Everyone returned to Central Command, where they were told to go to the briefing room and wait for Mustang to return. Aura was still quiet, sitting between Ed and Al, her gaze unfocused and in deep thought. Her brother's were worried, she hadn't spoken since they had found her on the roof of the apartment building.

"Aura, will you please tell us what happened? Did they hurt you or threaten you?" asked Edward.

"Mustang's going to want to know what happened up there. You have to tell him Aura, we need to know so we can organize another plan. It must've been something bad, but you're safe now Aura, you can tell us." Al tried to do what he could to get through to her, keeping his voice soft and friendly.

As if on cue, Mustang walked into the room and continued to the front. From there he looked around the room, his eyes finally resting on Aura. He was surprised at the state she was in. This girl had nothing but fire and passion to complete this mission mere hours ago. Now it was all she could do to keep herself together. What had she seen on that roof?

"Alright, what happened out there? How did we manage to let this guy escape, and nearly with Aura for crying out loud?!"

One of the officers spoke up. "Sir, we aren't sure. The tactical team was ordered to move as soon as the signal was given. The power failure occurred after that. We lost contact for a few moments, and when the lights were back on, no one was in the apartment. That's when they headed to the roof and found Aura. She was visibly shaken from whatever happened, and still is, sir." Mustang looked at Aura again, then walked over to her and crouched down to get to her eye-level.

"Aura, listen, I know something happened on that roof to get you this upset. We can't do anything about it until you tell us what it is though." Aura's gaze started to focus again, and she looked at Mustang as though she had just woken up from a dream, and said one word.

"Lucien."

It was Edward that reacted first. "Lucien?! Your stepfather, Lucien?! How is that even possible? He's still back on the other side of the Gate!"

"It was him, Ed. Somehow he managed to get to this side." Aura recalled what he had said to her before he ran off, and a shiver ran up her back.

"Who is this Lucien, and why are you both so frantic about him?" asked Mustang, who didn't know much about Aura's life on her side of the Gate.

Ed answered, "Lucien worked with Hohenheim when he was trapped on the other side years ago. They worked to create an artificial Gate. When Hohenheim finished it, he destroyed the research and used the Gate without him. Lucien used Aura and her mother to try to find the research, and when he couldn't, he killed Aura's mother and abused Aura. He tried to kill us when we found the lab where the Gate was. Aura saved me from his attack, and we left him beaten in the lab when we went through the Gate. He must have found some way to open the Gate again."

"But why would this guy want to target you, Fullmetal?"

"Ed's not his target," Aura said suddenly, "He told me... not to make the mistake of thinking Ed was his main target. I know what he's doing now. Lucien's true target is me. He knows that Edward is someone I care about, so he wanted to hurt him so I'd suffer. I imagine once he stole his military records and found out who Ed's father was, he figured out that we were siblings. He's doing this to take my family away from me again!"

Al put his arm over Aura's shoulder to comfort her, "Hey, we're not going anywhere, sis. It'll take a lot more than this to take us away from you!"

"Was there anything else that Lucien said, any clues that may help find him?" Mustang asked.

"He left me with some kind of riddle. He told me to listen closely and then he said 'Don't let Pride get in the way of finding me, or this will spiral towards something that even you won't be able to pinpoint. I'll be waiting, for now the end can truly begin!' After that he took off."

"Hmm, that is quite the riddle. He said that he'll be waiting, so it sounds like he gave us enough information to find him in those words. Come on people, get your brains together and let's figure this out!" Mustang yelled to the other people in the room. His unit was seated closest, and some of them were already trying to work it out.

"When he said 'pinpoint', that sounds like something that would involve a map, wouldn't it?" said Fuery, who jumped up from the table and left the room. He returned with a map of Central City and the outlying areas.

"What would we need to pinpoint on this map though? He didn't give us any coordinates." said Edward, staring at the map but getting nowhere.

"Yes he did, Fullmetal. I'm betting the attacks he's been arranging have something to do with this." Mustang said as he went through the file for the case and started arranging papers on the table.

"Okay, the first attack happened here, in the South-West sector of Central," Fuery marked the area of the attack with a circle, "and the next one happened just east of that one." He placed another circle on the map. The next attack happened in the South-East section, evenly spaced to the last circled attack. Each attack moved closer to Central's middle point. Once they had all the attacks marked on the map, Fuery started to draw lines connecting each one.

"It's a spiral just like that bastard described!" said Edward.

"There's one missing though, this area here should have a circle evenly spaced from the last one." Al said as he looked at the map. Indeed, the spiral was incomplete in that one area.

"Is there anything important in that area? Maybe it was a target he had planned to go after but didn't get the chance?" Ed asked, leaning in to see that spot closer.

Mustang answered, "That's near the library, one of the record buildings, the Bradley Mansi..." His voice trailed off as he realized what Lucien was directing them to. "The Bradley Mansion... That has to be it. 'Don't let Pride get in the way of finding me', that's where the last remaining Homunculus, Pride lives!"

"Why would he be waiting for us there?" Ed wondered.

"He used the name Pride specifically, so he must have some basic knowledge of what the homunculi are. There were reports about them in your military records, Fullmetal. But Pride, err... Selim Bradley hasn't shown any signs of his former powers. He's grown to be a normal, innocent boy." Mustang was growing concerned now.

"Perhaps Lucien isn't aware of that fact, and thinks he still holds some kind of power that he wants to use." said Edward.

"Whatever the reason, there are innocent people there that we need to protect. Get ready to move out as soon as possible." Mustang started to bark out orders to different units. While he was doing that, Edward decided to talk to Aura.

"Aura, I think it'd be best if you stay here during this mission. You've done more than enough already. And considering the state you were in earlier, you're not prepared to face Lucien again. I don't blame you, he hurt you really bad back then. So just stay here, and we'll take him down for you."

Aura's gaze fell to her brother, and she gave him a cold stare. "I'm not staying behind. He only caught me off-guard when I saw him on the roof. I'm okay now, I promise. I told you then that I refuse to run and hide from him anymore, don't you dare make me go back to hiding in a corner now!"

Mustang saw what was going on and decided to speak. "Aura, listen to your brothers and stay here. We have more than enough manpower to catch him. And if you are his intended target, it's best if you weren't there for him to find."

"NO! I will NOT sit by and let you all risk yourselves for something that is my responsibility!" Aura shouted, her emotions no longer held back. "That man wouldn't have hurt anyone if it hadn't been for me, this is my fault, and my duty to make right. I refuse to let anyone else suffer for my sake!"

Ed and Al looked at each other, they recalled the moment when they had said the same thing during their journey to recover their bodies. When they swore no more innocent people would be hurt due to their sin. There was no mistaking it, Aura was truly their sister. It didn't change the fact that they didn't want her in harm's way again. They looked to Mustang, who understood what they wanted him to do.

"Aura, as of this moment, I am ordering you to stay in this Command building until further notice. Captain Falman, please escort Aura to the officer's lounge and make sure she doesn't leave these premises."

"What?! No, you can't do this! Ed! Al! Make them stop, I can't be locked away! Not again!" Aura screamed out as Falman led her out of the room, partially by force. Mustang started to walk out of the room, stopped next to Edward and peered down at him. "You owe me for that, Fullmetal. But you owe your sister much more once this is all over. I can only hope she'll forgive you."

"I owe her so much already, Mustang. Protecting her from facing the one person she fears most, even though she hates being locked away, is one small way I can start paying her back for all that she's done for me. She doesn't need to suffer anymore because of that evil bastard. She deserves to have peace of mind, knowing he'll never harm her again. That's what we're going to do, for her."

The military was nearly ready to move on the Bradley Mansion. Ed and Al decided to speak to Aura before they leave, hoping she calmed down so they can leave on better terms. As they approached the officer's lounge they noticed the air grow colder. Looks like Aura's at it again, thought Ed as they walked into the lounge. They found Captain Falman on the floor, frozen stiff.

"Captain! What happened to you! Here, let's get him warmed up Ed!" cried Al as they picked up the shivering officer and brought him over to the couch. Falman started to regain movement in his arms and legs again, and started to warm up quickly after that.

"Yo-your sister fr-fr-froze me! I was jus-just doing what I was t-t-told and she said that she was sorry, and before I knew it, I was laying on the floor, ice c-cold and unable to move!"

"I wasn't even aware she was capable of doing that, we're sorry Falman. Did you happen to notice where she went?" said Al, hoping that she hadn't gone far.

"She...she went in the direction of the supply bay."

"Shit, she's gonna try to go to face Lucien on her own! Come on Al, we can't wait for Mustang now, we have to go get Aura! Falman, let Mustang know what's going on. Thanks!" The brothers ran out of the room, and continued running until they were out of Central Command and on their way to the Bradley Mansion.