed turned to Aerrow, silently demanding an explanation.

"It's a long story," said the Sky Knight. "We should go back to the Condor first."

"Apprehended," Master Cyclonis repeated calmly.

"Yes, Master," Ravess confirmed. "Our spies report that your agent has been arrested and imprisoned on Terra Atmosia. However, it appears he was captured by Amestrian troops rather than any Atmos citizens."

Cyclonis turned her head slightly at this announcement.

"Was he now?" she said.

"Yes, Master."

A small smile danced on the teen girl's lips.

"Thank you for informing me, Ravess," she said. "That is all. You may go."

Obviously grateful, Ravess departed.

However, Cyclonis knew she wasn't alone in the room.

"You have spent some time in Amestris posing as one of their troops," she said to the other person she knew was there, lurking in the shadows as he always seemed to enjoy. "Is this correct?"

"It is true, Master," said the Dark Ace as he stepped forward. "As always, I live to serve you."

"Then perhaps you can confirm for me exactly what may happen now that a citizen of Atmos was arrested by soldiers of Amestris?"

The Dark Ace nodded.

"Even though he was one of our agents," he said, "it is likely that the people of Atmos will become suspicious of Amestris. This suspicion may even turn to distrust, which will only aid us in our journey towards victory."

"Correct," said Cyclonis. "The fact that we have lost that boy merely shows that he was not as worthy of service as my grandmother would have had me believe. Despite dealing a strong blow to those despicable Storm Hawks, he is not a person I shall be trusting again in the near future."

"Understood, Master," said the Dark Ace, and he bowed to his empress.

"While we are on the subject…"

She turned to face him, glaring down at him with danger in her violet eyes.

"…would you care to explain a few choice rumours that are reaching my ears?"

The Dark Ace kept his head bowed to conceal his confusion.

"Rumours, Master?" he asked tentatively.

"The first task you were ever assigned as a soldier of Cyclonia," she continued. "The task of eliminating the Sky Knight and leader of the Storm Hawks before he had a chance to set his dogs upon us. Why is it now that I hear you have failed? That Lightning Strike has been sighted on Terra Atmosia?"

The Talon commander could only pray that his master couldn't see the sweat that was rapidly beading on his forehead.

"Master," he said carefully, "from what I know, these rumours are baseless. Nothing more than whispers on the street. I would have known if I had failed in the very first mission I was ever assigned. Considering that his child is almost sixteen, it is likely that-"

"That is all I needed to hear," Cyclonis interjected. "You may go, Dark Ace. Now."

The Dark Ace obediently straightened up and left the room.

He wasn't telling the whole truth. That much was clear. But to get rid of him now would mean getting rid of one of Cyclonia's most powerful soldiers, not to mention a potentially vital backup should things not go according to plan.

With that in mind, Cyclonis pulled a crystal from her pocket, and when she held it aloft, an image was projected before her.

An image of a little black-haired girl, cuddling a well-loved toy, standing beside a throne upon which an elderly and strong-looking woman was seated.

"Our plan is coming to fruition, Grandmother," Cyclonis whispered with a smile. "I can't wait to make you proud, and I'll gladly grind those Sky Knights into the dirt in the process."

"A citizen of Atmos was apprehended by Amestrian troops," Piper said, mostly to herself, but also to the group. "I don't even want to know how many cats this is going to let out of the bag."

"I'm just glad you guys are okay," Junko said sadly. "It must've been really scary."

"Yeah," said Aerrow. "It was."

The strategy table on the bridge was, once again, where they had congregated. Stork was steering them on a course to who-knows-where, as Aerrow had requested "anywhere that's far from Atmosia".

"There," said Piper, and she took her screwdriver away from Aerrow's arm. "See how that feels."

Aerrow gave his arm an experimental flex.

"It feels better," he reported. "Thanks."

"No problem," said Piper, and she turned to Ed. "I hope Winry wasn't too harsh on you with what you're doing with us. She'll probably think you breaking your leg is inevitable."

"Yeah," Ed said numbly. "She does."

Nobody responded.

Aside from the rumbling of the engine in the background, the bridge was utterly silent.

"I think I might hit the hay," Aerrow said as he stood up and pulled on his red coat, thankfully shattering the quiet. "Today's left me pretty exhausted."

"Can I speak to you?" asked Ed. "In private? Before you turn in."

Aerrow nodded, and Ed followed him as they departed from the bridge.

They paused once the door had closed behind them.

"What's wrong?" asked Aerrow.

He didn't like the look of Ed's frown.

"I can only assume," said the blond, "that considering the events of the past few days, you haven't done a whole lot of studying."

Aerrow bowed his head in shame.

"I tried," he said. "I read through the books you left me and I tried to keep up with training, but… distractions, I…"

"I understand it," Ed replied calmly. "I know me and Al slacked off for a while after we tried to bring Mom back. I didn't even attempt a transmutation for a whole year."

Maybe Aerrow didn't know how to respond, so he chose not to. It was difficult to tell.

"Listen," said Ed. "I'm not about to pretend I know everything about how to deal with a situation like this. The only thing I can recommend is that you give Finn some time. Don't just pretend like everything's normal and it never happened, because it did and there's nothing you can do about that. Do whatever feels right that'll help him recover. I hate to say it, but I get the feeling the person best qualified to help in that regard would be you."

Aerrow raised a hand to his left shoulder and rubbed the point where metal met flesh.

"Yeah," he said. "I know."

He curled his fingers around the fabric under his hand.

"Well," said Ed, and he started walking away, "I think I'll turn in for the night too. We have a lot of catching up to do starting tomorrow."

"Ed…"

The blond paused in his walking and looked back at the redhead.

"…it's good to have you back," said Aerrow.

Ed smiled briefly, then turned away.

"You need to shave, by the way," he said as he continued walking.

Aerrow's hand moved from his shoulder to his face, where he felt the stubble that had definitely grown more prominent since he had noticed it earlier that day.

As he wandered down the corridor towards his room, his thumb ran along the now cleaned and scabbed cut on his cheek. The scar it left would definitely be more noticeable than last time.

He reached his bedroom door. A quick glance down the corridor showed that Finn's door was still closed, and it showed no signs of having opened in the past couple of hours.

Hadn't the doors been taller than this though?

It opened as he stepped forward and he saw Radarr curled up on the bed. The little blue creature looked up as he entered, and watched as he slowly walked over to the bunk, sat down on it and crossed his legs.

Once that was done, Aerrow kneaded at his sore head with the ball of his right hand.

He…

…he wasn't a kid anymore.

And there wasn't anything he had been able to do to stop it, and no way he would ever be able to go back to those days where he could be happy and carefree and not have to worry about so many horrible things happening to his family…

A little paw was rested on his leg, and when he looked down, Radarr was watching him with worry in his yellow eyes.

Aerrow allowed him to climb up and hug him, and returned it in due course.

Right now, it felt like it was the only thing he could do.