Wings Open Wide

Table City, Milos

Edward carried a two-seater saddle, a flight jacket slung around his shoulders and another pair clenched in his teeth. "Nng!" he grunted, throwing the saddle over Petras's withers. Ducking down, he grabbed the cinch, pulling it tight, then attached the chest guard. The jackets in his mouth kept getting in the way, so he tossed them to Winry. "Put one of those on!"

"Ed?"

He grabbed the chest guard, buckling it taut. "You're going flying, Winry."

"What?" She gaped at him.

"Flying. Petras, you can carry three, can't you?" He slapped her neck.

Petras snorted at him before nudging Winry with her snout. It broke Winry out of her astonishment, and she pulled on the jacket mechanically, zipping and buttoning it closed. "Can you really carry all of us?" she asked Petras.

Lifting her head, Petras fixed her with her gaze and grumbled in her throat. She turned toward the Cretan, tied up on the floor. Her claws flexed and Petras leaned closer, huffing at him. "You're not putting me on that beast!" he shouted. Petras huffed, turning her head away from him, focusing on Edward, her ears flipping up.

"Yeah," Edward said, flashing his teeth at the Cretan. "You're right. We'll need to put the coat on him, and then, we need more rope."

X X X

Alphonse took a deep breath as Marina loped toward the edge of the platform of rock. A dragon's running gait was nothing like a horse's; more like what Alphonse thought riding a rabbit might be like. It jarred him more than he liked. Clinging to the saddle handholds, he pressed himself against Julia's spine. She'd transmuted the saddle to make it big enough for the two of them. Attached to the saddle with straps to hold him in place, Alphonse admitted the straps were probably a good idea as Marina's wings opened partway. Her claws dug into the stone, and she grunted as she leaped off the ledge.

They fell, a sickening sensation that made Alphonse's stomach rise up into his throat. He gritted his teeth to keep from screaming. The canyon floor seemed far too close before Marina's wings caught the air, sending them up above the canyon walls, up into battle. Airships and chimeras flew there, the chimeras turning toward Marina eagerly. Their wings flapped hard to catch up to her. She bellowed at them, flicking her tail in challenge. Other dragons appeared in the sky, leaping off the cave ledge to join Marina. Alphonse heard the chatter of gunfire, automatically wincing. Marina flicked one wing, and went into a spiraling dive. Alphonse swallowed, trying to keep control of his stomach.

"Hold on!" Julia said.

Alphonse half-hated her for the cheerful tone in her voice. His stomach lost its mooring when Marina flipped upside down. He clenched his fingers around the grips, tightening his legs on Marina's ribs. The dragon flew upside down, doing a lazy arc that turned her right side up again. Alphonse caught sight of a winged machine, chasing after one of the dragons. A chimera dove after the machine. The machine maneuvered away from the chimera, leading it toward the dragons. Alphonse wondered if the flying machines were just bait to guide the chimeras to Milos and the dragons. Airships hovered overhead, peaceful except for the horrible booms of cannons and reports of gunfire, echoing across the canyon.

"Julia!" Even through the tinny sound of a radio transmission, Alphonse recognized his brother's voice. "Winry and I are on Petras! Are you leading an attack?"

Julia twisted to look at Alphonse out of the corner of her eye. He sucked his lower lip between his teeth. "I have Al with me, Ed."

"Al?" Edward sputtered over the radio. "We've, uh. We've got a prisoner."

"A prisoner and Winry? Is Petras all right?" Julia asked sharply.

"She agreed to it – whoa!" Alphonse heard Winry's squeal of shock following hard on Edward's exclamation. Jerking around, he spotted a red dragon, wings folded tight to her body, diving in a spin so fast, she almost seemed a blur. A chimera roared after her, its body seeming too heavy to fly. Another faint scream came over the radio, ending abruptly as Petras opened her wings a fraction, her spiral ending in an arc that swooped her up along a canyon wall. The chimera didn't have the same maneuverability, slamming into the cliff.

Alphonse winced at the sight of it, but Marina spun them away from that vision. He caught a glimpse of sky, blue enough to rival the Amestrian military outfits, and the airships, and the buzzing winged machines. A chimera lunged after one of the machines, ignoring the dragons flying into the melee.

"What are you doing, Ed?" Julia shouted into the radio mic.

Alphonse spun as much as he could, finally spotting Petras. She hovered, as much as a dragon could above an airship. "What in hell?"

Border City, Amestris

"Well, well, isn't that fascinating!" Grumman said, peering through his field glasses at the aerial battle taking place in the canyon. "Dragons! And those other creatures. I guess they're not dragons? And two kinds of airships."

Next to him, Lieutenant Colonel Armstrong looked through a pair of glasses of his own. "Creta is attacking Milos."

"There's nothing we can do from here," Lieutenant Colonel Sterling said sharply. "When Creta took out the train line, they destroyed our ability to offer any assistance."

Grumman lowered his glasses. "Your troops are having a hard time crossing the canyon floor, then?"

Sterling bridled. "Sir."

With a smile, Grumman said, "It would be what I'd do. You did mention the airship at the bottom of the canyon, I assumed, Sterling, that you'd send your troops across to offer assistance you could. Especially since we want to keep our options open regarding Milos."

"Sir." Her face flushing, Sterling said, "I have sent troops to the canyon floor to retrieve the airship. A scouting expedition started its way across the canyon floor yesterday morning."

"Only scouts?" Grumman tsked, shaking his head. "I do hope they have radios?"

"Of course, sir."

"Sir," Armstrong said, urgently. "It appears something is happening."

"Of course something's happening, there's a war," Sterling snapped.

Grumman raised his glasses, fiddling the focus. "Where, Armstrong?"

"One o'clock, sir."

Armstrong's sheer size gave him a boost. Grumman hoped he'd be able to find what the man wanted him to see. He trained the glasses toward the sky, managing to keep from gasping at the sight. A dragon circled over the envelope of one of the airships. It looked as if it might land on the envelope, but instead, the rider poised on the back of the dragon before leaping off it.

"Sir, I believe that is one of the Elric brothers." Armstrong's pride made his voice fairly gleam.

"Oh, my."

Above Death Canyon, Milos

"You're crazy, Ed! You can't do this!" Winry grabbed for his wrist, clinging tight.

"They're shooting at the dragons," Edward said, "with the cannons and bombs – I can stop one, at least! Look, there's a ladder on the balloon." He broke free of Winry's grip, stabbing a finger at the ladder. "I can climb down it and get into the boat."

"They have guns, Ed!" Winry wanted to punch him. "What's to keep them from shooting you?"

"They won't expect it." He smiled at her, best he could from the angle he twisted into.

"He's insane," the Cretan, tied to the saddleback behind Winry, shouted, nearly in her ear. "Insane!"

"I'm trying to stop this fighting with the least loss of lives," Edward said. "Petras, take us as close to that balloon as you can."

Petras chuffed, but started spiraling in that direction. "Ed," Winry decided to try again, ignoring the man behind her. "Just because there's a ladder doesn't mean you're going to make it down safely. You see how high up we are! You could fall! I know you're," she couldn't think of a word for Edward's abilities, "but you can't fly yourself! And Petras might not be able to catch you!"

Edward leaned against Winry, laying the back of his head on her shoulder. "I'll be okay," he said, almost shouting it to be heard over the wind. "I made you a promise. I'm going to keep it." He cupped her cheek, his hand cold from their height, pulling her in for a kiss. "I'm always coming back to you."

"Ed." Winry laid her hand over his. "It's really dangerous."

"I know." He grinned. "That's what makes it fun." He kissed her again and leaned over Petras's neck, not giving Winry time to react. "C'mon, Petras. A little closer!"

Winry shook her head, exasperated, but wrapped her arms around Edward anyway. His ponytail lashed her face as she kissed him on the back of the neck. Behind her, she heard the Cretan scoff. Her cheeks heated, but she ignored the Cretan as she straightened up. Petras drew closer to the balloon, and Winry thought, maybe the surface was big enough for Edward to land on. Still, she really hated the idea. If they hadn't used all the rope to tie off the Cretan, she could suggest tying Edward to the saddle as a precautionary measure.

Petras cupped her wings, slowing their descent, matching the speed of the airship. She glided over it, and Edward began unhooking himself from the saddle. Winry forced her hands to release him, anchoring them on the saddle instead. Her breath came quick and shaky, and she closed her eyes tight, just for an instant.

"I'm going," Edward said.

Julia's voice came over his radio, tinny and strange. "Ed, what are you doing?"

"Jumping." And he leaped.

X X X

Edward knew this was possibly the stupidest thing he'd ever done, leaping from the back of a dragon – a flying dragon - to land on a balloon keeping a ship in the air. He caught a glimpse of Winry's pale, wide-eyed face as he jumped. His heart lunged into his throat as he dropped the meter down to the balloon, landing on the material. It gave under his feet, knocking Edward off balance. He flailed, hearing Winry scream his name, and felt something under his fingers. Grabbing hold, Edward let out a gasp of shock as his legs swung out into the open air.

Edward scrambled to get a footing, discovering the ladder with his right foot. Kicking hard, he secured his foothold. "There," he grunted, glancing over his shoulder at Petras's roar. A chimera floundered too close to her, to him, and she charged. Knowing he couldn't watch, shouldn't watch, Edward forced his face to the skin of the airship. He began climbing down, ignoring the rattling of machine guns. Trying hard not to think about the muzzles of those guns pointing at him, Edward gritted his teeth. The promise he made to Winry still held, and he intended to keep it.

Spotting the chimera, Edward saw it chasing after Petras. She dove under the airship. Winry's hair flew like a pale gold flag behind her. He wanted to watch, to make sure they – she – was safe, but he'd made his decision. The airmen waited for him, whether they knew it or not. Hoping their attention was focused anywhere but directly above them, Edward crouched at the lower curve of the balloon. A quick glance revealed one at the controls, three others firing machine guns. He wondered if the ship carried bombs, too, but they weren't evident. Keeping a tight grip on the rung of the ladder, Edward flung his body out into space for momentum, curling his legs up as he swung back down. With a yell, he opened his hands, smashing down into the gondola of the airship.

Thessalia, Creta

"What is going on?" Generalissimo Zirimis muttered, trying to adjust his field glasses for a better vision.

Eirene wondered the same thing. The radio feed was garbled. Captain Therrel led the airships and the bi-wings, but with such a close air space to battle, and the chimeras added to the mix, it was nothing but confusion. Dragons swirled around, far more graceful than the chimeras. Even the bi-wings couldn't keep up with the dragons.

Zirimis swore. "They're so damned maneuverable!"

The statement needed no response, as far as Eirene was concerned. Hearing chatter over the radio, she focused on one feed. "Who is that?"

"Sir, ship four. I'll try to clear it up for you." Sergeant Argyris worked her alchemy, trying to tune the frequency in. "Got it, sir."

"Turn it up."

The feed crackled, then, " – man attacking!"

"Oh, shut up!" A horrible, fleshy sound echoed over the feed, like a fist slamming into a face. The strange voice came through clearer. "Hey, Creta! I've just commandeered your airship. Hope that's okay."

Snatching up the mike, Zirimis roared, "Who is this?" Veins on his forehead popped out and his knuckles went white.

"Me? Edward Elric from Amestris. Maybe you've heard of me? I was known as the Fullmetal Alchemist."

Above Death Canyon, Milos

Alphonse slapped his forehead, hearing Edward's gloating on the radio.

"Your brother is mad," Julia said, almost conversationally.

"You have no idea, Julia." Alphonse took a deep breath. "Can Marina get us close enough for me to capture another airship?"

Thessalia, Creta

"Where are my men?" Zirimis shouted into the radio. "What the fuck did you do with my men?"

"Oh, they're fine," the cheerful voice came over the airwaves. "Unconscious, but okay. I thought about throwing them over, but didn't know if their glider wings might open without someone to activate them. Do they open if someone's unconscious?"

Veins popped out on Zirimis's forehead, and the mic shuddered in his hand. Spit bubbles formed in the corners of his mouth. "I will wipe you out of the sky!"

"Uh huh. Look, I've got things to do. See you around!" The radio feed cut off.

"Get him back!" Zirimis pounded the counter next to Sergeant Argyris, making her jump. "Now! Make an announcement!" He straightened, squaring his shoulders and staring out toward the air battle. "Whoever brings me the head of Edward Elric gets a promotion!"

Above Death Canyon, Milos

Winry's heart lodged in her throat. "Edward Elric, you are such an idiot!" she shouted into the radio mic.

"I'm fine," Edward scoffed in return. "Hey, I can't fly this thing. And the guy who would fly it is, uh, unconscious. Can you help me out?"

"I'm not leaping off of Petras!" Winry screeched.

"Damn it, you don't have to yell! You're busting my ear drums!" Winry could see him rub his ear. "We've got a ship, what are we going to do with it?"

"We need to get you off it," Alphonse said, breaking in. "They're gonna attack you, Ed!"

"He's right, Ed," Julia said. "We need to get you out of there."

"No way! I'm keeping this boat. Winry! There're ropes here, if I throw you one, get Petras to fly to Amestris."

"Amestris? Why?" Julia asked.

"Because there's a mass of blue over in the east, and I'm betting it's the Amestrian army." Edward swept his arm toward the Amestris side of Death Canyon. "Maybe we can get you some help, Julia!"

Petras plummeted. Winry's heart clogged her throat. She hoped the knots tying the Cretan in place still held. A glance over her shoulder showed why Petras dove – one of those two-winged flying machines chased toward them. Machine guns rattled and Winry saw flashes of light from the muzzles. She ducked low against Petras's body, clinging tight. The loose harness buckles slapped against the saddle, one of them slapping Winry's cheek and cutting it. She barely felt the sting. Flattening her wings against her body, Petras rolled. The machine couldn't duplicate the maneuver, but swayed from side to side, guns still rattling out bullets. Petras inclined her body into a steep arc. Winry squeaked, wanting to close her eyes at the sight of the canyon floor, so far below. Her fingers ached from clutching the saddle so tightly.

Upside-down, she looked straight down at the pilot in the flying machine, his goggles glinting up at her. His mouth moved and Winry thought he might've said, 'Oh, shit!' as Petras swooped around behind him. Flapping her wings once, she powered up to the machine, diving under it, her tail slapping up into the rear of the machine's body, breaking it open like an egg. Petras peeled off as the machine went nose down. The man managed to escape, a pair of bat wings opening out of his pack. He spiraled down toward the canyon floor.

"Petras!" Winry shouted, as a chimera plunged after the man. "Help him!"

Petras dropped like a stone. Hearing the Cretan behind her scream, Winry clenched her teeth. What was she doing? Petras bawled out her challenge, the sound vibrating through Winry's legs. She hit the chimera with the weight of her whole body. It squalled in shock, its wings faltering. The chimera staggered in the air. It twisted, snapping at Petras. Petras jerked her head out of reach. Her claws dug deep into the chimera's flesh and she leaped, ripping out hunks of skin and muscle. The chimera squalled, trying to fly. Swinging her tail like a club, Petras battered the wings of the creature.

Winry clung to the saddle, clenching her jaw. Every blow vibrated up through her, making her teeth chatter. Behind her, she could hear the Cretan screaming to his god to keep him safe and alive. Her earphones burst with chatter, incoherent over everything else. Petras dove again, catching up to the man circling down, his wings taking him out of the range of the aerial battle. Matching his speed, Petras turned her head toward him. Winry did, too. He looked okay, to her, stunned, maybe. She knew how that felt. "Okay, Petras." Her voice trembled and she tried again. "Let's go help Ed."

X X X

"Take down that ship!" Captain Therrel ordered over the radio. "The Air Strider. Take her down!"

"What about our own men?"

He tightened his mouth. "Casualties should always be expected in war. You heard the Generalissimo. The one to bring down Edward Elric gets promoted."

X X X

Edward watched Petras dive to escape the flying machine. Bullets cut through the air. He couldn't tell if any hit their target. He moved around the deck of the airship, stumbling over the downed airmen, trying to keep the dragon in view. Craning his head back, he watched, clutching the railing as Petras performed a lazy loop high overhead. When they came down behind the machine, destroying the tail, Edward cheered.

"Ed!" Alphonse's tinny radio voice screamed in his ear. "Get back!"

He obeyed without thought, throwing himself backward toward the center of the deck. Bullets tore up the wood where he'd been standing. A winged machine droned as it passed by the ship. Edward peeked up over the railing, seeing the machine coming back for a second pass. "Damn it!"

"Just stay down, Ed, we're coming!" Julia said.

"Come faster!" he shouted, ducking down again as bullets struck the airship's hull.

"Wha's…"

Edward glanced over at what had to be the head sailor on the airship. "We're getting shot at. Stay down!"

She didn't listen, staggering up to her knees. Pressing her hand to the side of her head where Edward could see a lump from his attack, she winced. "Shot at?"

Edward leaped across the deck, grabbing her before she stood up. "Yeah! Stay the fuck down, unless you wanna get shot."

Knuckling one eye, she peered at him. "You're – you're Milosian!" She punched at him, her aim so off, Edward barely had to dodge.

"So what if I am. I'm still trying to keep you alive." Bullets struck the ship's hull again. Edward ducked reflexively, using his body to shield hers. Why hadn't they gone for the balloon overhead? That would knock the ship out of the sky faster.

A dragon roared almost directly overhead, and Edward thought maybe he had his answer. He recognized the green dragon. "Alion!"

"Elric, are you all right?" Spaso asked through the radio.

"Yeah, but it's kind of scary down here. Can you keep them off of us?"

"Us?" Alion circled the balloon, and Edward saw Spaso leaning down, trying to get a good look at who was in the boat with him. "Those are Cretans."

"They're still human beings! I'm not going to let anyone get killed if I can help it!" Edward snapped back.

The woman under him shoved at his chest, grunting when she couldn't move him. "You don't know anything about war," she sneered.

"I do," Edward snapped, both to her and Spaso. "War means someone dies. And someone else hates whoever they think killed their friend, their parent, their family, their lover. So they take up the sword, too. And it's never ending unless someone can break the cycle! I won't kill, and I will protect these soldiers in this boat. A prisoner of war can go home to a family. A body is a reason to start fighting again!" The woman lay still at Edward's speech. He could feel her hands on his chest. "Now, you can help me get you and your men out of this war zone, and to safety, or you can fight me, and I'll knock you out again. Your choice."

She glared up at him, her dark eyes flashing. Edward bared his teeth, cocking back his fist. "By the way," he added, when she slipped her hand down to her waist, obviously feeling for something, "I took your sidearms and threw them over the side of the boat." He smiled. "Just to make sure none of you shot me."

"Ed!" His name crackled through the radio headset.

"Winry! Are you okay?"

"We're fine, Ed. What can we do to help?"

Warmth spread through his chest at Winry's words. Edward wanted to let out a shout of relief, but it could wait. "There's a rope at the front of the boat," he said, "I'll throw it to you. Petras can pull us over to Amestris." He glanced at the woman. "And if you're smart, you'll help guide this boat over there."

She curled her lip. "Why would I aid my enemy?"

"Otherwise, we could all die. And do you really want your family mourning your death?"

Tossing her head, she said, "My family would be proud of me to die in battle."

"Right. And a casket's so much nicer to have coming home than a breathing person," Edward sneered. "Your mom and dad, they'll be so much happier with a headstone than you." She faltered, eyes fluttering as she considered his words. "What would they get, your pension? Wouldn't they rather have grandkids? I know my parents would've, if they'd lived long enough."

Clenching her hands into fists, she shouted, "All right! All right, I'll help you. Under protest. As a prisoner of war."

Edward grinned. "I'll make sure to tell everyone I forced you."

She huffed through her teeth. "Can those beasts really protect us?"

"You've flown against them before, and you have to ask?"

"I can't believe I'm doing this," she muttered, crawling over to the controls for the boat. The steering wheel reminded Edward of pictures he'd seen of boat wheels. The Cretan woman stood up, checking gauges and turning the wheel from side to side while looking back over her shoulder. A rudder wobbled like a dog wagging its tail. The woman nodded grimly. "Do whatever you have to do," she said.

Edward grinned, scrambling to the front of the boat and unhooking a long rope there. Already tied to a ring at the front of the boat, all he had to do was fling it out to Winry. "Hey, we're ready if you are, Winry."

"Got it, Ed." Petras swept around the hanging boat, Winry smiling at him. Other dragons kept watch, giving Petras the ability to fly safely close to the airship. Edward wished he had something like a harpoon, to attach to the end of the rope, give it better stability to reach across the space, but he'd have to make do with what he had. Swinging his arms back and forth to gauge the weight of the rope, he flung it out.

It looped through the air, only needing to go about a dragon's length to reach Winry's outstretched hands. She caught it with an "Oof!" audible even without the radio. Edward watched as she strung the thick rope through the hand holds on the saddle. "We're ready!"

Edward glanced back toward the pilot. Jutting her chin, she gave him a curt nod. Edward cupped his hands around his mouth. "Take us to Amestris, Petras!"

She chuffed in reply, turning east, and toward the cliffs of home.