"Tell me. What is this 'other way,'" Riza demanded.

"That is one thing I cannot answer," the creature chirped. With a grin, It added, "Figure it out yourself."

"My soul," Riza realized. Looking back up at it, she exclaimed, "Is that what you want?! Then do it… Take it! If that means he won't-"

"Ah, ah, ah," Truth chirped. "Regardless of whether or not I take your soul, the Flame Alchemist will still attempt the transmutation. If there is a shred of certainty and hope, he will do it.

"Besides, I cannot sever the spirit which connects body to soul. If that is what you want, you must do it yourself. I can only drag you back and prolong the process. In order to break my hold on it, another reaction must occur." Its smile widening, it said, "So you may choose: sever the connection now and allow the Flame Alchemist to attempt to bring nothing back… Or continue this existence until the transmutation does occur, in which a price must be paid."

"Can the payment be what I have just offered? Without causing harm to the one that has performed the transmutation," Riza asked.

"Possibly," It quipped. "Something of equal value to yourself must be exchanged otherwise. But, like I said before, you must figure it out."

With a frustrated growl, Riza looked down at her lap and tried to think. Something of equal value to herself… It almost made it seem as if she could return,if something else was offered. But what? What?! What more could she give…?

She sat there for what seemed like an eternity, trying desperately to think of what the creature could possibly want.

Breaking through the silence, Truth's voice rang out, "Tell me, Daughter of Flame Alchemy-"

"I have a name you know," she snapped back agitatedly.

Its mouth formed a thin line for a moment, as if It were surprised. A beat later, it smiled. "Ironically, I was just about to ask you that.

"So… What is your name?"

She shot the creature a dumbfounded glare. What was it playing at? Asking such a simple question.

"My name," she echoed back. "My name…"

It was if it had escaped her. No… That was impossible! She couldn't have possibly…

Frantically searching her memory bank, she thought back to any time someone would have said it. Roy… he had said it plenty of times!

But as she searched, she found that she could not recall it. It was as if her memories were completely intact, though someone had muted every moment someone uttered it.

…What was her name?

Destroy.

Here and on paper it seemed so… simple.

Roy knew what it meant to truly destroy and devastate. He had been a destroyer for the military, cutting down innocent lives and leaving only rubble and fragmented families behind. He had destroyed hopes and dreams and livelihood. He knew the meaning of the word all too well.

Ravage. Ruin. Devastate. Exterminate. Wipe out. Shatter. Eradicate. Extinguish. And destroy…

In the end, they all boiled down to the same, basic concept: to kill.

He knew its meaning, and yet reading it here, it was almost as if it had become a foreign language, like he could not grasp the concept behind it. So there he stood, rereading the sentence over and over again until he could no longer understand the meaning of any word in the sentence. Still, his eyes continued to skim it until the paper was ripped from his grasp, snapping him out of his trance.

Jerking his head up in surprise, he saw that Riza had made her way over to him, standing just behind his shoulder. As he turned toward her in bewilderment, she held the paper up close to her face, skimming it as he had.

Roy held his breath, afraid that she would understand, and yet too afraid to tear it from her grasp. So he stood silently, watching as she 'read' the page.

After a few moments of grazing over it, she glanced up at him, back at the paper, and at him once again. Then, without any warning, she grasped the top of the document, pulling with one hand and pushing with the other until it ripped down the middle.

Dumbfounded by this display, Roy couldn't help but stutter out, "R-Riza?"

She looked up at him and searched his face for a moment at the sound of his voice. Not seeming to find what she was looking for, she bunched the two pieces of paper together and tore them again.

Before she could rip the small bits of parchment further, Roy reached out and placed his hands on top of hers to prevent her from proceeding, which caused her to attempt to jerk her hands from his.

"Hey," he exclaimed as he reached out for her again, forcing her to take a step back from him. Narrowing her eyes at him, she held his gaze as she dropped the pieces of paper, allowing them to flutter to the ground.

"W… What," Havoc started to say behind him, only to taper off in equal confusion.

"I… don't know," Roy admitted slowly as he watched her fold her arms across her chest, her expectant gaze unwavering.

"Did something happen," Havoc quietly asked, the concern in his voice evident.

Still keeping his focus on her, Roy nodded. "Right before you got here she broke that dog figurine I sculpted a few years ago…"

"You mean the one that-"

"Yes," Roy murmured back, "The one that compliments the piece I gave her." For a brief moment he let his eyes wander back down toward the shredded pieces of paper at Riza's feet, suddenly remembering the reason for Havoc's unexpected visit. Running his fingers through his raven-black hair, he inhaled sharply and said, "I can't dwell on this right now. I need to call Headquarters."

Riza wanted nothing more than to hear him say her name again. But before he had the chance to, someone arrived, pounding on the door and causing him to lose his concentration. Within seconds he was gone and out of the room. Curious and frustrated, she followed after him until she found him at the door, a piece of paper in his hands.

Moving to stand just behind him and over his shoulder, she eyed the paper inquisitively. After a few moments, however, she lost interest. It was only filled with lines and strings of letters. Dull.

Although he seemed particularly interested in it. It almost seemed as if it had some worth or value to it… much like the tiny figurine he had displayed with such regard.

Maybe if she broke this too, he'd say it again.

Ripping the paper from his grasp, she held it between both hands and skimmed across it once again. For what reason would this be of significance to him?

Looking up to make sure he was watching, she confirmed that he was, his eyes widened with concern. She glanced back down at it, then at him again. When she caught his eye and held his gaze, she grasped it firmly and tore it in half.

That caught his attention. Seemingly confused by her actions, he uttered something. Ri…za?

No… That wasn't it…

"It's Riza… Riza Hawkeye," she said definitively to the creature.

"Are you sure? You seemed hesitant," Truth said amusedly.

Furrowing her brow in confusion, Riza snapped, "Of course I'm positive." And yet… For a moment there, it had escaped her. Eyeing the creature warily, she retorted, "What did you do?"

"Me," It replied, "Why, I did nothing. Simply pointing out one thing you've failed to notice."

"And what is that," she replied curtly.

"Haven't you noticed that you've been returning to your body less frequently? That there is a sort of tautness present that wasn't before?" Leaning forward, It studied her for a few moments before continuing. "The very name you were given at birth was lost to you. That enough should arouse suspicion and lead you to a conclusion…" It paused, giving her the opportunity to respond.

She honestly didn't know what it was getting at. If she were losing herself, anything that should be "her" would be on this side of the Gate, not on the other side with her body.

Seemingly annoyed by her lack of understanding of alchemy, Truth abruptly interrupted her thoughts and explained, "Your spirit is fraying. Unraveling. Coming undone. It has nearly reached its limit. So now when your body desperately attempts to draw information from your soul, it is only able to pull back bits and pieces of information rather than your soul's entirety. Think of it like a rope that is about to snap," Truth offered with a wide and toothy grin.

"So… How much time is left," she asked breathlessly as a wave of realization flooded her gut.

"That depends," the creature mused, "How much time are you willing to give yourself?"

"Fuck," Roy hissed as he slammed down the phone line. "Apparently the Fuhrer is not in his office at the moment. Apparently he's 'in a meeting' and cannot be disturbed at this time." He swore again under his breath as he ran his fingers agitatedly through his dark hair.

If such an order was released, there's no telling when they'd show up… Because he knew they would. It was only a matter of time.

"We're just going to have to go there," he growled quietly, trying his best to keep his growing fears and panic at bay.

"Wait… You want to go to Central," Havoc practically yelled in disbelief. "Toward the people that want to kill the Captain?!"

"Yes," Roy answered without hesitation. "If we ran and they chased us, that'll be the end of it. They would assume we'd be guilty of at least something.

"If I can get to the Fuhrer, I can figure out what's going on. We had an agreement and this 'order' is not following it." Not in the least bit…

Something wasn't right. Something had happened to cause such an order to be issued. And yet he had no idea what.

It appeared that Havoc did not have the slightest clue either. Based on his reaction, the announcement had been completely out of the blue. Headquarters was aware of the situation… to an extent, but to have an action like this issued so suddenly was unsettling.

"And," Havoc muttered as he broke through Roy's thoughts, his eyes wandering over to Riza. "What are we going to do about-"

"The closer she is to me, the safer she'll be," Roy answered authoritatively as he cut Havoc off. "She's coming with us."

Gone.

The Fuhrer wasn't in his office. Wasn't in his meeting. And wasn't, as far as his secretary knew, anywhere in the building. Of all the possible times he could disappear…

Glancing over at the blonde to his right, he was relieved to see that the old hat he received at the academy kept its place on Riza's head.

Sensing his stare, she paused briefly from her glancing around to look back at him; her widened eyes searching his expression for the reason why there were practically running down the corridors of Headquarters. He raised his brows in an effort to soften his expression, hoping to transmit a sense of coolness and nonchalance to her. But of course she did not buy it, instead pulling his jacket even tighter around herself and moving even closer to him as they trekked onward.

Shifting slightly in his stride, he too moved closer to her; so close so that their shoulders contacted each other's when their strides matched; his way of silently telling her that he was right there.

Edward matched their march on Roy's other side, his golden eyes fixed forward and a determined expression on his face. He hadn't spoken much, though Roy knew it was because he too was deep in thought, no doubt his mind racing as quickly as his.

And in front of them was Havoc, the blond Lieutenant navigating and guiding them down the most deserted halls in Headquarters. Leading them around a sharp right, he motioned for them to follow to their next destination: Roy's office.

As Havoc reached the door and opened it, a flush of anxiety flooded Roy's gut. He had to remind himself, though, that his team was here for him… for her. As he stepped through the doorway, he reminded himself that they would do anything for them, just like they would do anything for him-

Before Roy even had a moment to process what happened next, he felt a blunt force slam into his entire side. His realization quickly followed suit as he oriented himself, finding that the "blunt force" that "hit him" was actually the wall of his office. Whipping his head around, he saw Edward to his right, his face and body also pressed against the wall. He was dazed… but unharmed from what Roy could see.

Turning his head sharply to the right, he saw Riza being restrained by another soldier, one hand over her mouth and the other around her midsection. And right beside her…

Roy surged to the side, frantically trying to release himself from the strong hold on him.

Beside her was Dr. Pace… A freshly used syringe and needle in his hand.

Roy watched as Riza's eyes widened slightly as her legs weakened, stumbling back into the soldier's grip.

"What did you do," he roared as he began to struggle and fight again.

"Just a mild sedative," Pace explained reassuringly. "Just to be sure she doesn't hurt herself…"

"Or you, right," Roy shot back venomously.

"There's that too," the doctor agreed nonchalantly.

Craning his head around once more, Roy managed to catch a glimpse of the rest of his team. Beyond Edward were Falman, Fuery, Havoc, and Breda, their hands above their hands in surrender. Behind them were three other soldiers, their guns raised and pointed at their backs.

They knew that he would seek his team out…

Roy suddenly hissed in pain as the soldier readjusted his hold on him, agitating his still-healing shoulder.

Seeing his pained reaction, Riza lunged toward him, only to have the soldier holding her drop his hand to her neck, pulling her into himself. Keeping her eyes on Roy, she struggled against the man's grip, desperately trying to reach him.

"I'm fine," Roy yelled out, causing her to pause. "I'm fine," he said again more softly, trying his best to smile.

She didn't seem entirely convinced by his tone. But after searching his face for a few moments, she allowed herself to relax slightly.

Sighing, Roy focused his attention on the man restraining her and calmly said, "Please loosen your grip on my Captain. She won't struggle again," he mumbled as he also addressed the soldier holding him, "As long as I'm not hurt." Almost instantaneously the grip on his arms loosened considerably.

The man hesitated as he eyed Roy warily, before turning his attention back to Pace. When the doctor shrugged, he complied, although he still kept his arm wrapped around her neck.

The initial commotion now behind them, Roy focused his narrowed gaze on Dr. Pace and demanded, "Why is the meaning of this brutality? Why was that order released?"

Dr. Pace inhaled deeply as he closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose wearily. After holding it for a moment, he exhaled slowly as he opened his eyes. Casting the General a worn gaze, he muttered, "The Fuhrer gave me jurisdiction for this case… And now I am acting upon it."

"We did nothing wrong," Roy growled. "We've been following everything in the agreement and-"

"You didn't," Pace agreed as he shrugged, his exhausted demeanor slowly beginning to slip away, leaving behind an air of irritation. "But that still doesn't change my decision that every piece of evidence," he cast his glance toward Riza, "Both living and not is to be destroyed."

"Why," Roy cried out. "Why would you-"

"Because I killed a child," Pace spat back venomously.

Roy stopped as he heard a gasp escape Edward's lips.

"Because… I killed a child," Pace murmured wistfully.

"What… What do you mean," Roy heard Edward ask stuporously.

Shaking his head, Pace regrettably murmured, "One of them was a child. He couldn't have been older than six or seven. They probably picked him off the street when they were running low on soldiers," he added with a sneer.

Edward must have reacted silently to the fact because Roy saw Pace's brows arch upward inquisitively. He watched as the doctor's eyes flitted back and forth, analyzing his blond companion's face. Finally Pace spoke again, his voice slow. "I understand your past regarding the topic, Mr. Elric, but I'm sure you understand by now that-"

"You… murdered him," Edward responded dazedly. "You killed-"

"That was not a life that could be saved, Mr. Elric," Pace snapped. "That was simply a damned existence full of suffering. His humanity-"

"Did you even give him a chance," Edward suddenly flared as he struggled against the soldier that held him.

Shaking his head again, the doctor growled, "There wasn't even a chance to begin with. A life like that-"

"-Is still a life," Edward cried back. "You might think that his humanity was gone… But I'm thinking it's you who's lost his!"

The emotional doctor took a step toward Edward and hissed, "I'm the only one around here who still has his godforsaken humanity intact. I'm the only one that cares that these poor souls are suffering. And I," he snarled as he stopped beside Edward, "Am the only one that can free them. It's my purpose… My duty!"

Roy watched Edward's body quake with rage as he mumbled something under his breath.

Dismissing the young man, Pace turned away when Edward growled, "Bullshit…"

Annoyed, the doctor turned back toward the blond man. "Care to elaborate, Mr. Elric?"

"Bullshit," he snapped louder. "You don't care one damn bit. Because if you did, you would have fought harder! But instead," he seethed, "You've resigned to the theory that you can't do a damn thing!"

"Because I couldn't," the doctor shot back. "You all seem to have this figured out, but you don't. It's as impossible now as it was back then… You couldn't save that little girl, Mr. Elric. And I know that because I was the one that examined her." Stepping closer to Edward once more, he growled, "History will repeat itself because there is nothing you could do and nothing you can do now-"

"Shut up," Edward roared as he lunged forward again, nearly freeing himself from the soldier's grasp. "You don't know a damn thing about what I'm capable of… What we're capable of!"

"-That's right," a new voice suddenly boomed. "You clearly do not understand what they are capable of."

Turning his head, Roy was able to identify the owner of that voice: Fuhrer Grumman himself.

"Dead," Roy echoed back in disbelief, trying to process what the Fuhrer had just uttered. "How… How is that possible?" A heavy dread began to slowly sink in as he slowly realized that it was potentially he that-

"Yes," Fuhrer Grumman muttered as he rested his chin on his intertwined hands. "But not by your hand. The autopsy results are pending now, but we suspect that it was an… illness that ultimately caused his demise; one that had been presence for quite some time it seems. That's where I was: Overseeing the meeting that ensued due to the news."

Roy exhaled slowly, allowing this additional piece of information to steadily set in.

A part of him was sickeningly thrilled. General Thomas was dead. He could no longer do any harm to anyone.

And yet he was enraged. Thomas had escaped. He could no longer do any harm… But that also meant that he would never pay for what he had done…

"I'm sorry."

Roy looked up at the sudden apology, though he found that the Fuhrer's eyes were no longer on him. Instead, they were on the blonde that was seated exceptionally close to him, her arms wrapped tightly around his, her cheek resting lightly against his injured shoulder. Roy too looked down at Riza, seeing her lashes flicking up and down as she tried desperately to keep her eyes open.

As soon as the guards had released them per the Fuhrer's command, she had half-stumbled, half-ran to him, her hands instantly up and on his shoulder, gently combing it over in an effort to find where he was hurt. Despite having her life threatened and despite being minutes from death, she still valued his life and his pain above hers. He knew she realized the danger she had been in; he could see it in her eyes. And yet it was him she was more concerned about. Like always…

After that she refused to leave his side, remaining so adamantly glued to him that it was impossible to have this discussion with the Fuhrer without her.

He knew that it pained Grumman immensely having her there. But he knew at the same time that he was slightly relieved, because now he could see for himself that she was safe and in good hands…

"I'm sorry," he said again softly.

"What do you mean, sir," Roy murmured confusedly as he raised his eyes to meet Grumman's.

"If I had been more diligent, more observant, maybe I would have realized what was going on. No doubt Thomas hastily threw this last plan together in an effort to keep his legacy going. Heknew he was dying. But instead, I was oblivious to his scheming; a doddering old man that isn't attentive enough-"

"-Don't say that-"

"-To protect his only family," the Fuhrer continued without faltering.

"Sir, you don't mean that," he tried to reason with the old man, but the Fuhrer simply brushed off this statement.

"But I do, General. It wasn't until an hour ago that I even knew about this 'order' that was submitted… It had been released earlier today and no one thought it important enough to inform me." Pausing for a moment to sigh heavily, he continued, "It's all gone, you know. Aside from the notes and research you have, everything else has been destroyed.

"Whether it was a fit of madness or an overwhelming, though misguided, sense of compassion, I do not know. All I do know is this: We lost many lives today… Including the lives of some of our men."

"You mean that…"

The Fuhrer nodded gravely. "Yes… Pace confirmed it himself. Among the chimera that were taken for treatment and as evidence, there were some that were, at one time, soldiers." Bowing his head slightly and fixing his gaze on a spot beyond Roy, he added, "I visited them, you know. And I saw it… The humanity in their eyes. It was there clear as day. And now… And now they're gone; their souls no longer bound to this world…"

In complete dismay, Roy could only utter, "I… I don't…"

"You don't need to say anything, General," Fuhrer Grumman murmured apprehensively as his eyes wandered even further from the pair seated before him. "Just please promise me this: If something does go wrong… Please release her soul…"

"Sir…"

"Please," Grumman quietly begged; his sullen, weary eyes now focused on Roy and Roy alone.

Roy's chest tightened at the thought of the old man's request. He knew in his heart that that was the only alternative if they were to fail.

He had tried for so long to deny the fact, but now here it was staring him pointedly in the eye. There was no purpose now in denying it…

"… Alright. I understand," he finally replied.

Nodding indolently, the Fuhrer murmured, "You are now excused."

Swallowing thickly, Roy bobbed his head in response and shifted, causing Riza to lift her head from his shoulder. As he slowly rose to his feet, he turned and offered a hand to her, which she immediately accepted.

When she stood, she swayed uneasily, the sedative's hold on her still apparent.

Roy reached around her and placed his hand on her shoulder, allowing her to lean into him as she steadied herself. Looking back up, he caught the Fuhrer's eye one last time.

Grumman's twinkling eyes then tore away from Roy's and came to rest on Riza's hand, which was against Roy's chest.

He had completely forgotten about the ring, realizing now that he never had the chance to help her remove it. Roy watched as the Fuhrer's eyes drank in the shimmering piece of jewelry, glancing over every edge and turn with a knowing expression.

After all, he was the one that helped Roy pick it out.

When he was done analyzing it, his sorrowful eyes rose to meet Roy's, signaling that he was finished. Without another word, Roy nodded and slowly turned toward the door, guiding Riza along with him.

As he stepped out, he was greeted by his men, their hands raised in quiet salute.

Trying his best to smile, he nodded toward them to signal the end of their salute. As they dropped them, he turned a knowing look toward Edward.

The blond nodded as both he and Havoc stepped away from the remained of Roy's men.

With one final, grateful glance, Roy continued forward, being led by the two blond men as they guided them back home.

"Edward…" Roy finally began, breaking the silence that had plagued them the entire car ride.

The blond man shook his head, keeping his eyes fixed on the passing tree line. "Not now… Please," he murmured quietly.

"…Alright," Roy responded in reluctant understanding. As he turned to look out his own window, he felt the light pressure on his shoulder disappear. Rotating his head back around, he saw that Riza was sitting upright, her head tilted slightly as she watched Edward. Before Roy could reach out to her, she extended her arm and lightly placed her hand on the young man's shoulder.

Edward flinched at the touch, but did not pull away. After a few moments, he looked over his shoulder and gave her the warmest smile he could muster. "I'm alright, really," he said, though his tone was flat and unconvincing.

Roy watched her reflection in the car window, following her eyes as they flitted about in an attempt to read Edward's expression. And just as they narrowed questioningly, the car suddenly slowed and stopped.

"Uh, Boss," Havoc muttered as he kept his eyes fixated on a point in front of him.

Turning his head, Roy glared through the windshield, making out four forms standing on his doorstep. Reaching into his pocket and pulling out his gloves, he slipped them on and opened the door. "Stay here," he muttered as he made his way toward the group, his hand raised and poised to snap.

As he got closer, their features became more apparent to him.

The first was stout and had dark skin with black, coiled hair. The second; larger with blond, spiked hair. The third was smaller; her long black hair braided down her back, just reaching past her waist.

And the fourth, cloaked in a long brown jacket, had a head of golden hair like Edward's, though it was shortly cut and neatly trimmed.

As Roy continued to approach them, his hand fell to his side, his guard going with it. From behind him he heard two other pairs of feet following him. And though he stopped, one of the pairs of feet continued past him.

The blond individual finally turned around to face them, his golden eyes scanning them until they landed on an approaching Edward. Smiling slightly, Alphonse quietly announced, "I'm here."