Fullmetal Alchemist

INVADERS OF GALLIA

Episode 36

BALDREN DEFEATED

Cosette Sees Again

Opening Theme: Kenashimi Rensa (Valkyria Chronicles)

"You... I know you!" Baldren hissed angrily as he and Karen squared off.

"My name is Karen," Karen replied, "we met once during the war when I was helping my brother. His squad, your sister's squad, were backing you on an important mission. You looked down on me then because I was just a young girl, but in the end, I proved you wrong and saved your life. I can see now that that was a terrible mistake on my part."

"Karen, that's right, the Dark Hair Alchemist's sister," Baldren growled angrily, "you should mind your tongue when addressing an Archduke, Darcsen."

"You're no Archduke," Karen declared, "just a spoiled noble who looks down on others, thinking himself above them, and if you want me to mind my tongue when I address you, you're going to prove to me that you have the power to make me."

'Her mannerism is completely different from that of her brother. She's completely serious and focused. No chatting, no boasting, just a serious tone and an expression that makes no attempt to hide a resolve to kill. She's certainly a stark contrast to her more light-hearted brother,' Baldren observed silently as he prepared his Maul and examined his opponent, 'even so, she is merely only a young Darcsen, lacking in both training and combat experience. She's hardly a threat.'

"I'll only say this once. If you underestimate me, you'll die," Karen declared firmly.

"Strong talk, for a Darcsen pup," Baldren replied.

"Fine, don't listen, but don't say I didn't warn you," Karen ordered as she held up her hands so Baldren could see the two alchemy rings she was wearing on both pointer fingers.

"I won't give you time to form a weapon!" Baldren declared, charging and swinging for Karen's head with his Maul. Karen fell backwards, slipping under the maul as she back flipped away from Baldren's follow up, overhead strike. Baldren continued to swing as Karen continued to acrobatically dodge.

"You can't win a fight by dancing around!" Baldren roared as he swung horizontally for Karen's chest. He was surprised when Karen leapt over him, did a hand spring off of his shoulders, and landed behind him. "I hope that wasn't your idea of an attack."

Karen gave no response.

"Not very talkative? Then you can die without a word!" Baldren shouted as the two resumed their exchange.

"Pathetic, is that the best you can do?" Karen hissed as she ducked under a slash.

"Watch your tongue!" Baldren ordered as he swung down as though trying to cleave Karen in half. His Maul never reached her, however, as a solid stone pillar rose from the ground and stopped it! "WHAT!?"

"Weapon transmutations aren't really my style," Karen revealed calmly, "since I don't have my brother's training, experience, or brute strength, I have to be more intelligent about how I fight." As if to prove her point, a pillar from a nearby wall suddenly shot out, nailing Baldren and sending him several feet through the air before he crashed to the ground.

"Grrr, that's impossible," Baldren cursed as he rose to his knees and faced his foe.

...

"Medic! Hurry!" Franca shouted as she knelt over an injured Squad A member and opened fire on the rebels at the other end of the mine shaft.

"Grrr, hey, hang in their, Annisette!" Avan ordered, using a piece of cloth to stop the bleeding from a wound on Annisette's shoulder.

"It's... alright Hardins," Annisette gasped weakly, "After all, a star never... really dies... she just waits for... her... big comeback."

"Oh brother," a familiar voice declared as Colonel Vine emerged from the darkness of a mineshaft, "you really are Edy's sister."

"Vine!" Avan shouted, sounding relieved.

"Cosette, Nikki, tend to the wounded," Vine ordered as Nikki and Cosette both rushed past him to Annisette.

"Hold on, Annisette! I'll get you patched up," Cosette reassured her.

"Meanwhile, I'll deal with this lot," Vine declared as he fired a blast at the ceiling above the rebels, causing a cave in that buried the rebel soldiers who had been attacking the cadets. "Done."

"Colonel, what're you doing here!?" Avan asked.

"I was about to ask you kids the same question. You're a long ways from the academy," Vine replied, "you didn't sneak out on another 'secret mission' did you?"

"Colonel Mustang dispatched Lanseal squads to help the revolting miners in several mines in central and southern Gallia," Franca revealed, "He's trying to cripple the rebels Ragnite supply permanently."

"Well, I had close to the same plan, but I only had enough man power to send a squad here," Vine revealed, "the rest of my forces are occupying Baldren and Dirk in Randgriz.

"Not anymore. Baldren's here, leading the rebel forces in the mine!" Avan revealed

"What!?" Vine exclaimed in surprise, "he's taking a pretty big risk, moving out in the open like this."

"It looks like he's planning to personally make an example of the workers here in order to suppress the other riots," Franca reported. As Franca continued to fill Vine in on what was going on, Avan began to talk on his wireless. Soon, he turned to Vine, an excited expression on his face.

"Vine, Alexis just called in! She found Baldren, and he's fighting Karen!" Avan exclaimed.

"Karen came? Huh, guess she got tired of doing nothing. Man, I almost feel sorry for Baldren," Vine sighed.

"You feel sorry... for Baldren?" Cosette repeated, "why?"

"Uhhh, well... let's just say that my little sister can be a bit sadistic when it comes to fighting. She's mercilessly brutal and extremely efficient. Where I'll usually knock my opponent out so they don't feel anything for a while, Karen almost takes pride in her ability to inflict a maximum amount if injury to her opponents without allowing them the luxury of passing out. To be honest, she even scares me a bit," Vine revealed.

"No way, Karen?" Cosette gasped, "I wouldn't think she'd hurt anyone."

"Well, she normally wouldn't, but once she starts fighting, it's a whole different story. She's downright terrifying."

...

Baldren was just finding out how terrifying Karen was as several transmuted spikes embedded into his shield, narrowly missing penetrating the shield and skewering him. He began to curse, then cried out with pain as a spike penetrated the shield where his arm was, piercing his forearm as well.

"I'm going to make you suffer the pain felt by every last Darcsen and Gallian whose lives you've ruined in your selfish grab for power," Karen declared, standing next to a massive transmuted crossbow she'd launched the spikes from.

"Cursed Darcsen," Baldren hissed, "how can you possess this much power?"

"I learned how to fight so I could protect a precious friend of mine from men like you who would seek to hurt her," Karen replied, "and when I'm finished with you, I'll be going to Randgriz to save her."

"A precious friend?" Baldren repeated, confused by the answer.

"Honestly, she's more like my twin sister," Karen admitted, "and she suffers every day because of evil men like you. I intend to make certain she doesn't have to suffer anymore!"

"Is that so," Baldren replied angrily, "well, if you don't want her to suffer any longer, why don't you tell me who she is and I'll personally see to it that she never suffers again!"

"No, you won't. You'll never bother her again," Karen revealed as she fired another spike from her crossbow which Baldren dodged before charging at Karen with his Maul ready to strike. He barely managed to stop himself before a massive and powerful blue flame passed between the two combatants. As the flame began to clear, a stone pillar shot through the smoke and crashed into Baldren, crushing the Gassenarl brother against the wall.

"What... was that... the Valkyrian pup?" Baldren gasped as he broke away the pillar that held him pinned against the wall.

"That's no pup," Karen declared as a figure began to emerge from the shadows of the mine shaft. Baldren's eyes widened with horror as the figure became more visible.

"It... can't be. Why... why would she have sided with the Darcsen taint?" He stammered fearfully. Armed with lance and shield, with hair that shone as silver as moonlight and eyes the were as red as blood, Alicia Melchiott Gunther emerged from the shadows. Gallia's Valkyrian hero had joined the battle.

"Alicia, I didn't think you were ready to become involved yet," Karen admitted.

"I'm alright," Alicia replied with a smile, "Welvar, Lara, and Sarah are all watching Isara."

"Well, that's good, but I'm sure my brother still wouldn't be happy if he knew you were here," Karen warned.

"Well, your brother doesn't have to know," Alicia replied.

"Please, you forget, her brother has spies everywhere," a voice declared from behind Alicia, startling her. "Oh, and let's not forget his amazing ability to show up exactly when you don't want him to," Vine declared as he walked past Alicia.

"Brother? When did you get here?" Karen asked.

"Oh, awhile ago. Thought I'd stop by, see how things were going, end a war, you know, the usual. Hey, where's Alexis, she's the one who called and told us where you guys were."

"I'm here, Colonel," Alexis replied as she emerged from one of the shafts, "I was ready to help out, but Karen seemed to have things under control, so I evacuated the workers instead."

"Good call," Vine replied, "now, not to cut you off when you're on a roll, Squirt, but I'll take it from here."

"So, you're here as well," Baldren said, looking like he was pleased about something, "good, I can bury you all together."

"Bury us?" Vine repeated.

"That's right," Baldren replied, "you didn't think I came here without a plan, did you? In less then 10 minutes, a bomb is set to go off in the heart of the mine. It's strong enough to bring this entire mine down on you, your Lanseal brats, and all the filthy Darcsens who dared stand against me."

"Darn it," Vine cursed.

"What is it going to be, Colonel. You can't stop me and save those precious children of yours, so which is it going to be," Baldren taunted.

"That's no decision at all," Vine hissed as he grabbed his wireless, "we'll end this soon enough, so you can slip away with your tail between your legs this time. Fullmetal, Avan, come in!"

"You'll regret standing against the new Archduke of Gallia, Alchemist," Baldren threatened.

"I'm looking forward to knocking that ego of yours down a notch, Baldren," Vine replied.

"Vine, what's up?" Avan asked over the radio, "did you get Baldren?"

"No, we've got bigger problems right now. The rebels have a bomb set up somewhere in the mine and it's going to explode in just a few minutes. We need to get everyone out, now!"

"What!?" Ed shouted angrily, "darn it, talk about dirty tricks!"

"We can complain about it later, right now, we need to get all of the cadets and workers out of the mine," Vine ordered, "I'd hate to say this, but let the rebels go. We have more important things to worry about right now."

"Grrr, yes sir," Avan replied, "you heard him, guys. Let's get the workers and get out of here!"

"Darn it, I can't believe he used such a dirty trick to get away!" Karen cursed.

"Relax, he has nowhere to go," Vine revealed, "I received a report from Welkin just before I got here. The central army has already laid siege to Randgriz. Baldren will never be able to reach the city with the limited troops he has left. Right now, we need to focus on getting everyone out of here."

"Right," Karen replied, knowing her brother was right. Still, it was obvious she was upset at losing Baldren.

...

"Alright, everyone hurry!" Vine ordered as members of Squad G, A, and 72 worked frantically to evacuate injured soldiers and Darcsen miners, "we're running out of time."

"Vine, the miners from the eastern part of the mine are all out!" Avan reported as he joined the Colonel.

"Same with the western part," Ed revealed as he joined as well.

"Good, I think that's all of the workers. Who're we missing?" Vine asked.

"Avan... Vine... Ed... can anyone hear me?" Cosette suddenly cried over the radio. The fear in her voice quickly made Vine nervous.

"Cosette, where are you?" Vine asked.

"Colonel... the... the bomb... I'm looking right at it!" Cosette cried in response, "the timer says... it's going to go off in three minutes!"

"Crud, alright, calm down Cosette. Check the timer and tell me if you can see a serial number," Vine ordered.

"Okay, I see one," Cosette revealed, "GX-72190." Vine looked as though he'd just been shot in the heart when he heard the number.

"You've gotta be kidding me. Is this some all knowing beings sick idea of a prank?" Vine cursed.

"What's wrong?" Avan asked.

"Cosette, there should be two wires connecting the timer to the bomb."

"I see them."

"Alright, then listen carefully. The blue wire connects the timer to the detonator. If you cut it, the bomb will explode. In order to disarm the bomb, you have to cut the red wire which connects the detonator to the actual explosive. That's the only way to disarm the bomb," Vine revealed.

"Please tell me you're joking," Ed gasped.

"I wish I were," Vine replied.

"Vine, Cosette's color blind! She can't tell the difference between the red and blue wires!"

"I know that, Fullmetal! Shut up and let me think!" Vine ordered.

"Colonel... I'm to far away from you guys. I... I won't be able to make it out before the bomb goes off. Please, you've got to get everyone else out while you can!" Cosette pleaded.

"You can forget it, Cosette," Avan declared firmly, "I'm not going anywhere without you."

"Same here," Ed declared, "Colonel, can we get to her in time?"

"Not a chance," Vine replied calmly, "Cosette, our only chance is for you to cut that wire, so get cutting"

"No!" Cosette protested, "please, you can't all die too! You have to get out!"

"Calm down Cosette. No one is dying today. Just focus and cut the red wire," Vine ordered.

"But... I can't... red... red scares me..." Cosette cried in a panic stricken voice.

"Vine, is there anything we can do?" Avan begged.

"It's a long shot, but..." Vine replied, "Cosette's color blindness is trauma induced, meaning it's psychological, not physical. If Cosette gets desperate enough, she may be able to overcome it, I hope."

...

Meanwhile, a panic stricken Cosette was trembling as she knelt over the bomb.

"How... what if I mess up? Avan... and Ed... Ali and Vine... everyone will die and it'll be all my fault again," she cried, "it'll be just like what happened to my parents. I can't... blood scares me... red..." She let out a loud gasp as she opened her eyes wide as though she'd just remembered something.

'Why? Why does red scare me?' she thought quietly, 'Ed's jacket is red. So if Vine's cloak and Avan's hair and Ali's eyes... and... they're all people I love... people who I know love me. I'm not scared of them, and I don't want to lose them. Not yet. I... I have to do this." Letting out a calm sigh, she grabbed a wire and moved her knife towards it.

...

Cosette looked down at the freshly cut wire with a trembling hand. The timer on the bomb had struck zero, but she was still alive. More importantly, she could see that the wire in her hand... was red!

"Cosette!" she heard Avan shout from nearby.

"Everyone, I'm over here!" She shouted happily as Vine, Ed, and Avan emerged from a mineshaft.

"Phew, looks like you did it," Ed sighed in relief.

"Come on, don't tell me you were worried Short Stuff," Vine teased as he inspected the bomb.

"Oh, your headband is red too!" Cosette said suddenly.

"Huh?" Vine replied in confusion.

"You asked me back in Yuell what color your headband was," Cosette reminded him, "I didn't realize it was red too. Mrs. Alicia's right, red really is your best color."

"Uhh, I'm lost," Vine declared before the weight of Cosette's statement finally sunk in on those around here.

"Hold on, Cosette... You can see!" Ed exclaimed in surprise.

"Well, I have to admit, I'm impressed," Vine declared, smiling proudly, "looks like there was actually some good that came out of this. Definately takes away some of the sting of letting Baldren slip away. Ya did good Kiddo. Ya did really good."

"Thank you, Vine, Ed, Avan. It's thanks to all of you having faith in me. I was so scared at first, but just knowing you were all there for me helped me move forward."

"Maybe, but I think we actually had very little to do with it. You've always had the strength to move forward, Cosette, you just needed a nudge in the right direction," Vine declared, "after you got that nudge the rest was all you." At that point, Cosette could only smile as here tears of joy prevented her from saying anymore.

...

"Ahh, nothing like a mountain sunset to end a long day," Vine declared after he, Avan, Ed, and Cosette had joined the others outside.

"It's so beautiful. I've really been missing so much beauty," Cosette sighed happily.

"Well, now you've got your whole life to make up for it," Ed reminded her, "we just need to stop the rebels from ruining it."

"Right," Vine declared, "I guess it's up to me now. You can leave the rest of this to me."

"No way man," Avan replied, "we came this far together, and we're seeing it through to the end."

"A noble sentiment, Hardins," Julianna declared, "one I agree with wholeheartedly. Still, let's not forget that you have a far more personal stake in this fight."

"That's right," Zeri remembered, "Leon, your brother, is fighting for the rebels. What're you planning to do, Avan?"

"I... I need to talk to him. Then I'll know what to do, I'm sure of it!" Avan declared.

"I hope you're right, Avan," Vine declared, "I really do. Alright then, here's what we're going to do. I'll head back to Randgriz and finish driving the rebels out of the city. Once they lose the Capitol, they'll no doubt make for their final stronghold in Anthold. That's where we'll meet up to finish this fight."

"Got it," Ed declared.

"Anthold Harbor? Well, this should be interesting," Zeri replied.

"So it'll finally all be over," Julianna said thoughtfully.

"Right. Just one battle left to win," Avan declared, anxious for what would hopefully be the end of the Gallian Revolutionary Army.

Closing Theme: Heart of Sword (Rurouni Kenshin)

"Randgriz is ours again, and as expected, Baldren, Audrey, and Dirk have retreated to Anthold."

"Time to end this."

"Looks that way."

Next time: A Desperate Mission AUDREY'S FINAL DEFEAT

"Avan, this mission is suicide for at least one of your classmates."