Ed explained to Miles and a few officers about the philosopher stone while we were eating, so I had finished my food as Ed took his first bite. My stomach was growling at me still and with Ed still eating right beside me just made my stomach growl even more.
"If Kimblee has the stone then he will be unbelievably hard to take down, what do you reckon Lexie?" Ed asked.
My head shot up.
"What?" I asked.
Ed sighed.
"Are you listening?" He asked.
"Should I be?" I asked back.
"Fine you continue to space out, I'll do all the explaining!" He snapped at me.
All my attention was focused on his food that he had hardly touched.
"Are you going to eat that?" I asked pointing at his food.
Ed slapped my hand away.
"Yes, I am!" He snapped.
"I was just checking" I mumbled.
He faced Miles and the other two soldiers.
"If we could find a way to get it from him" Ed said thinking.
I leaned behind him and tapped his shoulder.
He turned around.
I grabbed some food and shoved it into my mouth.
Ed spun around in is seat staring at me.
My cheeks were puffed out like a chipmunk.
"Did you just-"
"No!" I snapped with my hand over my mouth.
Ed glared at me when I swallowed the food.
He put his left elbow up on the table blocking me from his food and looked back at Miles to continue their conversation.
"If we could get the stone then maybe we could let our guard down a little" Miles muttered to himself.
"That might be a little harder then you think" Ed added.
The sun shone through the window and the wind died down.
Miles glanced out the window.
"Looks like the storm has moved on" he said standing up, "begin preparations" he ordered his men.
"Yes sir, with snipers?" they asked. He was going to kill Kimblee, I wasn't going to protest there.
"Kimblee and his two men must be neutralised quietly, no loose ends"
"Yes sir!" they saluted him.
"Major Miles" Ed said speaking up, "by neutralise do you mean kill them?" He asked. Of course Ed would find a reason not to kill him.
"Of course"
"I don't think we should eliminate him just yet. Like I said, why not just prevent him from using alchemy… Capture him and make him talk?"
"Oh come on Ed" I moaned, "you really think that psychopath is going to talk to us?" I asked.
Ed opened his mouth to protest.
"He's too dangerous, we can't let him live" Miles added.
Ed sighed.
"What about his men?" Ed asked, "maybe they were turned into chimeras against their will."
"Maybe so, but maybe isn't good enough. Don't forget the first law of Briggs, only the fit survive" Miles explained, "One of these days that soft heart of yours is going to get yourself kill and she will go down with you" he said gesturing to me.
"Hey don't bring me into this" I snapped, "I could do just fine without Ed."
I crossed my arms defensively.
"I really doubt that" he chuckled turning around, "you didn't attack Scar for no reason, you were warning him" he had heard the conversation between me and Scar. Miles left with his men.
Ed glanced at me.
I held my hand up.
"Shut up" I said before he could say anything, "and eat your food before I do" I warned him.
Ed frowned protecting his food from me again.
"I don't know what Miles is talking about but you're not getting any more of my food" he growled at me.
I leaned back in my chair crossing my arms.
"Then stop talking and eat" I growled. I didn't want to think how I would react if something happen to Ed. I had lost enough people as it is, I seriously didn't want to lose him either as much as it hurt my pride to admit it.
"So does this mean you actually care about me?" Ed asked.
"Eat Ed!" I snapped at him making him jump.
"Okay touchy touchy" he grumbled under his breath shoving more food in his mouth.
So get this, since Al had gone off to warn Winry and the others we needed to make a pretend Al, easy until you need someone to act as him. The suit of armour was exactly like Al but we can't say the same for the solider pretending to be him.
"Lets go" Miles ordering his men to get into place.
"Yes sir" the fake Al saluted.
I looked at Ed.
"We are so screwed" I mumbled.
"Hey Alphonse your supposed to say okay" Ed growled at the fake Al.
"Oh!" He squeaked trying to move, "It's hard enough moving around inside this thing without pretending to talk like a kid" he added.
"Just do your best" Ed sighed. There was no way anyone was believing this.
"I heard Kimblee's only taking the men he brought because he doesn't trust any of the northern troops" an officer said coming up beside Miles.
"I guess he's on to us" Miles said rubbing his chin, "lets head them off, we'll position the snipers near the mine shaft" he added.
Miles turned towards us.
"You think you can lure him there?" he asked.
we nodded.
"Don't worry about that, he's already suspicious of us at it is, if we wonder off he'll follow us" Ed spoke up then looked at the fake Al, "you better stay here" he added.
We wondered off towards the mine making sure we were being noticed, of course that meant us being loud.
"Man I hate the snow!" I moaned out loud.
Ed rolled his eyes dramatically.
"You complain far too much" he groaned back.
I scoffed at him while we trudged through the snow being trailed by two of Kimblee's men. We knew we were being followed and that was the point.
"I complain the perfect amount short stack-"
Ed lashed out automatically and whacked my arm.
"Ouch!" I growled at him. Im pretty sure we didn't have to get physical, we were already being followed.
"Don't call me that" he snapped glaring at me.
I sighed.
He was still getting upset about the word small or any reference to his height.
"Short stack" I grumbled crossing my arms, we were out front of the mine now.
Ed stopped in his tracks sticking his foot out and I tripped over it.
I stumbled forward but found my footing before I got a face full of snow.
"What did I just say?!" Ed shouted me, okay now this really was an argument
. I stood up straight rolling my eyes at him.
"God you're such a sook Ed" I sighed crossing my arms.
He pointed to himself.
"Me?!"
"Yes you!"
He threw his hands in the air getting frustrated.
"you're the one that gets all upset about your stupid height, theres nothing wrong with being small-"
"DON'T CALL ME SMALL!"
I stared at him.
"I didn't-"
"You did!"
I threw my hands in the air.
I wasn't going to get anywhere with him on this subject.
"I can hear you two from a mile away" Kimblee spoke up appearing from around the corner. Well fake or real fight we still go him where we wanted him.
Ed turned around and crossed his arms at Kimblee. the rest was now up to Miles and his men.
"Yeah say the word small and Ed loses any self control he's ever had" I grumbled.
Ed glanced over his shoulder and pointed at me.
"Don't test me Alexis" he growled.
I shut up crossing my arms and leaned to one side giving him attitude without saying anything.
Ed faced Kimblee again.
He circled us suspiciously.
"Looking for something in particular?" I asked watching Kimblee.
He turned around facing us again with a smile.
"If you two are here then I must be searching in the right place" Kimblee stated.
We both frowned at him.
"What are you talking about?" Ed asked with a sigh.
"We're only here because you promised us the stone" I added.
Kimblee laughed.
"I know you're only here to buy time until the snipers move into position" Kimblee stated.
I glanced at Ed.
"See Ed, told you" I sighed at him, "he might be maniac but he's not stupid."
Ed held his hand up at me still looking at Kimblee.
"How did you know?" he asked Kimblee ignoring me.
"You could cut the tension in the air with a knife"
I smiled at Ed.
"Please shut up" he grumbled at me, "you're quick" Ed said to Kimblee.
"Well, I survived the war in Ishbal after all"
I laughed at Kimblee.
"Yeah thats because you kind of had an advantage…"
My voice trailed off when Kimblee spread His arms out.
We both watched Kimblee carefully, frowning.
Kimblee slammed his hands to the ground creating a huge snow cloud.
"Bastard!" I snapped, you couldn't see anything but white.
Me and Ed were back to back.
"This is bad" I muttered.
"How are we supposed- ah!" Ed shouted jumping backwards as claws came out of no where.
I stumbled forward.
A gorilla and a lion.
Those were the chimeras standing in front off us.
Kimblee's men weren't following us to keep track of us, they were waiting until Kimblee gave them the order to attack us.
"Kimblee!" Ed shouted.
"Oh shit" I said looking up at the chimeras. Now these were the type of chimera's I didn't want to face, big hands with a lot of strength and finger long claws that could tear you apart.
Ed and I backed away from them trying to get out of the snow cloud.
"You're not going anywhere runts!" The gorilla snapped swiping his fits at us.
We jumped backwards.
We both separated trying to find the end to this damn cloud but it was bigger than we had assumed and now we were separated.
I closed my eyes taking in a deep breath.
My eyes were useless to me but the ground wasn't.
I knelt down in the snow and felt and listened for heavy foot steps.
The chimera's were heavy creatures and that was their disadvantage.
"Gah!" I heard Ed gasp.
I spun around facing the heavy footsteps and Ed gasping for air.
"You can't hide" someone snapped, "you can't see us but we can smell you."
I walked towards the voice and came across the lion holding Ed by the neck.
"But we have ears, we can hear you" I added making him jump, he hadn't realised I had found him.
I pulled out my gun and fired but he was quick, dropping Ed and stumbling away further into the cloud from our view.
Ed sat up gasping for air and rubbing his neck.
I held my hand out for him.
He grabbed it and I pulled him to his feet.
"Thanks" he muttered still rubbing his neck, "any ideas?" he asked.
"Listen" I said softly, "their foot steps are-HEAVY!" I screeched pulling Ed away from huge hands trying to grab us, I had heard the foot steps before I saw the hands.
They disappeared when they missed us.
Ed nodded with wide eyes.
"G-got it, listen" he stammered. We made sure we had each others back while listening, it would be easier if we weren't in recently fallen snow because then we would also be able to feel the vibrations of their feet.
"Fullmetal! Alexis!" Miles called out for us.
"Major Miles! These guys are chimeras and can track us by scent!" Ed shouted back.
I took another step forward when Ed stepped back against me.
My foot nearly slipped off the edge.
"Woah" I exclaimed looking down the mine shaft I had nearly fallen down.
I heard the heavy foot steps and Ed took another step back.
"No wait!" I snapped but the lion claws lashed out making both of us take another step.
We both stepped off the edge and down the mine.
It wasn't that far of a fall but we went straight through the roof a little shack landing on stacked boxes.
"Aww" I groaned rolling off them and into the snow.
"Ahh my head!" Ed screeched, he had hit his head on the way down.
I chuckled slightly.
"This isn't funny dammit! I'm gonna get even shorter now!" he snapped at me stumbling off the boxes.
We got to our feet and brushed the snow off us.
I looked up to see the chimeras jumping down the shaft to join us. Oh crap!
"Hey Lexie look what I found"
I glanced at Ed to see dynamite sticks in his hands.
I smiled.
"I'd keep my distance if I was you" Ed shouted to the chimeras.
They landed in front of us.
I took a step back.
"You idiot! Those are too wet to be of any use!" They said laughing at us, I felt stupid for not realising but Ed was still smiling.
He clapped his hands and the dynamite exploded into a stink bomb.
I started choking on the smell.
"Edward!" I gasped.
He looked at me with his hand over his mouth and nose.
"What?" He asked, "Didn't you know I was going to do that?" He asked.
"Do I look like a genius to you?!" I snapped at him choking on the smell with the chimera's.
He cringed at me.
"Sorry" he mumbled.
Kimblee walked around the corner holding his hand to his nose in disgust.
"What is that awful stench?" Kimblee asked.
"Ammonia, a strong sense of smell has its downside" Ed explained while I tried to recover, "these guys and their noses are useless now" the stench had knocked out the chimera's.
"This is what you do after getting out of being black-mailed huh?" Kimblee asked.
"Blackmail? What are you talking about?" Ed asked, "I just want you to tell me everything you know" he added keeping his eyes trained on Kimblee.
I was leaning on my knees still coughing and gasping for fresh air. He could have at least warned me!
"Good grief, you are hot headed. I just got out of hospital so I'm not in the mood to fight a bunch of ignorant youngsters" Kimblee laughed. "This is what I'll use on you two!"
Kimblee pulled out the stone.
Neither of us were a match for that thing.
"Won't fight without your precious enhancement?" I asked standing up straight, I breathed in fresh air and exhaled the ammonia in my lungs, "thats an unfair match" I added.
"Theres two of you and one of me" Kimblee stated, "I think this makes it a very fair fight-"
Ed darted forward attacking him. I would have joined but that ammonia bomb was still affecting me and making my head spin.
I blinked a few times and everything stopped spinning just in time for me to see the stone fly from Kimblee's hand.
I jumped for it but it bounced out of my palms, across the ground and then further down into the mine shaft.
I just stopped in time before I went down it.
I peered over the edge.
It was dark, dark and endless.
"Got you now!" Ed snapped clapping his hands creating a blade from his auto-mail and slicing Kimblee's hands.
I shot to my feet and scrambled away from the edge nearly bumping into Ed who had destroyed Kimblee's transmutation circles on his palms.
I turned around see Kimblee smirking down at us.
"Not quite" he chuckled at us.
Kimblee stuck his tongue out and another stone sat on.
I grabbed Ed's arm pulling him back but it was too late, there was a blinding light and the ground below us collapsed.
My left hand gripped onto whatever flooring there was left while I held Ed's arm with my right hand.
We were hanging off the edge. I couldn't see the bottom so we had no clue what was down there or how far down it was.
I gripped onto the edge and tried to pull both me and Ed up but the muscles in my arms started burning, I wasn't strong enough.
I stared down at Ed.
"Drop me" he said staring up at me.
I still clutched the edge.
"Im not letting go of you!" I snapped down at him. He knew I couldn't pull both of us up and I wasn't about to drop him. Not down there. Not where that fall could kill him.
Sure we had jumped out of buildings, battled on top of moving trains and faced homunculi but every one of those I could predict the outcome but if I dropped him, that outcome I couldn't predict.
Ed let go of my arm but I still clutched his.
"Don't be stupid!" I snapped at him, "I'm not letting go…"
His eyes widened but he wasn't looking at me.
I looked back up and Kimblee stood at the edge staring down at us.
"Goodbye" he chuckled placing his foot on my fingers.
I gulped.
"You don't want to do this Kimblee" my voice broke, "trust me, you get Ed killed and it won't end well for you-ah!"
He pressed his weight on my hand and I could feel the bones in my fingers break.
"Too bad I don't care" Kimblee chuckled. No matter how much pain surged down my arm I wasn't going to let go but my broken fingers couldn't grip anymore.
My fingers slipped from the edge and we fell, there was nothing around me to grab but tense my body and wait for the impact of the ground.
I must have blacked out because the next thing I knew I was still, lying on the ground staring up at the hole we had fallen from.
I groaned putting my hand to my head, it was wet and warm.
I pulled my hand away and there was blood on my fingers.
I must have hit my head on the way down and my back was aching but I don't think anything was broken, only badly bruised besides from my hand.
"You okay Lex?" Ed grumbled from beside me.
I blinked away the spots from my vision feeling the wound on my head.
"Yeah" I muttered, "I think I hit my head though..."
I frowned at the sharp pain in my head.
"But you're alive and breathing, right?"
"Im talking to you, aren't I?"
He laughed softly.
I went to sit up but Ed put his arm across my chest keeping me on my back.
"I need you to take in a deep breath"
I frowned turning my head to look at him, he was staring upwards.
"What the hell?" I pulled his arm off me, "did you hit your head worse than mine?" I asked sitting up.
My face dropped.
Every muscle in my body started to shake and my hands went straight my mouth to hide my gasp. He had a metal pipe sticking right through his waist.
He glanced at me.
"That bad hey?" he asked shakily.
I stared at it.
"Oh my god" I whispered, I had no idea what to do.
I was frozen in shock.
Ed was going to die, right here, right front of me like everyone else had.
"This can't happen" I added reaching down to my leg. He wasn't allowed to die.
