Scar hadn't wanted to take Mei out of his pocket. There were strangers here and, while he didn't doubt his ability to fight four on one if need be, he wouldn't be able to fight at his best if he was preoccupied with protecting his small charge. But then another sariraka had appeared, and the sound of his voice made Mei cling to his shirt and look up at him with such desperate, fragile hope that he could not bear to keep her from her family a moment longer.

Still, he kept a close eye on her as she ran forward, and an even closer eye on the surrounding humans. He did his best to be discreet, keeping his body still while he focused on his peripheral vision. He noticed that neither of the young adult sariraka seemed to fear retaliation from the humans around them. It was a good sign, though it didn't stop him from calculating which humans he'd need to take out first should the group pose a threat.

He was so focused on being ready to leap to Mei's defense that her question caught him off guard. Similar to the sariraka, he hadn't thought past getting Mei where she needed to be. Once she'd reunited with her family he'd planned on getting back to his original mission. He hadn't considered that Mei would go off with a suspicious group of humans though, and wasn't entirely comfortable letting her go with people he knew next to nothing about. Yet she had found her family, and he had his own goals to achieve...

He wasn't even close to coming to a decision before he was scooping Mei up. His senses, still on high alert, had warned him of another danger before it officially made itself known. When he heard the title of the newcomer, his blood ran cold.

The Iron Blood Alchemist. He had been notorious during the Ishvalan War. The weapons he made had taken so many lives, and caused incalculable damage to his homeland. The realization of who was behind him filled every line of his body with a rage so intense that he barely reacted when metal walls suddenly appeared around them, plunging the entire group into darkness. Cries of alarm echoed through the chamber, but he only had ears for a single voice.

He could just make out the words of Iron Blood from beyond the wall. That had to mean that he was standing right on the other side; Scar could reach out and touch him if the wall wasn't in the way.

And very soon, it wasn't.

Scar's palm slammed against the metal wall. There was a flash of light, and the metal beneath his skin disintegrated. Another second more and his arm was through the hole and grabbing the side of a bald head. There was a single moment where Scar's eyes met one of Iron Blood's. Scar took in the face of a man who tried to exterminate his people, and activated his tattoo. Another bright flash, and the hated face was erased.

The action allowed some of the rage clouding his brain to subside, the emotion now only lapping at the edges of his mind. He looked into his pocket and saw Mei huddled down as far as she could go, staring up at him with wide eyes. She'd only be able to see his face from that angle.

'That's good.' he thought. His mission was his and his alone; he didn't want her burdened by images of it.

He turned around. The hole allowed a single shaft of gray light to illuminate the interior of their box, so he could now see the rest of the group. His eyes latched onto the sariraka first, who were being held in the hands of the short, black haired man. They held each other close and stared at him with open mouths.

"Was- was that alchemy?" The young woman asked.

"Partially." Now was not the time to discuss the intricacies of his brother's work and the tattoo's origin. He let his focus broaden, and took in the humans. Three of them, the woman, the black haired man, and the gray haired man, were all in fighting stances, and the bald man trembled behind the gray haired man. More importantly, however, was the fact that all of them had moved to shield the sariraka. He wasn't sure if the intention was to hide them or defend them, but he decided it didn't matter. For now, they would do.

"We have to go. Being without a leader will shock and destabilize them, but not for long."

"Without a- what the hell did you do?!" The woman demanded. He ignored the question as he strode over to the opposite wall. The humans tensed again as he got closer, but he doubted they would attack him without direct provocation. As he passed them he felt a tug on his clothes, and looked down to see that Xiao Mei was climbing up the side of his leg. He ignored that too. Arguing with the humans about custody of the sariraka would waste time they didn't have, and the same was true of trying to dissuade Xiao Mei.

He reached the other wall and placed his palm against it. With a crackle of light, the wall crumbled into nothing.

"Let's go."

He waited only long enough to ensure that the others would follow him, and that they had tucked the sariraka out of sight, before he started down the street. It was only after the others joined him that he was able to see that the bald man had some sort of tail. He stared at the man, not knowing what to make of the sight, before resolutely looking forward. He couldn't stop to demand answers; he could already hear military officers shouting in the distance. Still, he couldn't help but wonder what he'd gotten himself into.

Dolcetto was beginning to wonder just what he'd gotten himself into.

He'd heard stories about what some of the veteran State Alchemists could do, but he'd never expected to be on the receiving end of their talents. So it was bad enough when the walls went up, and he realized what exactly they were up against. Thankfully, his keen sense of smell and hearing had allowed him to find the weixing couple, and scoop them up before anyone accidentally hurt them. Roa hadn't exactly been subtle in his attempts to get the wall to cave.

Things happened very quickly after that. Lightning flashed across one of the walls, exploding into gray light that filtered through a new hole. Dolcetto scrambled back, holding his newest friends close, and had just enough time to make out the cold fury on Scar's face before he thrust his arm through the opening and the same lightning crackled again. He hadn't been able to see Scar's face afterwards, since the only light was dim and coming from behind the man. But considering that the man had just blown up a wall, and a State Alchemist, with just his hand...well, Dolcetto wasn't sure he wanted a better look.

He still followed Scar as the man ran down the street though. They might need that kind of fire power if they hoped to get away from the rest of the military. He just hoped that whatever loyalty Scar had toward the weixing would keep him from using the same power on them later.

"You got any idea what that was?" Roa huffed from beside him. "I ain't ever seen anyone use alchemy like that."

Neither had he, to be honest. "He did tell Lan Fan it was only 'partially' alchemy. But heck if I know what that's supposed to mean."

"We can grill him about it after we get out of the city, if anyone is brave enough for it anyway." Martel muttered. Then she looked up at the sky. "Shit, you feel that?"

It took a moment, but he soon understood what she meant. A drop of water hit the side of his head, followed by another on his arm, then another and another until rain was pouring out of the sky.

"Okay, none of you thought 'It can't get any worse' right? Because I didn't." Roa grumbled, his ponytail already starting to stick to his neck.

"Nah, I know better than to temp fate like that." Dolcetto quipped. "This might be a good thing though. A bunch of people running in the rain without umbrellas? People will think we're just trying to escape the downpour."

"Perhaps, but it is unfortunate for me." Bido spoke up. "Wet walls aren't as easy to stick to."

"Either way, can't change it. We'll just have to roll with it." Dolcetto concluded. He glanced down at his pockets. He hoped the little guys were doing okay in there.

Mustang cursed the sudden deluge. The rain was making it hard to see out the car windows, which lowered their chances of catching sight of the runaway victims. He could only hope that Hawkeye's keen gaze would be able to work past it while he focused on driving. More personally though, he cursed the rain for how much it was going to hamper him. His gloves couldn't spark properly when wet, which meant he wouldn't be able to use his flame alchemy at all if they had to give chase.

'Though that might be for the best. I doubt their feeling charitable towards any alchemists these days, much less State Alchemists.' He thought to himself.

Hawkeye sat next to him in the passenger seat, her eyes sweeping the landscape outside. Fuery was in the back seat, and was reaching between them to adjust the radio. A garbled voice came through; Fuery made another adjustment.

"Please repeat the last message, over."

"The subjects have been spotted heading southwest from the hospital." A static filled voice reported. "All four subjects were seen together, and there is also one more traveling with them. Witnesses report that he has dark skin, white hair, and a large 'X' shaped scar on his face. This description matches a suspect in the murder of two State Alchemists in Welogl, and it is believed he is responsible for killing another that was pursuing the group. Please approach with caution."

Well, now Mustang was cursing for a whole new reason. Who had they lost? How in the world did a bunch of runaway human chimera's manage to run into a serial killer right after escaping the hospital? Had they known him previously? Were they running away together now? They needed more information, before the situation spiraled even further out of control.

"Attention all units." A new voice came over the radio. The signal was much clearer now, and a deep, familiar voice filled the car. "This is Major Armstrong, here to give you new instructions. We are setting up roadblocks at the following intersections. Please, pay close attention as I read off the assignments."

"What do you suppose that's about?" Hawkeye asked quietly, conscientious of how Fuery was scribbling down the radio's instructions.

"I'm not sure." Mustang murmured, understanding her meaning immediately. General Basque Grande should be the one in charge of coordinating the search teams. So why was Major Armstrong the one giving that kind of order?

The chimeras weren't surprised when they spotted a roadblock of military vehicles. They also weren't surprised by the number of personnel standing around the vehicles, ready and waiting with weapons. Nor were they surprised that one officer held a megaphone, clearly tasked with attempting to talk them down. And because they were not surprised, the megaphone officer didn't get a chance to say a word.

The original plan was for each of them to take a separate route once they got away from the hospital, and attempt to meet up again outside the city. They had a better chance of avoiding notice if they were all separate after all. But that was before they'd gotten found and Scar had blown up a high ranking State Alchemist. Going off alone was much more of a risk now.

So it was time for plan B. When the group saw the blockade, they split. Bido and Martel went one way, and Roa and Dolcetto went another. They could hear yelling and fast movement as they made their way down their respective alley and side street, but they focused on moving forward. Martel and Bido could slip through almost anywhere, while Roa and Dolcetto had the strength to force their way through just about anything. It was the best they could do under the circumstances.

The problem was that they didn't have time to factor Scar into any of the plans they had made. When they split up, and saw that Scar was not following them, they each assumed he must have followed the other group. All of them were wrong.

Scar hoped the other humans knew how to handle themselves. He wasn't sure he'd be able to face Mei if he had to tell her she'd lost her family again.

He didn't mean to get separated from the ones who held the other sariraka. He'd instinctively moved to avoid the barricade when he caught sight of it, and by the time he realized the others were taking different routes the military officers were already swarming after them. He thought about trying to redirect and find them again, but decided against it. He had to focus on getting out of the city without a fight.

He wouldn't mind one normally, especially not against these dogs of the military. But Mei was with him now, and he refused to put her in more danger. It is for that very reason that Mei was still in his pocket. Stopping to transfer her back to the bag would run the risk of her being seen by the military dogs, and trying to do it while running could have resulted in her falling off and getting hurt. But now that the sounds of pursuit were growing distant, he might be able to pull it off.

Checking his surroundings one last time, he ducked into another alley. He crouched behind some garbage cans, and finally felt free to speak.

"Are you alright Mei?"

"Yeah..."

Mei's voice was strained and Scar looked down at his pocket in worry. Xiao Mei poked her head over his shoulder at the same time, similarly concerned. The panda, with her sharp little claws, had managed to cling to the very back of his jacket as he ran, her back paws stuck to his bag and her front paws between his shoulder blades. They both looked down into the pocket, and saw no sign of physical injury on Mei.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm just queazy, that was a lot of movement." Mei said, pressing her hands to her stomach. She didn't mention how the pocket moving and hitting Scar's chest so much had made her side sore, she knew that hadn't been on purpose. She was also very wet, but that was obvious, and she had more important things to voice. "And I- I'm really confused. What just happened? Why were we suddenly in the dark like that? And what happened to the others? Where did Ling and Lan Fan go?"

"The darkness was because someone, a State Alchemist, used alchemy to create walls around us. I destroyed the wall so we could escape. We ran together for a while, but when the military closed in we split up to avoid them."

Mei pursed her lips thoughtfully. She didn't know what alchemy was, but it kinda sounded like the word alkahestry, so maybe that was just the Amestrian word for it? She'd still been learning alkahestry when she'd been kidnapped from the inn, a budding skill that she'd been very proud to posses. Not everyone 'had the knack' for alkehestry, as Uncle Fu had said. She hadn't thought about it recently though. She hadn't been able to use it for escaping the shop since she didn't have anything to draw with, and it hadn't really been necessary afterwards with Scar looking out for her.

"Are Ling and Lan Fan going to be okay?" Mei looked up at Scar hopefully, and noticed how his facial muscles twitched.

"We have to believe they will be. We'll know for certain once we get outside the city. For now I'm going to put both of you back into the bag so we can move less conspicuously."

Mei didn't find his answer to be very reassuring, but she didn't have time to dwell on it.

Noise suddenly exploded around them. Mei was pressed to Scar's chest as he briefly became a flurry of movement before stopping suddenly again. He world had very suddenly devolved into just two sounds: Scar's heartbeat on one side of her, and a muffled, but loud, voice on the other.

'Why can't everyone just leave us alone?'! Mei whined to herself.

"So, my hunch was right." declared the bulky man that had just burst through the wall. "You did indeed go this way when you separated from the rest of your party."

Even through the sounds of the pouring rain and crumbling wall, Scar could hear every word the man said. Scar's eyes quickly scanned the man, taking in everything from his bushy, yellow mustache, to the military uniform, to what appeared to be steel knuckles with alchemic circles engraved on the back. The man was a State Alchemist.

Scar's rage flared at the realization, but he forced himself to stamp it back down. "I don't want to fight you." not right now "Please let us- me, leave in peace." Scar internally cursed himself for the slip hand covering Mei tensed.

The eyes of the military dog narrowed, and his gaze briefly went to Xiao Mei. The panda had fallen off of Scar's back when he'd been forced to dodge the debris and was now standing on wobbly legs by the undamaged side of the alley.

"I have no intention of harming your pet. However, I must bring you in for questioning." The words 'by force if necessary' were left unsaid, but were not unheard.

"I have no connection to the ones you were chasing." Scar ground the words out. He's thankful now that, despite them being covered in droplets, he hadn't taken off his sunglasses. If this dog found out he was Ishvalan on top of everything else... "We only met by coincidence."

The man's mustache twitched as he frowned down at Scar. "Assuming that were true, it does not explain why you killed in defense of them. Additionally, you are wanted for questioning concerning the deaths of two military officers in Welogl. Given this, I cannot let you leave. However, if you wish to avoid a fight, you could simply come quietly."

"That's not an option." If he got captured then they'd surely search him and they would find Mei. Who knows what those dogs would do to her. "I have to leave now. A life is at stake."

The man's eyes softened slightly in concern. "If that is the case, then I will do everything in my power to ensure that whomever is in danger will be kept safe. You have the word of Major Alex Louis Armstrong, the Strong Arm Alchemist. But for me to do that you must be put into my custody."

The man, Armstrong, held out his hand in invitation. Scar glanced down at it, then turned and ran out the alley. Within a second, heavy footfalls pounded behind him.

"If that is your decision, then I must detain you by force! I will show you the alchemy that has been passed down through the Armstrong line for generations!"

A familiar crackle sounded through the air, almost covering the sharp sound of metal striking stone. Scar quickly dodged to the side. He back slammed against the nearby wall as a stone fist bigger than his head sailed past his legs.

"Hmmm, not bad. You have to be quick to avoid my fist." Armstrong mused. "Let's see how you handle this then!"

Armstrong slammed his fist into the ground. The cement in front of him reformed into spikes that burst upward and chased after Scar. He leaped backward, his right hand coming forward just in time to disintegrate the points before they reached him.

"Impressive. I didn't realize I was facing off against a fellow alchemist."

"Don't compare yourself to me!" Scar growled. "The only reason I touch this cursed power is to carry out God's mission!"

"A mission you say? And just what mission would that be?"

Scar clenched his teeth. Talking to the dog would delay another attack, but staying here longer ran the risk of reinforcements showing up. Fighting the man head on would endanger Mei, but with attacks like that then running would also make him vulnerable. The choice was taken out of his hands when Armstrong scoffed.

"No answer? Very well, perhaps you will talk in prison."

Armstrong slammed his fist into the ground again. And again. Scar ran and dodged the assault, but not to the best of his ability. He could only use one arm if he hoped to keep Mei safe, and the water on his sunglasses was obscuring his vision. Which was why he missed one of the spikes that jutted at him. It clipped him in the side, throwing off his balance. He tried to catch himself, but the rain slick pavement caused his feet to slip. He was falling, and it took one sickening moment for him to realize that hitting the ground like this could crush Mei.

Scar knew how to fall without hurting himself. It was one of the basic lessons taught to soldiers learning hand to hand combat, but they never covered falling with a tiny person in your pocket. He threw out his hands and twisted himself around, but in his haste to protect Mei, he didn't think about the damage the fall would do to him. When he hit the ground his temple slammed against the sidewalk's curb. Pain pounded across his skull and gathered behind his eyes, making the edges of his vision grow dark.

A high pitched shriek forced him to focus, and he felt his heart stutter. Mei was tumbling head over heel across the wet cement. He tried to reach for her, but it was like his brain had disconnected from his body. Darkness continued to creep across his vision, and he only retained consciousness long enough to see Mei fall over the edge of the curb.

Mei curled into a tight ball as the humans fought and yelled at each other. She clung desperately to the fabric of Scar's pocket as the world continued to jolt around her, and bit the inside of her cheek to keep from screaming. What was going on? Why was this happening? Why couldn't the loud man leave them alone already?!

Very suddenly the pressure around her vanished. There was a loud thud and everything lurched once again, but now there was nothing to keep her in place. She couldn't stop herself from screaming as she was thrown from her hiding place and found herself rolling across the wet ground. She flailed her arms, trying to find some kind of purchase, but it was no use. Moments later she was falling once again. Scar vanished from sight behind a gray wall, and she hit the next surface with a splash.

A splash?

Mei's head had been dunked under water. She fought against the liquid until her head broke the surface with a gasp. She whipped her head around, and suddenly understood what was happening. The heavy rain had caused water to gather at the edges of the street, making a miniature river for her to fall into. A river that was sweeping her down the street and away from Scar.

'No!' Mei kicked her legs and moved her arms like she'd been taught at home, but the current was too strong. It was pulling her further and further away. She looked around, trying to find something to grab onto. She didn't find anything, but what she did see made her heart skip a beat. There was a metal grate behind her. All the water was flowing toward it, and taking her with it. What would happen when she got there? Would she get stuck in the grate? Would she slip through, never to be seen again? What would even be behind something like that? Whatever it was, she didn't want to find out.

She swam harder that she ever had before. But it was no use, the grate was getting closer and closer.

"H-help! Help m-me!" She choked out. "X-xiao Mei! Scar! H-help!"

Her strength was flagging. It was a struggle just to keep her head above the water. She was almost to the grate. Mei gasped as the current dragged her down-

Something broke the surface of the water and wrapped around her. It pulled her up and out of the water, and Mei found herself laying down in the open air. She gasped and coughed, her lungs expelling as much water as they could. When it finally stopped, Mei lay there panting with her eyes closed. Her hands gripped the surface below her, and relief washed over her when she recognized the feel of skin and the twitch of muscles. She opened her eyes, and the relief instantly vanished.

She thought she'd been saved by Scar, but this was not Scar's hand. The dimensions were off, and the skin was far too light. She pushed herself up on shaking limbs, and looked up, and up. Her gaze crawled up the wall of blue fabric until she finally found a face. It was broad and square and had a bushy yellow mustache in the middle of it. The color matched the single curly-q of hair that sprouted from his head. Honestly, he looked kinda funny, but Mei couldn't appreciate that properly with his intense blue eyes pinning her in place.

"My word..." The man murmured.

Mei sucked in a breath. His voice may have been muffled before, but she could still recognize it. She had been picked up by the loud man.

"Are you alright little one?" The loud man rumbled. His other hand came into her vision, reaching toward her. She flinched back, and the hand stopped.

"I'm not going to hurt you." he said, actually coming close to saying it quietly.

"If, if that's true. Then could you- can't you- just put me down!" Mei blurted, her stress making her stumble over the Amestrian words.

"I can't simply leave you here. This place is not safe for one as small as yourself."

Mei opened her mouth to retort that he was the one making it not safe, but was interrupted by a familiar squeak. She scrambled over to the edge of the hand, and looked down to see Xiao Mei staring up at her and the loud man.

"No! Get out of here! Go away!" she yelled. She couldn't let Xiao Mei get caught again! Not because of her! She couldn't!

The little bear looked up at her, head titled in confusion. They were so focused on each other that not a single one of them noticed Scar start to stir.

Consciousness came back to Scar slowly at first. He opened his eyes, and wondered why he was on the ground and why everything was wet. Then it all came back in a flash: finding Mei's family, the Iron Blood Alchemist, splitting up, trying to flee from the Strong Arm alchemist.

Mei falling over the curb.

He sprang to life and rolled to look over the edge. His stomach twisted when he saw what, to Mei, must have been a fast paced river. A river that would have carried her back towards the dog that attacked them. His head jerked up, and his whole body went rigid. There was Mei, in the hands of a State Alchemist.

Rage and fear warred within him, consuming his every thought. He jumped to his feet and flung himself forward with a roar. He had to take down the man now! Had to get Mei away from that monster!

He was ready for it when Armstrong pounded his fist into the street, his hand already coming forward to demolish the spikes.

He was ready, but the street was not. The area between them had been used for Armstrong's transmutation's several times now. When it was used once again, and Scar palm swung down to disintegrate the spikes, the rest of the street went with them. Cement and stonework shuddered, cracked, and split apart.

Scar was falling. Debris rained down around him. He barely heard Mei screaming his name before he hit the water, and disappeared into the sewer

A.N.

This chapter got planned out in a dozen different ways before I finally sat down and typed all this up. At this point I can only hope that the end result makes enough sense for you guys to enjoy it.

On a separate note, I found writing Armstrong harder than I thought it would be. He has such a unique way of speaking and holding himself, ya know?