Author's Notes:

Chibi-chan: -Shyly peaks around corner- Hello? Anyone there?

-Silence-

Chibi-chan: -Clears Throat- Well, if there are any readers left, I'm going to update now. I think I need to apologise first though.

Jin's Lady: I told you this was going to become a habit.

Chibi-chan: -Glares at Jin's Lady- Anyway, I'm sorry. I'm terribly disappointed in myself for not getting this chapter out sooner. I have a million valid excuses but I'll spare you from having to hear them. The best I can say is that I try to take it one day at a time when it comes to friends, school, and stories but sometimes several days attack me at once. It's not my fault, I tell you!

Jin's Lady: I think the Christmas turkey has made her a little overdramatic, yeah?

Chibi-chan: -Ignores- Moving on. I want to address a review that we recieved on out last chapter. I am not cutting Kaytie's parts in the story short and I like both Morgan and Kaytie equally. I know it may seem like I'm favouring Morgan a little at the moment but I promise you that I'm not. When you're writing a story, sometimes there's just a little more going on on one side than the other. Right now, Morgan's experiencing a lot in the story and it's important to the plot, as you will find out in the chapter, as was promised. You'll find later in the story, after certain events take place, it would be impossible for the story to move forward without both characters. This is a planned story, planned to the end, mind you. I'm not making it up as I go along. I've known how it's going to end since chapter one. Kaytie is a catalyst for important events that take place later in the story and the next chapter will have Kaytie in it.

Jin's Lady: And there's Chibi-chan's characteristic rant.

Chibi-chan: -Ignores- Anway, I've read the guesses that pertain to the last chapter... No one was dead on but some of you came really very close. Very close. Tiggeranddash was the closest. It does have to do with Scar. A lot to do with Scar. You'll see. MistressOfTime1218 was also close but came from a different angle than Tiggeranddash. Yes, it has to do with those things as well, as the events that took place lead to your guesses. So, as promised, Ed and Envy cookies to everyone who reviewed!!

Jin's Lady: -Passes them out- Also, Thank-you to everyone who reviewed for the last chapter.

Chibi-chan: Morgan, disclaimer?

Morgan: -Sigh- Why do I always get picked on? -Mumbles Angrily- Krimskii, that is Chibi-chan and Jin's Lady, do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. They do own me, Morgan, and Kaytie, and Sam, though. Please bear in mind that they are poor and are not making any money off of this fanfiction.

Chibi-chan: Thank-you, Morgan.

Jin's Lady: -Nurses Hurt Ego- Was the poor comment really necessary?

Chibi-chan: -Still Ignores- Now, we come to the end of a very long Authors' Note. I only have one thing left to say---

Jin's Lady: MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Chibi-chan: Hey! That was my line!

Jin's Lady: -Runs- Enjoy Chapter 29! Don't forget to read and review!!


Chapter 29: Facing Fears

Everything happened so fast. Morgan was frozen -- she couldn't move and as Ed glanced back at her, her eyes were wide in what was either surprise or fear. Or both.

The car that he'd been chasing had skidded unceremoniously to a stop, swerving slightly to avoid hitting the man who stood in front of it. Although he was dressed plainly in beige clothes, he had a cross-shaped scar that ran across his forehead and down below his eyes that would have made him stand out in a crowd. His eyes were hidden behind shaded glassed and above his scar, there was a shock of salt and peppered hair.

In the time it took for Morgan's eyes to widen, the scarred man placed his hand on the hood of the car. A bright red light flashed and the car erupted in an explosion. Smoke, sand, and debris from the car obscured Ed's vision. When the dust cleared, Brigadier-General Gran and Doctor Marcoh lay on the ground, unhurt.

Gran rolled to a sitting position and the scarred man advanced. "Who is that?" Ed asked aloud.

"Finally," He spoke, still advancing forward, "the Iron-Blood Alchemist, General Basque Gran."

Morgan whimpered; when Ed glanced at her he realized that she looked like she wanted to move but couldn't. She was rooted to the spot.

Ed grabbed her wrist, watching as Gran stood, chuckling and slipping his hand in his pocket. "You're timing's too bad -- just as I got my hands on this!" He pulled out the small red bead that Ed, Al, and Morgan all knew to be the Philosopher's Stone.

Before Gran had a chance to do anything with the stone, the man with the scar reacted so quickly that Ed barely had time to register what happened. His arm swung forward

and he pressed his palm to Gran's forehead.

Ed gasped, "Get away!" He yelled.

There was no time to heed his warning as Gran's head exploded, blood spurting everywhere. As Gran cried out, sinking slowly to his knees, Morgan let out a strangled cry. Gran was dead.

Ed whipped his head around to look at her and found that she had tears running down her face. Her eyes were wide and fearful and her face was so pale that it looked like it had been powdered with flour. She seemed to come to her senses slightly, trying to tear her wrist from Ed's grip. Ed tightened his grip and pulled her closer to him. "Morgan, quit it!" He said as she tried to get away from him.

Morgan's scream seemed to have attracted the attention of the scarred man momentarily. His eyes flickered toward them for a second before turning back to his original targets.

Ed had a sudden outbreak of common sense; he should run! Why was he trying to stop Morgan from running? He found that his legs were frozen stiff, like Morgan's had been earlier. This was not good. This was very, very bad.

"Crystal Alchemist, Doctor Marcoh." The man with the scar said tonelessly; Morgan squeaked in fright. "I heard you were dead." He continued. "I'll have to take special care to wash you out of this world of your transgressions."

"I see." Marcoh said, bowing his head. "Yes, go ahead. How can I protest?"

Morgan's breathing quickened; her heart was beating so hard against her ribs that she thought they might crack. Her back was pressed against Ed's chest and her heart was beating so hard that he could feel it. Her vocal cords didn't seem to want to work, either. Beyond squeaking, she couldn't make a sound.

"In the name of the Great Almighty One, thou shall perish." He reached out to placed a hand against Marcoh's forehead but Ed was too quick. He thrust Morgan toward Al and ran forward. Grabbing Marcoh's sleeve, he pulled him out of the way just in time.

Marcoh stumbled forward as he hastened to stand while Ed took off running, pulling Marcoh by his elbow behind him. "It's okay," Marcoh said. "Leave me behind."

Ed gasped for breath, "You've really gotta work on that attitude."

"Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric, you won't escape, either." The scarred man said quietly.

Morgan's tongue seemed to unglue itself from the roof of her mouth at this point. "NO!" She screamed, breaking free of Al's slack grip. Her voice was shaking and her breathing was still erratic, her face tear-stained. She took a gulp of air, her heartbeat still strangely arrhythmic. She stepped forward, stumbling over a rock. "Scar," She said shakily. "Come after me, instead."

He turned, "Morgan Shaw." He said. "We've met before and we'll meet again and I will not allow you the chance to escape."

Morgan made to step forward but Scar turned away, taking off down the way that Ed and Marcoh went.

"Morgan...?" Al asked.

Morgan screwed up her face in concentration trying to remember the layout of the town. They'd been everywhere when they were asking around about Marcoh ... there must be a way...

"This way!" Al said, grabbing her wrist and pulling her the opposite way that Ed, Marcoh, and Scar ran.

Morgan hastened to follow. Her lungs soon hurt from running, her throat was sore, and her breathing was ragged but she couldn't stop. Al skidded to a halt and Morgan, accelerating rapidly, was unable to slow down quickly enough. She tripped, tumbling into Al's metal body. A resounding clang issued off the walls of the ally they'd stopped in.

Al was busy drawing a transmutation circle on one of the brick walls as Morgan picked herself up off the ground. "Are you okay, Morgan?" Al asked, drawing the last line.

Unable to speak, Morgan nodded, wiping the dirt off her face. "Brother," She heard Al say quietly as he stuck his hand out of the opening of the ally. "In here!" He pulled them in quickly, Morgan pressed her hands to the transmutation circle that Al had drawn, and a wall slammed opposite her, closing the alleyway off from Scar. She knew it wouldn't last long but...

"Good thinking, Al, Morgan..." Ed gasped, out of breath. His hands were on his knees and both he and Marcoh were attempting to catch their breath.

Morgan stared at the wall, "We- we need to get out of here!" She said in a frightened voice.

"We need a plan," agreed Ed.

"There's no time --" Morgan started but the words never fully passed her lips. The wall that she and Al just sealed shut exploded into a thousand pieces, sending fragments flying in all directions. Recognizing the characteristic red alchemic light, Morgan knew what was happening.

She barely registered Al pushing Marcoh behind him to shield him from the blast or that Ed had pulled her close to him. She struggled against him, "Let go!"

"Morgan --!"

There wasn't time to say anything else. The four of them were face-to-face with Scar. They stood motionless for a fraction of a second then without another word, Al scooped Marcoh up and this time it was Morgan grabbing Ed's wrist and dragging him forward.

And suddenly they were stopping. Red light flashed along the side of the wall to Morgan's right, cracking it straight down the middle. The ceiling of the ally caved in and rocks blocked their path. They were trapped.

The dust cleared and Morgan stepped in front of Ed. "What are you doing?" He hissed angrily, "Get out of the way!"

"No." Morgan said. She was shocked at her own voice. It was surprisingly firm given that she was shaking violently from head to toe.

"Who in the hell are you?" Ed asked viciously, stepping up beside Morgan instead of trying to get her to move. "And what are you coming after us for?" Morgan stepped in front of him again. He was starting to get annoyed. Why the hell was she protecting him?

"If you are the creators of society, then there must also be destroyers." Scar answered.

Marcoh sighed in distress. "You can't understand, Ed! Just leave me and run!"

Ed grimaced, reaching behind him and transmuting a metal rod that had fallen with the ceiling into a sword in a flash of blue light. Al readied himself for a fight.

"No! No, you can't Ed!" Morgan cried hysterically. "He'll kill you!"

Ed looked a quizzically for a moment and she once again attracted the attention of Scar. "Morgan Shaw." He said, stating her name. He looked away toward Ed again. Morgan glared; she couldn't let Ed do this -- it was a suicide mission.

"You have a kind look in your eyes." Scar told Ed. "My brother's used to be the same -- eyes that were strong and peered into the endless distance as if he was seeing something we could not." Scar stood unsmiling at the memory and Morgan could hear her heartbeat in the moment of silence. "It was three years ago, yes?"

"Three years?" She muttered to herself, confused. It was then she realized with an unpleasant jolt that he was still speaking to Ed.

"I was glad to hear you'd given up being a State Alchemist so that I could take you off my list but now..."

"Yeah," Ed finished for him, "now. It's too bad, isn't it?"

Ed lifted his makeshift sword and started forward but Morgan hastily grabbed his arm to stop him. "What are you doing?!" He asked angrily.

"You can't fight him!" Morgan repeated. "You'll die!"

"Morgan Shaw," Scar stated for the third time. "I hear that you're now called the Aquatic Alchemist now. I had hoped that your previous encounter with me had dissuaded you from this dream but it appears I was incorrect."

"What's he talking about, Morgan?" Ed asked.

Morgan ignored him, pushing him behind her. Unfortunately, she once again lost the ability to use speech. She stayed silent, shaking so hard that she could barely keep a grip on Ed's sleeve to stop him from charging forward. She needed to keep Scar talking. She needed to stall.

"You remember me," She rasped, meaning it to sound sarcastic. It sounded pathetic.

Scar looked at her indifferently, "I remember a little girl who stood frozen on the sidelines, petrified with fear. I remember you."

September 14, 1914

Morgan rose sullenly bed that morning. She felt disgusting. The previous night, she was up until three in the morning finishing a mock report on chimeras for her parents. She noticed that the red numbers of her alarm clock read 9:00am. The report had been tedious and Morgan loathed the subject but it didn't surprise her that that's what her parents wanted her to focus on; after all it was their area of expertise.

The famous Entity-Binding Alchemist and Molding Alchemist - Tracy and Dave Shaw. You couldn't really get any bigger than that unless you counted people like Shou Tucker - her parents were friends with him until he decided to create a talking chimera by combining his daughter and dog - or the Flame Alchemist, Colonel Roy Mustang.

Sighing, Morgan glanced across the room to where her younger sister Celina lay sleeping. They were a lot alike personality wise but when it came to looking the same, no one would guess that they were related. Celina looked like Tracy while Morgan took after Dave. Her mom always said that Celina would have no trouble finding a husband one day. Morgan would probably have to work a little harder though. She was a plain Jane through and through.

Tugging at her short dull hair, Morgan stripped from her pyjamas and shrugged on a fuzzy blue sweater and a long jean skirt that covered her ankles.

She was careful not to wake Celina as she tip-toed out of her room and padded down the stairs -- Morgan loved her house immensely. Even though she and Celina shared a room, there really wasn't an invasion of privacy. Celina, if she wasn't on a "play date" with one of her friends, was either in the play room across the hall or learning the very basics of alchemy whenever Sam was in town or her parents weren't too busy to teach her.

Sam...

Morgan sighed, shaking herself. She was being stupid again. They'd moved away from Risembool when Morgan was seven. When they moved away, they'd not only left their old house behind, with Morgan's blue room, but they'd left Sam behind as well.

Sam had lived with their family for as long as Morgan could remember. When they moved, Sam didn't come with them; she moved out. As far as Morgan currently knew, she was living in Central teaching alchemy to kids.

It was slightly like losing as sister, except she lost her teacher, too.

Quickly fixing herself a mug of coffee and a quick breakfast, Morgan remembered that it was Saturday, which was probably the reason that her parents had let her sleep in. And, she remembered, why Celina wasn't at school. Unlike with Morgan, her parents decided that it was unnecessary for Celina to be home schooled.

It wasn't surprising that her parents weren't around his early in the morning. After all, they'd moved to Eastern to better their careers so they'd naturally be at Eastern HQ.

Flipping the newspaper open, Morgan began to read. Apparently, a castle out over sea had collapsed. It had something to do with the Fullmetal Alchemist. She didn't bother to read any more, rolling her eyes and continuing on to the next article. She didn't actually know who the Fullmetal Alchemist was and she didn't want to know. Her parents set too much in store by him. They figured, if he could pass the Alchemy exam at the age of twelve, then she should have no problem passing at fourteen, in one years time. How wrong they were.

The theory part of learning was great, she could memorize and understand anything ... it was putting it into practice that was the hard part. She could understand, say the composition of table salt, Sodium chloride, perfectly. NaCl, one Sodium ion attached to one Chlorine ion that eventually formed a crystal in a one to one ratio, if it wasn't in an aqueous solution. If it was in an aqueous solution, it dissociated and the Sodium and Chlorine ions would be floating around free in the water. That wasn't the hard part. If someone were to give her the correct amount of Sodium and Chlorine, she could recite to them how to create table salt. She wouldn't actually be able to do it herself ... well she could create something that simple but that wasn't likely to get her State license.

Sighing again, Morgan folded the paper up and gave her two cats, Blacky, who was white, and Whitey, who was black, fresh water and food. She trudged back upstairs to brush her teeth and wake Celina.

The rest of the day passed fairly quickly. Although this was Morgan's day off from Alchemy, she did have a fair amount of chores to do. As she did the laundry and cleaned the bathroom, she hummed to herself. Celina was on another play date. She was sleeping over this time so Morgan didn't have to worry about picking her up.

Her parents arrived home at about dinner time. "Hi Honey," Tracy said, glancing at Morgan, who was reading at the dining room table. "Hey, Morgan." Her dad said, smiling slightly. Morgan smiled back; although they worked weekends, they were always in better moods when they came home.

"What's for dinner?" She said, marking her place in the book and putting it aside.

"Stir-fry." Her mom answered. "Will you cut the vegetables?" She asked.

Morgan nodded, washing her hands and reaching for a knife. She and her mom worked in a comfortable silence while her dad made his way into the living room.

"How was your day?" Morgan asked.

"Good," Her mom answered, pushing her blonde hair out of her eyes. "How was yours?"

"Fine." Morgan said. "I caught up on some homework and reading."

Her mom smiled, "You work so hard; we're proud of you, you know."

"I know..."

Dinner at the Shaw household was usually a quiet affair. It was comfortable silence though. As Morgan cleared the dinner table, a crack of thunder made her jump and she dropped the glass she was holding. It fell to the floor, shattering into a thousand shards upon coming in contact with the linoleum. "Shoot," Morgan muttered under her breath and she knelt down to pick up all of the big pieces.

"What happened?" Her dad asked, poking his head through the door.

"The thunder scared me and I dropped a glass." Morgan explained.

Dave sighed, shaking his head. "Mind you don't get cut cleaning it up." He warned. Morgan nodded as he disappeared back into their living room.

It was dull work, picking up glass, Morgan thought. She could be doing so many more useful things. She fetched the broom and swept the tiny fragments up, hoping she didn't miss any. She couldn't be sure but she thought she did a good job.

She replaced the broom in their closet and made her way out of the kitchen and into the living room. She took her seat in the chair and pulled her book off the shelf where she replaced it before dinner.

Morgan's mom and dad spoke conversationally as Morgan read, already more than halfway through the book although she just started today. She could hear the steady pounding of rain on their roof. It was accompanied by an occasional crack of thunder which was followed by flash of lightning.

Suddenly, over the quiet murmuring of her parents, there was a sharp rap at their front door. "Dave, could you get that?" Morgan heard her mother ask.

As she flipped the page in her book, she watched her dad walk across the living room. "Who would be calling at this time?" Morgan wondered aloud. "It's, like, almost eight."

"I don't know," Her mom said curiously. She got to her feet and made to follow Dave through to the kitchen when they both heard something that made Morgan's heart jump to her throat.

"Who are you?" Dave shouted loudly. He sounded frustrated. "What do you --?"

There was a bright flash of red light that was reflected onto the walls of the living room.

"Go upstairs." Tracy breathed, looking in Morgan's direction. "Now."

Morgan hesitated a moment and then moved quickly, passing through the rest of the living room. She gripped the handrail as she took the stairs two at a time.

"Tracy Shaw, also known as the Entity-Binding Alchemist. Tonight you will pay for your sins." A cold, steady voice from behind her spoke.

Morgan froze in her tracks. She was at the upper part of the stairs and she was gripping the handrail so hard that her knuckles were white. Turning slowly, she shrank to the walls, pressing herself against it and making herself as small as possible.

The man who had spoken with such a terrifying voice was standing on the floor below where the living room met the kitchen. His skin was dark and his eyes were dark red. He was very clearly Ishbalan. A shock of pepper coloured hair did nothing to hide his scar that stretched from the top of his forehead to below his eyes.

Morgan's heart thudded painfully hard in her chest as she watched her mother pull her short, blonde hair into a small ponytail; she was preparing herself for a fight.

"You're the Ishbalan who's been going around murdering State Alchemists, aren't you?" Tracy asked, her voice deadly calm. "Is that what you did to Dave?"

The man with the scar didn't react to her words as he stepped forward. "Your specialty is chimeras, isn't it." It wasn't a question. The man had done his research. "The most depraved form of alchemy."

Tracy scoffed as she pushed her sleeves up to her elbows. "That's the way science is." She said, smiling slightly, as if it was her own private joke. "Sacrifices must be made in the pursuit of knowledge."

"It is that pursuit of knowledge that brought you death." The scarred man said, still unsmiling.

Morgan tried not to make any sound but she couldn't help but squeak as she wiped her tears from her face. She was helpless; she couldn't do anything.

The man with the scar lunged at Tracy, his right arm stretched out as if to caress her cheek. Tracy ducked at the exact right moment, moving out of his path. "Gotta be quicker than that." She said.

Peering through the bars of the handrail of the stairs, Morgan didn't see what exactly happened next. They were fighting and then the next moment they weren't. She heard Tracy yelp -- she'd backed into the coffee table. In a flash it was over.

"In the name of the Great Almighty One, thou shall perish." The man with the scar said without emotion.

Tracy, who lay sprawled on the coffee table, didn't have time to react. The man pressed the palm of his right hand to her forehead and a bright red light flashed in the room. It was like a current of red electricity passed through Tracy's body. And there was blood - a lot of blood. It stained the carpet and splashed the glass of the table.

The Ishbalan turned to look at the staircase. "Take heed, young Morgan Shaw." He said and Morgan's eyes widened as she stood, frozen in her spot. "May this be a warning to you." He turned and walked calmly through the living room and into the kitchen. She watched as he decended the stairs to the front door. She heard the door slam shut.

A numb feeling spread throughout her body. What was she supposed to do? She stood up and ran down the stairs. Fumbling for the telephone, she dialed the number she knew by heart. The only person she could think of calling was Sam.

As the phone rang, she stared at the blood spilled over the carpet and tears spilled over her face.

Morgan shifted her feet and set her jaw. No one recounted the story and no one answered Ed's question. "Regardless," Scar continued, "You will both perish in the name of the Almighty One."

Before Morgan had any time to react whatsoever, Ed lunged at Scar, his makeshift sword reaching forward. Scar dodged, "Too slow." He said. He reached past the sword and just as he was about to press his palm to Ed's arm, Al jumped between them. As Scar pressed his hand to Al's armour, Ed fell to the ground with a thud.

"Ed..." Morgan whimpered. She didn't dare move. Torn between not losing anyone else to Scar and saving her own life, she couldn't decide what to do. Her brain was telling her to fight back, to save Ed, but her legs seemed to know that even if she was to try she wouldn't succeed.

As Al stood up, Morgan saw that there was a large crack in the arm of his amour. "Don't mistake your fortune," Scar said. "That alchemy was designed for human flesh and that's why you escaped with only a dent. This time, stay out of this. My only enemies are State Alchemists and those who stand between."

"But why?" Ed asked as he rose to a standing position. "Why are you after us?!"

"Alchemists are those who take things in their natural form and convert them into something grotesque." Scar explained, disgust laced deep in his voice. "An huberus, the profane god, creator of all, claiming that they have a better design. I come as a right hand, an agent of God," He lifted his right hand and Morgan watched in horror. "to carry out his judgments." Scar finished, looking toward Marcoh, where he still sat on the ground, either unwilling or unable to get up.

Al stepped forward then, "You know, I'm an alchemist too. I may not have the state certification but ..."

"Why do you seek death?" Scar asked angrily.

"I don't." Al answered steadily. "But you mentioned that you had an older brother too and then you should understand why I can't just stand by and let my brother get killed ... even you should ..."

"I do!" Scar cut him off. "I understand exactly how if feels to watch your brother murdered before your eyes, when you can't do an thing." Morgan watched in horror as Scar's face contorted with rage. "In fact," He said, "maybe I'll show Ed!"

Morgan's breath caught in her throat and her eyes widened. As Ed realized what Scar was implying, he darted forward, thrusting his sword at Scar.

"I told you, you're too slow." Scar said as he grabbed Ed's arm.

"N-no!" Morgan muttered, stumbling forward at the exact moment that Ed flew backward. She whipped her head around to see him starting to stand. Amazed, her eyes found the rip in his red coat where Scar had touched him. It revealed shiny automail and Morgan breathed a very short sigh of relief.

"Automail..." Scar said as he examined his hand. "So your right arm begets nothing but destruction also."

Ed looked angry, "Don't you start with that," He snarled. "You and I are nothing alike!" He ran his left hand over his automail arm and in a flash of blue alchemic light, it metal transformed into a sharp blade.

Very suddenly, as Ed was about to launch an attack on Scar, an explosion rocked the ground. Dust and rock debris flew in all directions. Morgan shielded her face with her arm and flattened herself against the wall. What the hell...?

Bright yellow flashes of what looked like lightning shot by her at an alarming speed. The target was Scar. He dodged them somewhat clumsily, taken off guard by this new development.

As the dust finally cleared, the four in the ally way were all facing the direction from which the lightning-like alchemy had come. A tall and sturdy figure stepped into view and Morgan recognized him at once, having seen him briefly only earlier that day.

"Major Armstrong!" She breathed, a small amount of relief making its way into her chest. She didn't allow herself to relax. They weren't through yet. Glancing at Ed to make sure he'd also had the flash of recognition, she realized that he had. He didn't appear to be any less confused though.

"Armstrong," He muttered, Morgan being able to make out his words through reading his lips. She knew he's learned the name from her. "Why are ...?" His question trailed off, unfinished.

"Have you come for Doctor Marcoh?!" Al asked, stepping in front of a bewildered Marcoh.

Armstrong walked steadily, moving past Al. As he reached Ed's side, he glanced at Morgan and placed a hand on Ed's shoulder. "I'm sorry I'm late." He said in a deep baritone voice. "The lieutenant Colonel ordered me to tail you for your protection."

"What?" Morgan asked, beating Ed to the chase. "Hughes, you mean, right?"

Armstrong merely nodded and refocused his attention on Scar. "I heard you on my way in here." He stated. "You say you're an agent of God? Then why don't you try passing judgment on me?" He brought his right arm up to his chest, proudly displaying the metal that encased his hand and wrist, a transmutation circle etched into its surface. "That's Alex Louise Armstrong -- the Strong-Arm Alchemist!"

Scar looked momentarily shocked and then he smirked, "What a righteous day this is turning into." He said smugly. "That you would come here and save me the tribulations of finding you. Blessed God, full of grace--"

"Don't pray just yet," Armstrong cut him off. "You're facing the technique that's been passed down the Armstrong line for generations -- that's hardly a blessing." He lifted a slab of rock above his head and launched it into the air. Bring his fist back and swinging it forward again, the spikes of the metal casing made impact with the stone. Upon contact, a flash of bright yellow light lit up the ally and was headed straight for Scar at a frighteningly fast velocity.

Scar dodged it easily, moving to the side. "Next shot!" Armstrong yelled out, punching the ground. On impact, the same bright light traveled in a straight line toward its target, horrifyingly sharp spikes shooting up from the ground as it went.

It was closer this time. Scar dodged them, but just barely. He brought is right arm around and red light flashed and as he pressed his palm to the rock, it crumbled.

Morgan shook herself violently out of her stupor as her common sense returned to her. She shot a look at Ed and Al and motioned for them to get going. "Let's move!" She mouthed soundlessly.

Ed's eyes widened and he grabbed Marcoh's sleeve as he nodded. Running at top speed, they made for the make-shift exit that Armstrong had created.

Only when they reached the safety of the trees and grass outside did they allow themselves to rest. Marcoh collapsed in a heap on the ground panting heavily and Morgan, who was leaned against a tree, wiped the sweat off her forehead. Ed was bent double, catching his breath. Al alone was unaffected.

Morgan opened her eyes, watching Ed reach into his pocket and draw out a small, red stone. "You dropped this." He said, handing it to Marcoh. Morgan sighed in understanding.

"Isn't this what you're after?" Marcoh asked. "Didn't you think about taking in and leaving?"

"Of course," Ed answered in a tired voice. "And a younger me would have taken it and walked away without a second thought. But I can't forget the faces of all those people that you helped that we saw today. You used that in their treatments, right?"

Morgan closed her eyes, smiling slightly as she sank into a sitting position, supported by the trunk of the tree.

"That stone belongs to them." Ed said simply. "And so to you." He said and Morgan could hear the smile in his voice.

"You ready?" Ed asked, glancing at all parties. Receiving nods all around, he continued. "Then let's head out. We need to find some place where the military and that killer won't find you."

"You think we can escape?" Marcoh asked, slightly baffled.

Ed smirked, "You've got legs, don't you?" He asked sarcastically. "Let's put 'em to work!"

Al and Morgan nodded and as Ed looked at Morgan, their eyes met. It was mutual -- they needed to talk later. It was later that Morgan feared.

She'd come face to face with her greatest fear: Scar -- no, losing everything that was important to her. Again. She had by no means defeated and she knew that she'd fear it until the day she died. It had almost happened once - no, twice - already, and she wasn't going to take it sitting down. Next time, she was damn well going to do something about it.