Chapter 44 –

The eldest Armstrong sibling snarled in annoyance as her heirloom sword sliced deftly through another white mannequin's throat while Alex's fists shattered another's skull so completely, shards of bone with what they assumed was the creature's brain flew out like shrapnel from a bomb. Gary was doing his best to keep the white creatures from entering the room at all, working in tandem with the orangutan and tiger that belonged to two of the Central soldiers who were trapped in the room with the siblings. Olivier withdrew her sword from her foe's neck and without a moment's hesitation, decapitated another as it approached. Her snarl only grew fiercer when the creature's head grew back unnaturally. They had dealt what felt like thousands of killing blows and none of them had managed to find a weak spot of the creatures that kept them done permanently.

"It must frustrate the two famous Armstrong siblings so much that their battle prowess is useless here," a silky voice belonging to the second reason for Olivier's snarl jeered from the back of the room.

The homunculous, Lust, hadn't moved the whole time they'd been fighting from her casual stance, leaning the upper half of her body against the wall. The only exceptions had been when one of the Armstrong siblings managed to get too close for the homunculous' comfort or if the Central soldiers seemed like they would turn against Bradley. At those times, Lust extended one or two of her fingers effortlessly into spears to strike through her target with the same ease General Armstrong's sword had shown. The white creatures in the room either didn't know she was there or they didn't care because none of them paid her any notice as they continued the attack.

"I'd imagine it would frustrate you more, homunculous, when you learn that all of your efforts here and throughout the centuries have been in vain," Alex informed her as he slammed his fist to the ground and transmuted a stone hand that grabbed three mannequins and introduced their faces harshly with the ceiling. Alex did not bring them back down, choosing to keep them there until a way to deal with them permanently was found

Lust sneered at Alex as she pierced through a mannequin to get to a Central soldier who was fighting off two mannequins of her own. The woman's cassowary had managed to get her out of the way quick enough that all the spear did was slice a new tear into the soldier's jacket. The soldier gave her Animal a nod before she and the cassowary got back to work. Olivier continued to fight even as her severely injured arm dangled limply next to her body. The homunculous had gotten a very lucky shot in and had pierced the eldest Armstrong through her shoulder joint, rendering her arm next to inoperable. Anahlia had been forced to wrap around her neck lightly so Armstrong wouldn't accidentally block with her injured hand and potentially injure the snake if an attack came for her.

"Eric has a message from Captain Buccaneer," Anahlia said urgently and Armstrong nodded for her to continue as she and Alex found themselves back-to-back and surrounded by the mannequins. "He wants us to know that your orders regarding the gates were followed and Central Command is now fully under our control. No one can come in or out without our say so or alchemy," Anahlia reported. "He's sending back-up to our location. A very powerful alchemist who knows Major Elric and his brother. She claims to know an array that will destroy a homunculous permanently," Anahlia informed her and Armstrong felt torn between relief that these mannequins wouldn't make it into Central and cause later problems for her to deal with and that they would have back-up who would hopefully know what they're doing and annoyance with her captain that he even sent them the alchemist.

"Very well," Armstrong said after a few moments. "Inform Gary so he can pass the message along to my oaf of a brother," Armstrong ordered as she continued slashing and slicing her way through the enemy. The only sign Alex gave that he'd received the message was when his shoulders tensed momentarily before he pummeled his way through two more mannequins.

Olivier felt her irritation skyrocket when a thin black object sliced its way through her cheek before it retracted back to where it originated from. It was only thanks to Anahlia's timely warning that Armstrong managed to sidestep Lust's finger-turned-spear quickly enough so it grazed her cheek rather than pierce her eye as the homunculous no doubt intended. Lust's lips curled in displeasure while Armstrong sneered at her before she relieved a mannequin of one of its arms, making the foul green blood that pulsed through its body splatter to the floor along with the dismembered arm.

"Sister, are you alright?!" Alex asked as he and Gary worked together at the door to try and put the mannequins down and form a barrier of sorts with their corpses.

"Of course I am!" Olivier snapped as her blade impaled a mannequin that had rushed her, pushing the one-armed mannequin over, making the creature groan dumbly. Knowing she needed to free her blade as more mannequins made their way into the room, Olivier used her sword to move the impaled creature into the spot she needed it before she kicked it across the room, bowling another half dozen mannequins over and freeing her sword in time to block yet another white creature.

The three Central soldiers who had so far survived Lust and the mannequins were still going strong and Olivier couldn't help but think that they'd make good Briggs soldiers when all was said and done. Two of them had run out of bullets and were reduced to using any bladed weapon they had or their guns as clubs. The third soldier still had his gun but was alternating between it and his dagger. Armstrong was pleased to see this soldier had been smart enough to use his bullets only when strictly necessary rather than waste them on a mannequin he could injure just as much with his blade. She made a mental note to offer him a transfer to Briggs if they both survived the day.

For a few more minutes, the five of them and their Animals held the room well enough. Lust was still striking at opportune moments but a combination of vigilant humans and Animal instincts had made sure any hits she got in the fight were minor rather than fatal. There was a moment of confusion that almost cost one of the Central soldiers their life when a massive rhino tore past the doorway, bellowing loudly as it trampled over and through the mannequins amassing in the corridor. Six more Central soldiers joined them in the fight, giving them a bit more breathing room, but only after Olivier made sure they weren't there to try and kill or capture her. Anahlia had given her a single nod when the six had sworn that there was no way they'd be serving under a monster – literally and figuratively – like Bradley and that had been enough for Armstrong to warn them of the homunculous standing at the back of the room before Lust could try and win them back over to her side or kill them where they stood.

One of the soldiers had a mountain goat as his Animal and Olivier found herself both amused and impressed as she observed the goat headbutting mannequins into the path of Lust's finger-spears to prevent her from hurting its human or – Armstrong was a little surprised to see – any of the other humans in the room. Alex and Gary had apparently decided to leave the doorway to the tiger, orangutan and cassowary to defend – something they were doing admirably – while they slowly carved a path with their fists towards Lust. Olivier felt a momentary flutter of fear pierce her heart as she thought of her younger brother going up against an almost entirely immortal being before she squashed it like a bug. She knew her brother would be fine. He was an Armstrong after all and not a single Armstrong would allow themselves to be defeated in such a humiliating manner.

"The alchemist and some others are here," Anahlia warned her as Olivier pulled her sword from the throat of the mannequin she'd stuck it through.

Though she was listening for some sort of noise to indicate where the alchemist would appear, Olivier would admit that she had momentarily thought the alchemist was Edward when she heard the muffled but still familiar ringing clap from the other side of the wall. Blue energy crackled on their side of the wall as the alchemist transmuted an entryway for themselves and Armstrong was a little taken aback by the woman who strode purposefully into the room, backed by a man whose size rivalled Alex's and half a dozen Briggs soldiers. The woman had long black hair fashioned into dreadlocks and tied back in a ponytail, a white sleeveless shirt that fell almost to her knees but was only buttoned to the top of her belly button, showing off her midriff, black pants that stopped three-quarters of the way down her legs and a pair of slippers with the letters 'W.C' inscribed on them. The woman had a fierce expression on her face as she took in the scene in front of her, starting with Lust before resting her eyes on Olivier.

"You must be General Armstrong," the woman greeted cheerily as she strode over to stand in front of Olivier. It was only once the humans had followed the woman through that Armstrong saw any of the Animals, including a large black bear and golden retriever. The massive man came and stood behind the alchemist, as did the bear and dog, while the Briggs soldiers got to work holding the mannequins and Lust back. "I'm Izumi Curtis. This is my husband, Sig, and our Animals, Koda and Suna," Izumi said, gesturing as she mentioned a name.

"This is Anahlia," Armstrong said, stunned momentarily by how casual this conversation was, considering what was happening around them.

"The man with the mohawk and automail arm sent us here to give you a hand," Izumi went on saying, as though she had no idea just how jarring her demeanour was. She'd seemingly missed the moment when her husband had left her side to join Alex in rendering another mannequin useless. Once the white creature had been put down permanently, the two men seemed to go on comparing muscle sizes as they showed off to one another, utilizing more of the mannequins to do so.

"Captain Buccaneer," Armstrong said and Izumi nodded. "Yes, his Animal informed mine so I would be made aware of your arrival," she told her. "As you can see, we're dealing with the same things everyone else in this base are. We, however, also have a homunculous to contend with." Olivier nodded towards the irate looking Lust and Izumi eyed her up.

"Has she moved from that spot?" Izumi asked, eyeing the seemingly spotless dress and gloves the homunculous was wearing. There wasn't a speck of green or red blood anywhere near her, with the exception of some small blood pools next to her.

"Her gloves are tipped in blood. Ed mentioned that a female homunculous could extend her fingers. I assume this is she," Koda told Izumi, who nodded.

"I agree," she told her Animal before glancing back at Olivier.

"No, she hasn't," the blonde general confirmed. "She's been attacking from a distance like a sniveling coward," she spat.

"I'm not surprised," Izumi said. "From what Ed's told me of his and Chester's run-in with her in the laboratory and their encounter with her in their creator's lair, this homunculous is a long-distance fighter. I doubt she has ever been forced to fight up close and personal. Most likely, she has never had to make more than one move to end her opponent – the aforementioned encounters with my idiot students excluded." Izumi suddenly grinned sinisterly as she faced Olivier properly. "What do you say to finding out just how capable that homunculous is at hand-to-hand combat?"

Olivier felt a matching smile stretch on her lips. "I would be very agreeable indeed."

"Honey?" Izumi called, catching Sig's attention as Koda and Suna stood behind the two women. "We need a path!" Izumi jerked her chin towards Lust, who was trying to spear one of the Briggs soldiers, only to find a mannequin shoved in her path, courtesy of the mountain goat.

"You got it, dear!" Sig rumbled back. Sharing a look and a nod with Alex and Gary, both men and the gorilla started moving through the mannequins with rejuvenated energy and purpose.

"Did you say Major Elric was your student?" Olivier asked as Izumi, Koda, Suna and herself followed the three in front of them. Any mannequin who survived the first wave fell to their sword, claws or alchemy as they passed them.

"Both he and Alphonse were under my tutelage for two years," Izumi told her. "Of course, once I found out exactly what my idiot students did, I expelled them," Izumi said with a scowl.

"Yes, I don't imagine many alchemy teachers would be impressed to learn their students had committed the ultimate taboo," Olivier said, causing Izumi to raise an eyebrow.

"So you are the female general who scares my boys so much that they respect you," Izumi said. "I'd expected as much when Captain Buccaneer mentioned he was from Briggs and that we would be helping his commander but you can never be too careful," she told her and Olivier found herself nodding in agreement, slashing through a mannequin's throat as she did so. Olivier would be lying if she said that finding out the Elric brothers feared her so much didn't cause her a certain amount of pleasure but she didn't show any signs of it. Only Anahlia would know of it.

"I've seen Major Elric destroy a homunculous. Are you saying you taught him to do that?" Izumi shook her head at Olivier's question.

"No, those boys managed to reverse engineer the array used to create stones so they could destroy them all by themselves," Izumi said, no small amount of pride in her voice as she stooped to create stone spikes that impaled half a dozen or so mannequins where they stood. Before Armstrong could say anything in response, they came to a stop as Sig, Alex and Gary finished clearing their path. Lust stood, watching them carefully with all her fingers extended so they just touched the ground as she waited for them to make the first move. "Let's see what this homunculous can do," Izumi said, punching an open palm with a closed fist. "Sig, be a dear and help out the soldiers with those white things Ed warned us about," Izumi said, giving Sig a loving smile, something that was at stark odds with her fighting stance.

"You too, Alex and Gary," Olivier ordered shortly, sword poised to strike.

"Yes, dear," Sig said, kissing Izumi's temple softly before turning on his heel and laying into the closest mannequin. Suna – already splattered in green blood – followed his human, acting a far cry different from the dopey, lovable dog he normally was.

"As you wish, sister," Alex rumbled, eyes filled with pride and concern as he took in her numerous cuts and limp arm. It was obvious he wanted to say something but he didn't, much to Olivier's relief. She didn't need to try and deal with a worried Alex right this moment. Both he and Gary joined Sig and Suna once more as the four fought to keep the mannequins away from the two women, their Animals and the homunculous.

"So, the fourth sacrifice has saved us the trouble of finding her," Lust crooned as she faced the two women. "All that hard work hiding from us and you end up here anyway. That's so considerate of you." Lust's eyes flicked to Armstrong and her face twisted in a sneer. "You may have had us fooled as to which side you're on but no matter," the sneer smoothed into a malicious smile, "we'll make sure you pay for your two-faced ways," Lust told her.

"We'll make sure you don't," Izumi promised her, clapping her hands together and using the flooring to send spikes much like she'd done to the mannequin before towards the homunculous.

Lust snarled as she was forced to dodge, trying to move as well as she could in the floor-length, form-fitting dress she wore. She immediately retaliated, extending her fingers towards the two women, making sure she'd only hurt Izumi, rather than fatally wounding her like she intended to do to Armstrong. Both humans dodged her attack with far more ease than Lust appreciated and the bear stepped forward, swiping one massive paw at her ultimate spears. However, Lust had learned after her fight against the Elric brothers and their back up in Father's lair and she retracted her fingers the moment the attack failed, saving herself from a painful injury as the bear's paw missed her by moments.

Izumi materialized small throwing knives from the wall next to her and launched them all in quick succession, making Lust defend herself and focus entirely on the alchemist, giving Olivier the opportunity needed to imbed her sword in the homunculous' side. Lust screeched in pain and fury as she forced herself off the sword and swiped in retaliation, catching Armstrong's cheek and leaving three new scratches beneath the one she'd already accumulated. As red energy crackled over her form, Lust snarled, abandoning all decorum as she threw herself into the fight with vindictive intent.

Izumi created a spear of her own out of the internal steel frame in the wall to her left just in time to block an attack from the enraged homunculous. Koda suffered two punctures to her right arm as she came to Izumi's defense but she merely let out a pained grunt before she wrenched her arm up and free of Lust's spears. Armstrong was parrying Lust's attacks against her expertly and Izumi nodded in approval at how the blonde general made it seem like she didn't have a severely injured arm hindering her.

Using her own spear, Izumi caused one of Lust's to glance off the weapon and pierce the ground. Before Lust could retract it, Izumi smashed the spear into it, snapping a good foot in length off and causing the homunculous to shriek in pain. With Lust's full attention back on Izumi, Armstrong sliced through the immortal's neck, wrenching the blade through the esophagus, carotid artery and jugular vein and creating a massive wound no human would hope to survive. Olivier stepped to the side as Lust blindly lashed out at her as the red energy started crackling around her throat and neck.

Before the homunculous could finish fully healing, a ringing clap filled the air, somehow audible over the sounds of gunfire, groans and other fighting noises. Lust snarled at Olivier, blood drenching the entire front of her dress as she extended her fingers once again. This time, however, Olivier didn't bother dodging and the homunculous froze in place, eyes widened in shock and fear as the tips of her spears halted mere inches from Olivier's heart.

"And this," Izumi said from beside the homunculous, one hand on the being's shoulder in an almost friendly manner, "is what we're going to do to any of your remaining siblings before we defeat your creator," Izumi told her fiercely as she unleashed the array.

"How?" Lust murmured, watching as her form slowly turned to dust before her very eyes.

"You decided to target the Elric brothers and use them to gain immortality at the cost of millions of people and Animals," Izumi informed her coldly as she took a step away. "You should've learned by now what happens to those who try and force Ed or Al to do something they don't want to do." There was no kindness or pity in Izumi's voice or expression as Lust whimpered pathetically before she vanished for good.

"I guess that answers the question about how well she could fight close-range," Olivier said after a moment of silence and Izumi smirked.

"Absolutely disgraceful," Izumi spat at the spot Lust had just stood before she turned to Olivier and eyes her injuries once more. "We should get you patched up before we head to the Fuhrer's office," Izumi said, looking around the room for medical supplies.

"Why would we be heading for Bradley's office?" Armstrong asked and Izumi raised another brow.

"Where else would he hide an entrance to Father's lair in Central Command? Especially one his guards wouldn't accidentally spot?" Izumi pointed out and Olivier gave a short nod. It made sense for him to need a direct connection to the original homunculous' lair and it made more sense that it would be in his personal office. No one was permitted entrance unless Bradley gave it to them and no guards were ever stationed inside the room.

"Very well," Olivier said before turning smartly on her heel to address the room. The thirteen soldiers, Sig, her brother and all their Animals continued fighting but she knew their attention was on her. "The homunculous, Lust, has been permanently defeated!" A roar of victory went up through the room. "We need to make our way to the Fuhrer's office and I expect us to be there in no more than fifteen minutes!" The Briggs soldiers and her brother all nodded before doubling down on the mannequins, forcing their way through the room and towards the entrance Izumi had created. The mannequins hadn't seemed to notice it yet so it was their most accessible exit point. Izumi and Koda wasted no time in joining Sig and Suna in their battle against the mannequins.

"Fuhrer Bradley is at the northern gate fighting against Captain Buccaneer and 2nd Lieutenant Falman's squad," Anahlia said suddenly. "The homunculous, Greed, is fighting against him, as is a Xingese warrior. Captain Buccaneer has been injured but Eric has assured me the injury isn't slowing him down," Anahlia reported and Armstrong smirked slightly.

"Of course it isn't," Armstrong said doubtlessly. Captain Buccaneer wasn't someone who would let a pitiful injury get in his way. The news of Fuhrer Bradley's return did cause Olivier to feel some sense of urgency. They would need to get into his office and down whatever he'd constructed to get himself down to his creator before Bradley discovered them. "Keep me informed about their fight," Olivier instructed her Animal and Anahlia gave a small nod of confirmation.

"General, if you would permit me to look at your wounds?" One of the four remaining Central soldiers who had joined shortly before Izumi and her husband had appeared asked as she stepped forward.

"You should take the aid now. You don't know when you'll be offered it next and you'll damage your arm even further if you don't put it in a sling soon," Anahlia said before Armstrong could turn the woman down.

"Make it quick," Armstrong snapped and the soldier rushed forward, already pulling bandages out of her pack. Anahlia tightened her coils where she was wrapped around Olivier's neck slightly. "We've still got work to do."


"Central Command is under Briggs control!" Falman heard his commanding officer shout and the 2nd Lieutenant joined in on the victorious cheer that followed. Rachel made her own gurgling noise of happiness and Falman could hear the various other Animals following her example.

There was a collective feeling of relief that followed the announcement that lasted only a moment before everyone was back on their guard. Getting Central Command under their control was only part of the battle and the Briggs and Eastern troops knew that the Central soldiers who hadn't surrendered or switched sides would still be fighting to get their command base back. Falman and the unit he was with were guarding the north entrance point. The order to secure the gates and keep them shut had come from General Armstrong soon after Ed had sent word through the Animals that the white mannequins had been animated and were on the loose.

The Briggs soldiers had managed to follow the order in record time and once the gates had been sealed, they made sure no one could break their hold on them. Falman grinned to himself as he looked over the wall he was stationed near and saw the Fort Briggs tanks on the ground, acting like guard dogs. The appearance of the tanks had been enough for the teams at the gates to get them shut while the Central soldiers focused on the bigger threat and they were still effectively holding the Central soldiers away from the gates, ensuring the Briggs soldiers would continue to stay in command of the base. Captain Buccaneer had joined them earlier, passing the message onto Falman that he'd sent one Izumi Curtis to give General Armstrong a helping hand and Falman almost wished he could see how the two formidable women's first meeting would go.

Movement from the street caught Falman's attention just as he was about to straighten from where he was leaning and he settled back into his position to try and get a closer look. A lone figure seemed to be walking unhindered down the street, approaching the Central troops from behind. A shout barely reached Falman where he stood at the top of the gate but he couldn't make out the words. Sunlight reflected off two metal objects in the person's hands and Falman felt his heart leap into his throat as he realised just who was approaching them. The combined voices shouting the person's name, making sure it reached those who watched from atop the gate, merely confirmed the person's identity.

"Captain Buccaneer!" Falman shouted, attracting the attention of the aforementioned man. "Fuhrer Bradley is approaching the gate!" The news sent shivers through the men that stood guard on the roof Falman stood and the 2nd Lieutenant knew it wouldn't take long for the men situated on the staircases and pooled behind the actual gate itself to hear what he'd said. Buccaneer himself approached the grey-haired man and mimicked his stance.

"So he survived, hm?" Buccaneer murmured as he watched the homunculous approach the gate to the relief of the Central soldiers and apprehension of the Briggs, Eastern and turned Central soldiers.

Though Bradley hadn't had to fight himself since he'd accepted the position of Fuhrer – as far as Buccaneer knew anyway – because he always had his guards around him, there was a reason Bradley was considered someone no one wanted to find themselves against. As Falman and Buccaneer watched from over the edge of the thick stone perimeter wall, Bradley seemed to be saying something to the soldiers on the ground but neither man could make it out. Even Animals like Eric, who had far superior ears, couldn't figure out what the homunculous was saying.

"So it would seem," Falman answered after a moment. No sooner had he spoken, a roar rose from the Central soldiers and they watched as they started firing upon those guarding the gate once more and with renewed vigor.

Buccaneer turned to face the men whose only sign of fear was the tightened grips they had on their weapons. Their Animals – the ones big enough to not be hiding on their person – were standing firm, looks of resolve on their faces as they prepared themselves to fight to protect their humans against the newest danger. "Our General has given us the order to guard these gates and keep them shut. We will not let her down just because Bradley managed to crawl back from the river he should've died in!" Buccaneer yelled, glaring at all the men he could see. "We will hold these gates and we will uphold the Briggs way to do so! Am I understood?!"

"Yes, Sir!" came the shouted reply from every soldier who'd heard Buccaneer, including those in the staircase. Those shouts in the stone staircase were amplified to such an extent that the noises created by the renewed battle below were drowned out momentarily.

Buccaneer gestured for the near two dozen men standing on the roof with himself and Falman to move into position as they watched the top of the staircase, guns drawn. Falman stayed near the mechanism for the gate with three other soldiers, having been given the order to guard it with their lives. Everyone had been given the order to take down the inhuman Fuhrer or die trying and everyone had nodded in understanding. Their expressions hardened as the Animals who would be best fighting with them took up positions in between the soldiers but out of the way of their guns so they wouldn't get accidentally shot.

It took a few minutes for them to hear the change in the fight that told them it was coming their way. The sound of a heavy vehicle could be heard reverberating up the tunnel formed by the staircase was soon followed by three heavy booms spaced with only moments between them. Falman shifted in nervousness as the sound of the vehicle being revved seemed to be growing rapidly closer while the far too familiar noise of bullets being rapidly fired were barely heard.

"Ready yourselves!" The shouted warning came from inside the staircase, followed by an explosion that rattled the entire wall, raining small chunks of stone and cement down the side of it. The shockwave and heatwave caused by what Falman assumed was the tank being taken out of commission permanently hit them, forcing those closest to the entrance to take an involuntarily step back. Buccaneer and Eric both took a step forward, Buccaneer's automail arm gnashing its 'teeth' together while he raised the gun he held in his left.

A dark figure emerged from the smoky staircase, a warm orange glow casting a soft light behind him. Fuhrer Bradley still held both his swords as his lone eye coldly looked over them all. He wore only the dress shirt, pants and boots of his uniform and each piece was covered in grime, smoke and spots of blood. His shirt had a couple of small tears that were darkened with blood, as did his pants. Bradley had suffered a few small cuts to his face, the blood running freely from at least three of the wounds but he didn't look overly fazed by his injuries.

"I do not appreciate you foolish humans taking my base by force," Bradley said, fixing his eyes on Buccaneer. "I'll be taking it back."

With no further words, Bradley launched himself at the nearest soldier, slicing him down before the man could do much more than squeeze off a couple of rounds. The man barely managed to let out a shout of fear before it was cut off by one of Bradley's blades slicing through his throat with an almost unnatural ease. The man's Animal – a small yellow canary that had been fluttering above its human – let out a shrill screech of its own as it fell from the sky to land next to its dying human. It didn't take long for both forms to no longer move but Bradley had already moved on to his next target.

Falman watched as Buccaneer and the other soldiers did their best to try and get a hit in that would take Bradley down or at least give someone else the opportunity to finish the job. There was something about Bradley's physical appearance that was nagging at Falman's mind but he couldn't quite grasp what it was. Bradley killed another five soldiers and their Animals with little thought as he continued to dodge each attack aimed at him. When an attack did land, it only caused minor injuries and Falman suspected the homunculous had allowed the blows to land because they weren't worth dodging. Falman hadn't realised how much attention he was focusing on trying to puzzle out what his mind was trying to tell him until a shout for Buccaneer brought him out of his thoughts.

Bradley had managed to wedge his sword's blade into the sensitive machinery of Buccaneer's automail and twisted it. To everyone's surprise, the blade didn't so much as gain a scratch when Bradley pulled it out but half of Buccaneer's automail arm seemed to shatter into pieces, rendering it useless. Before Buccaneer or Eric could do anything, Bradley thrust his sword through Buccaneer's gut. Eric howled in agony but Buccaneer didn't make a sound, even when Bradley drew his sword back out of his side.

"Open the gates," Bradley ordered, turning to face Falman and the three soldiers with him. Falman felt himself tremble under the steel gaze of the Fuhrer but he didn't move towards the gate's controls. "I ordered you to open that gate, lieutenant," Bradley bit out, turning so he was full facing Falman.

There was absolutely no sign of the mellow Fuhrer everyone knew but still, Falman didn't move. Instead, Falman raised his weapon a little higher, centering it on Bradley. Out of the corner of his eyes, Falman noticed the other soldiers following his example. Rachel hung behind Falman, unable to do anything to help protect her human but the panther, chocolate Labrador and wedged-tailed eagle belonging to the other humans standing with Falman all stood or hovered protectively next to their humans. Bradley took in the sight of the seven of them openly defying him and sneered.

"Pathetic," Bradley spat, raising his swords once more. Before he could move, Buccaneer fired a shot that missed but got Bradley's attention back on him.

"I'm not finished with you yet, homunculous," Buccaneer said, spitting the name like it was a curse and the title jolted something in Falman's memory.

"Didn't Ed tell us that homunculi can use their stones to heal themselves?" he asked Rachel, who gave a mental nod. "Bradley is still bleeding. I haven't seen any evidence of him using his healing ability and some of those cuts on his face have to be annoying him enough to warrant them being healed. So why hasn't he?"

"Maybe he can't," Rachel suggested as they watched Buccaneer stumble slightly to avoid Bradley's sword.

"If he can't heal his injuries than that would mean that he can't heal at all," Falman said, a bubble of excitement rising in his chest, "and if he can't heal at all, he can't come back to life after a fatal blow."

"We have to tell Buccaneer and the others," Rachel said immediately and Falman nodded.

"Do it. Tell their Animals. Make sure you tell Ed as well, just in case," Falman instructed and Rachel gave a confirming hum before she fell silent. The slight smirk on Buccaneer's face was enough of a tell for Falman to know that Eric had passed Rachel's message along to his human.

"Now, I heard your train was blown up, brother," a voice belonging to no one Falman knew said from above them. Before Falman could blink, a young man dressed in all-black clothing with long black hair tied into a low ponytail appeared seemingly out of nowhere in time to deflect a blow Buccaneer would've been too slow to dodge. "It's a damned shame to see the rumours were so very wrong."

"That's Greed!" Rachel said, recognising the homunculous from the memories Ed had shared with her and the other Animals so they would know not to attack him unless he turned against their side.

"I'm surprised you bothered to show your traitorous face here, Greed," Bradley said, focusing his attacks on Greed. "I would've thought you would be cowering away in some foreign country," Bradley said.

"And let daddy dearest destroy the world I want to rule? No way," Greed snarled, swiping at Bradley with his clawed fingers.

Falman watched in fascination as Greed fought Wrath with no regard to any of the soldiers standing on the sideline as they waited for their chance. Greed's skin rippled slightly and Falman gaped as he watched a dark grey layer cover him almost entirely. Only his face remained uncovered, his lips curled into a permanent snarl as he continued attacking. Bradley's swords connected every time he swung them but Greed either did nothing to stop them from hitting him or he raised an arm to catch a blow aimed for his head. Whatever the grey layer on his skin was, it stopped the blades from piercing his skin.

Buccaneer and Eric were standing off to the side as Buccaneer finished tying a strip of his jacket around his middle, holding another strip he'd bunched up and placed over the stab wound as a make-shift piece of gauze in place. Once the captain was done, grunting lightly as he tied the knot to secure the bandage, he joined Greed in the fight, ignoring the homunculous' snarls to get out of his way. Buccaneer didn't so much as flinch as he fired shot after calculated shot at Bradley, eye twitching in annoyance when each shot missed.

Buccaneer's actions spurred the other Briggs soldiers into action and soon there were bullets being fired in a calm, calculating manner as they circled the trio loosely. Falman and the three soldiers with him didn't move to help, staying with their mission to make sure Bradley couldn't access the gate but Falman found himself having to exude enormous amounts of self-control to keep himself in place. Bradley and Greed dodged the bullets – Greed dodging any strays or bullets Bradley had dodged that would've then hit him – for a few minutes before Bradley's patience seemed to snap and he abandoned the fight with Greed.

The soldier he first targeted was one of the few women who had joined them in guarding this gate. Though her Animal, a large seagull, did its best to get in between her and Bradley, it did nothing to change the path of Bradley's sword. Both woman and seagull dropped like a sack of sand. Both were dead before they hit the ground and Bradley moved on to the next soldier. He managed to get through another three soldiers and their Animals while dodging more bullets and Greed's attacks before the sudden appearance and attack of someone they hadn't seen had Bradley moving backwards to avoid the kunai the man was armed with. Falman barely noticed Buccaneer nodding to Eric as he watched the newcomer with a slight sense of apprehension. Though he was sure he knew who this person was, thanks to Ed's foresight to send memory snippets of each ally to the Animals who might not have met them before to prevent friendly fire incidents, Falman still wanted confirmation and he soon got it.

"Old man Fu?" Greed asked as he took in the shorter Xingese's appearance.

"Young lord," Fu said in response but Greed shook his head.

"Wrong person," he said and Falman was shocked at the sudden changes in the younger Xingese that had happened in the space of a few seconds.

A cry for Buccaneer had Falman's attention switch from the newest ally to appear and over to where Buccaneer had been standing. His eyes widened in horror as he took in the glistening sword that once again impaled Buccaneer, its pointed blade glistening wetly as hot blood ran down it from where it protruded out of Buccaneer's back. Unlike before, this was a wound that would only be survivable if Buccaneer was immediately taken into a surgery room and operated on. Bradley didn't show any hint of victory or pleasure in causing the wound. There was just an impassiveness about him as he watched the blood dribble from Buccaneer's mouth that sent shivers down Falman's spine.

The sword started to withdraw from Buccaneer but Bradley was forced to abandon it before he could pull it free completely when Greed and Fu attacked. Buccaneer dropped to the ground and two soldiers immediately rushed to his side, pulling out the medkits they all carried in their packs but Falman knew there was nothing they could do to save their captain. Both Greed and Fu continued their attacks, never letting up for a moment even as the elder of the two accumulated more and more minor injuries to his person. Bradley matched them attack for attack, despite being down by a sword.

Greed grinned victoriously when he managed to catch Bradley's second blade as the Fuhrer tried to attack his unguarded face. In a move quicker than Bradley could counter, Greed snapped the blade, rendering the weapon next to useless. Sure enough, when Bradley tried to use what remained of the blade to land an attack on Greed, the damaged blade shattered, leaving Bradley gripping just the hilt. Bradley threw the useless hilt aside as he dodged the attacks, moving backwards before jumping over the bodies of a fallen soldier and their Animal. Quick as lightening, Bradley stooped and yanked a set of daggers the fallen man had been carrying out of their sheaths, raising them in time to stop the kunai Fu wielded and Greed's armoured hand.

Bradley pushed back, straightening from his crouch as he stepped over the dead soldier and Animal like they weren't even there, and launched his own series of attacks against the two. The soldiers surrounding the trio – Falman, the three with him and the two tending to Buccaneer excepted – continued firing carefully aimed shots at Bradley, trying to help Fu and Greed as much as they could. A kick from Bradley sent Fu flying backwards towards Falman's group as he failed to dodge the attack. Falman suddenly realised something and was quick to stop the man from rejoining the attack with an urgent whisper of the warrior's name.

"Fu!" Falman hissed and the mentioned man turned to glance at Falman. "He isn't healing himself! Bradley might be a homunculous but he can't heal himself! He doesn't have the ability to come back to life like the others!" Falman said urgently. Fu's eyes widened slightly as he took in the words and realised what Falman was saying. There was a moment as the older man seemed to be considering what to do with the information and Falman thought he saw a flicker of an unbearable sadness in the Xingese's eyes.

"Thank you," Fu said, bowing slightly to Falman, startling the man out of his thoughts about what the look in his eyes had been about.

"No problems," Falman said, voice tinged with uncertainty as he watched Fu straighten himself slightly, his entire body language telling everyone he'd made a decision no one would be able to change his mind on, reminding Falman vividly of Ed. Falman watched as the old man quickly moved his sash so it sat around his waist but Fu turned before Falman could see what else he was doing. Rachel made a worried noise in his mind as she observed the shorter man.

Fu didn't move away from the group for a moment, seemingly waiting for something to happen first. They found out what it was when Greed had been sent flying in a similar fashion Fu had done earlier and Fu moved. In a series of movements so quick that Falman couldn't catch them all, Fu got close to then leapt at Bradley. Greed – though Falman was wondering if it was actually Ling who was in charge right now – yelled for Fu to stop as Fu opened his coat, revealing what he'd done. There, sitting snugly in the sash and secured around against his abdomen were five live bombs. Falman watched in horror as his mind finally figured out what Fu had looked so sorrowful about. The elderly Xingese intended to sacrifice himself in order to finish Bradley off.

Falman didn't hear what Fu said as he made the leap, too stunned by the man's actions to be listening to anything. He watched as Fu fell closer to Bradley, the fuses of the bombs burning rapidly as though they knew what Fu was trying to accomplish and were trying to burn quickly enough to help him. With one slash from the dagger in his left hand, Bradley cut the fuses below the burning end and effectively foiled Fu's desperate attempt to put an end to his reign. The fuses hadn't been the only thing Bradley had used the dagger on and Falman watched in horror as blood spurted out from Fu's abdomen. As the soldiers all watched as Fu seemed to fall backwards in slow motion, blood pouring rapidly out of his injury and his mouth, a sword pierced its way through Fu's body and into Bradley's chest.

"I noticed you couldn't see an attack coming if something physically blocked it from your sight," Buccaneer grinned, blood still trickling from the corner of his mouth as he faced Bradley. It didn't take Falman more than a moment to realise that Buccaneer had pulled the sword Bradley had been forced to leave lodged in him out and used Fu's body to cover his approach.

"Thank you for making sure my death wasn't foolish," Falman heard Fu gasp out as Ling screamed Fu's name before the homunculous tore into Bradley with an almost animalistic air about him.

Falman abandoned his post as he and one of the three soldiers rushed forward to Buccaneer and Fu's sides. There was a devastated cry from the rooftop and Falman looked up in time to see the youngest Xingese guard standing there, tears pooling in her eyes as she looked down at Fu's barely alive body. Her eyes hardened with rage as she looked over at the two homunculi and she launched herself at them, murderous intent in her glare as she focused on Bradley.

"Falman," Buccaneer gasped and Falman looked over at him, "you make sure these gates stay secure, you hear me?" Falman nodded but his attention was drawn by an angry growl off to the side.

Ling's armoured hand dripped with blood as the homunculous stood there, breathing heavily. Bradley was also breathing heavily but what really drew Falman's attention was the way the homunculous was clutching his left eye. There were numerous signs of pain and Falman was a little surprised to see them. The entire time they'd been fighting against Bradley, he'd never once grimaced or winced when a wound was inflicted. Something white fell out of Ling's hand and Falman nearly threw up as he realised what it was. Ling had torn out Bradley's left eye, the one with the ouroborous tattoo on it and could see any attack coming before it happened, during his fit of rage and grief. The eye was almost unrecognisable as one with how mangled the organ was but no one else seemed to have noticed.

"You killed my grandfather," Lan Fan half-sobbed from where she stood at Ling's side and Bradley lowered his hand, revealing the gaping hole where his eye had been.

"So?" Bradley said carelessly. Lan Fan wasn't able to hold herself back any longer and launched herself at Bradley, armed with a kunai and her automail blade. Ling moved almost as quickly as she had, still using his armoured self as his weapon and together they made a formidable opponent for the soon-to-be disgraced Fuhrer.

Bradley, despite having lost an entire eye and suffering a stab wound to the right side of his chest, still held his own enviably well. The fact that Bradley was still proving himself to be a capable fighter was obviously irritating both Lan Fan and Ling but they persisted in their attack, using their grief and other emotions to power their attacks rather than ruling their actions. In a move Falman wasn't sure anyone else could've duplicated, Ling and Lan Fan sent Bradley over the edge of the wall that sat next to the river. Falman almost gasped when Ling was dragged over by Bradley but Lan Fan was quick to move and grab hold of the prince.

"Get over there and help her!" Falman ordered, gesturing for two random soldiers to move as he watched Lan Fan being pulled slowly by the weight of the two homunculi.

The soldiers did as they were ordered and rushed to her side. One grabbed her around the waist, helping her with the weight, while the other one planted himself against the wall and aimed his weapon at one of the homunculi. Two shots were fired quickly and both Lan Fan and the soldier holding on to her jerked backwards as their load was significantly reduced. They'd only just managed to pull Ling up and over the wall when a distant splash could be heard below them. Ling looked over the wall but pulled away after several seconds, shaking his head and murmuring something. Upon spotting the two men who were barely clinging to life, Ling and Lan Fan were quick to rush to the side of their fallen comrade.

"Grandfather," Lan Fan said, choking on her tears as Fu forced his eyes to open enough to look up at his granddaughter.

"Lan Fan," Fu said with a small sigh and a slight smile curling on his blood-stained lips, "don't shed tears for me. I've given my life in service of our lord and there is no death more honourable than that," he told her and Lan Fan nodded.

"Just like Arya," Lan Fan near-whispered and Fu's smile grew slightly bigger.

"Just like my Arya did," he agreed softly. "I'll get to see her soon. I've kept my Animal waiting for so many years. She'll probably lecture me for taking so long but cry for coming to her so soon as well," Fu said and Lan Fan made another choked noise, tears falling despite her best attempts at stopping them. "I don't want to see you, the young lord or your Animals any time soon. I expect the four of you to keep me waiting far longer than I kept Arya," Fu informed her, gaze turning hard and serious.

"We'll try, Grandfather," Lan Fan promised, no longer holding her tears back. Fu's face flickered with regret, as though he felt guilty about being the cause of her tears.

"Fu," Ling said softly and Fu forced his eyes to his lord, "thank you for your years of service and all the sacrifices you made in the name of the Yao clan. You have brought honour to not only your family but to our clan. Know that you have done everything to succeed in your mission to keep your lord alive and take your rest now," Ling told him gently and Fu nodded.

"It has been my honour to serve and give my life for the future of the Yao clan," Fu said, coughing slightly and causing more blood to gush out of his mouth. "I leave the care of our lord in your hands, Lan Fan. Do our family proud."

"I will, Grandfather," Lan Fan whispered, making the promise easily. Fu nodded once in satisfaction before he closed his eyes and breathed his last breath. Lan Fan couldn't hold her sobs back any longer and she cried into her grandfather's still chest while Ling sat quietly, letting his tears slip down his face unchecked.

"Greed or Ling, whichever one you are," Buccaneer rasped where he lay. Someone had had the heart to move Eric so he lay pressed against his human's side and Falman felt his heart wrench as Buccaneer used his flesh arm to slowly pet his Animal, soothing the creature as they both slowly died. The two soldiers who had tried to tend to him earlier were back by his side but the bandages and gauze they'd pressed into his wound were completely saturated with blood and they had the same expressions on their face as every other soldier standing respectfully around them. They all knew it was a matter of moments before Buccaneer and Eric followed Fu. "I'd like to ask a favour of you," Buccaneer said.

"I owe you a debt that can never be repaid. You ensured my loyal guard didn't die in vain. What would you ask of me?" Ling said, eyes flicking to Fu's still body and the sobbing form of Lan Fan.

"My commander has asked us to secure all gates and keep the white abominations the military created from getting out into Central. That bastard broke through our forces below and paved the way for the Central soldiers to try and retake this gate and we're running low on ammo," Buccaneer growled, both in pain and irritation. Falman jolted lightly as he realised he'd completely missed seeing a few of the soldiers set up large caliber weapons to fire down the staircase to hold the enemy back. "I would consider our debt settled if you would make sure no soldier on Bradley's side makes it through. I would hate to let General Armstrong down in my last moments."

"Consider it done," Ling said with a nod before he straightened. "Keep an eye on Lan Fan for me. She hurt herself pulling me back up," Ling said, addressing Falman directly.

"I will," Falman promised and Ling tilted his head in thanks before he allowed his dark grey armour to overtake his entire body, including his head, before he threw himself down the staircase. The sounds of rapid gunfire, screams and shrieks echoed back up to them but no one paid it any mind.

"Captain Buccaneer, hang in there! We'll get you some help!" one of the soldiers shouted as Buccaneer continued to bleed out despite the renewed efforts of the soldiers.

"I can finally die in peace," Buccaneer sighed, ignoring the frantic efforts of the men around him and the calls for him to keep fighting. "I'm sorry I'm taking you with me, Eric, but there's nothing more for us to do here," Buccaneer said. Eric let out a low, sad whine before he licked Buccaneer's hand, causing the captain to chuckle slightly, blood bubbling up on his lips. "We're off to a place that's even higher than the peaks of Briggs, Eric. Imagine what a sight that will be," Buccaneer said softly. He gave Eric one last pat before he lifted his hand from his Animal's head to offer a salute. "It's been a pleasure to fight and die beside all of you," Buccaneer told them, raising his voice enough to be heard across the roof.

"The pleasure has been ours, Captain Buccaneer, Eric," Falman said, saluting the fallen man and his Animal. Every other soldier in the vicinity followed Falman's example, holding their salutes while Buccaneer's hand fell against Eric and both exhaled one last time, a smile on Buccaneer's face. They held their salutes for another moment before letting them fall. Looking around, Falman realised that their commanding officer had been one of those to fall victim to Bradley's swords and that he was the next highest ranked officer. "Contact General Armstrong. Inform her that Bradley fell into the river but we couldn't see his body and tell her," Falman paused for a moment, "tell her that Captain Buccaneer died with a smile on his face." Falman glanced down at the still captain and his Animal. "Those who aren't needed for that, get back to keeping this gate secured. We will keep this gate from the hands of the enemy until either this war is over or we're all dead, just as Captain Buccaneer would've done."

"Yes, Sir!" the soldiers answered before most of them headed to help their fellow soldiers while two took up the task of radioing the operations centre to get a hold of General Armstrong.

"I hope Colonel Mustang, Ed and the others are doing alright," Falman murmured to Rachel as he watched over the other soldiers.

"They're still travelling in the tunnels but I think Ed, the Animals and Scar have sensed something," Rachel reported and Falman sighed.

"Think it's too much to ask that it's Father and Ed and the colonel destroy it with no fight?" Falman asked and Rachel scoffed lightly. Falman heaved another sigh as he nodded. "That's what I thought."


"We're getting close," Scar said, startling almost everyone. Their group had split up earlier with Mei leading the chimeras back through the tunnels, using her chi-sensing abilities to try to find another way into the room that Ayala, Chester, Nala and Soren had all agreed held something extremely dangerous inside it and seemed to be waiting for them.

"You can feel it too, huh?" Ed asked, glancing at all the Animals as their hair and feathers stood up. Even Ed could feel the wrongness the room or something nearby by exuded.

"You mean you can sense his presence or something?" Hawkeye asked and Ed shrugged a shoulder.

"Or something," he said as they approached the closed doors. No one made a move to open them for a moment before Ed nodded to Scar, telling the Ishvalen man to go ahead. "Let's just say I've got a really bad feeling about this," Ed told her as they walked cautiously into the room.

"What the hell?" Ayala snarled as movement in the centre of the room caught her eye. Immediately, everyone moved into a fighting stance as they noticed the man in a grubby lab coat move out of his crouch to stand straight.

"Well now, I wasn't exactly expecting to have an audience," the man said, pushing his glasses further up his nose. Ed noticed his extremely crooked eyes and filthy teeth, one of which was gold. When he gave them what Ed thought was supposed to be a shy smile but missed the mark epically, Ed felt all the Animals tense even further. "You're gonna give me performance anxiety," the man told them and Ed saw some white markings on the ground.

"That's an array," Ed whispered, jerking his head towards the man's feet when Mustang, Hawkeye and Scar glanced at him. Their faces hardened at the realisation that they were facing an alchemist. "Who the hell are you?" Ed asked, raising his voice for the man to hear him and the man hummed in contemplation.

"How shall I answer that?" the man asked, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "You might know me as the man who created King Bradley. That is my most proud accomplishment to date," the man told them and Ed gaped slightly.

"You created the Fuhrer?" Mustang asked, drawing attention to himself. "So it's safe to say you're working with them!"

The man grinned in delight as he looked at Mustang. "I didn't realise it was you!" he exclaimed excitedly and Ed felt himself jerk backwards at the oddity in front of him. Mustang and the others looked just as perplexed. Only the Animals stayed in their defensive positions as though nothing strange was happening. "Here I thought you were at the radio station when you've come here to meet me in person!" the gold-toothed man continued saying, clapping his hands with excitement. "I can't tell you how much trouble you've saved me, Colonel Mustang!"

"What the hell is he on about?" Chester asked Ed, who shrugged his shoulders in response because he honestly had no idea.

"I think they're planning on using Roy for something," Nala revealed and Mustang stiffened slightly. Suddenly, all four Animals looked above the gold-toothed man and Nala cried out a warning for Ed and Mustang to look out at the same time as Chester, Ayala and Soren.

A dozen men whose build and age reminded Ed of Bradley dropped from the ceiling above the man as he grinned widely at Mustang. "Why don't you keep these guys busy for a few moments?" he suggested and all the men grunted in confirmation, unsheathing swords that were strapped on their backs or at their hips.

"What are these guys?" Ed asked as he produced his automail blade.

The gold-toothed man didn't answer him, just nodded to the men and watched for a moment as they all moved forward with the exception of two, who stayed back and took up positions behind the gold-toothed man. The way they moved made Ed think two things: not only did they look kind of like Bradley but they fought like him and they seemed to move as though linked by one mind. Ed found himself trying to fight two of them at once while Chester and Ayala tackled another two. Mustang and Hawkeye were fighting back-to-back against three of their opponents and Nala fought against one with only Soren to offer her any sort of aid, though the owl was only able to swoop in every now and then to distract or try and scratch out his eyes. The final two were taken on by Scar and Ed was both irritated and a little relieved that he wasn't the only one having trouble landing a blow on their enemy. Even Mustang's flame alchemy – when he could chance using it without risking someone on his team – never hit its mark.

"Are they more dummy soldiers?" Mustang asked but Ed could hear how little Mustang actually believed that would be the answer.

As Ed shook his head, Scar gave a verbal answer. "No, they move to fluidly. The mannequins fought more on instinct."

"These men were at one time considered to become King Bradley," the gold-toothed man told them, not bothering to look up from the array he was carefully drawing. "You could call them the leftovers, I suppose, but one thing's for certain," the man said with a grin, "even after years of waiting, they're still warriors in their own right," he told them. "They may not be as powerful as Bradley himself but they are strong!" the gold-toothed man said proudly before he got back to his work.

Ed barely managed to dodge the blade of one of the wannabe-Bradleys he was fighting. He was forced into a roll to avoid the strike from the second one and he came to his feet swearing. "Dammit!" he snapped as the man he'd tried to stab dodged his automail blade. "I get these guys are all super-human but come on!" he almost whined as he dodged under the two he was fighting to force the one Nala and Soren were attacking to back off before he could corner the lioness. "This is just ridiculous!" Ed complained but he felt justified in doing so. So far, they'd all gained small but numerous injuries whereas none of the sword-wielders had yet to be so much as bruised.

"You keep leaving your back wide open, Sir," Ed heard Hawkeye chide Mustang but he didn't spare the two of them a glance as he, Nala and Soren continued fighting against the three soldiers.

Ed missed Mustang's response as his attention was drawn by the happy noise the gold-toothed man made as he stood back up. "That should do fine," the man said. "I suppose it's about time we got started," he said, looking around at the three four small battles going on. "Number 16, 17, 26, 22 and 33." As he called out each number, a soldier stopped fighting in order to pay attention to the gold-toothed alchemist. "Join me," he ordered and the five immediately did so, leaving the five left behind to keep Ed and the others from doing anything.

"What's he doing?" Ed asked, struggling against the soldier he and Nala were still fighting. Soren immediately took off and circled the man.

"It's an array and he's about to activate it!" Soren told them and Ed's breath hitched.

"Soren, move!" Ed shouted, fear for the bird taking over most other emotions. He had no idea what that array would do when activated and he didn't want to find out if Soren's proximity to it would cause the owl to be caught up in the transmutation. Soren didn't waste a moment and he flew straight for Hawkeye, coming to hover above her.

"Now, then," the man said gleefully, "here goes!" He placed his hands on the array and blue light almost blinded everyone.

"What have you done?" Ed asked horrified. He watched as blue energy lines shot out from the five points the soldiers were standing and disappeared out of the room. Ayala and Chester had managed to get themselves over to Ed, as did Mustang, Hawkeye and Soren. Scar stood just separate of the group and for the first time, Ed saw something other than murderous rage and indifference on the Ishvalen's face as he watched what was happening.

"This?" the gold-toothed man asked, gesturing to the array. "This right here is just the beginning!" he told them before he addressed Ed solely. "You seem like a smart boy," Ed jerked back slightly as both Ayala and Chester stepped forward, growling protectively, "so you can tell me how many military operated state alchemy labs there are in Central, can't you?"

"There are four operational labs in Central," Ed said, voice laced with confusion before he realised something he'd forgotten, "but there were five built! The Fifth Laboratory! Mustang, they have five labs!" Ed said. Both Hawkeye and Scar didn't look they understood the significance of what Ed was saying but Mustang's face slackened slightly as he did. "It's a transmutation circle! The whole city's one!"

"You mean it's connecting all the labs in the city in a circle?" Hawkeye asked, looking at the array with the same amount of horror Ed felt.

Before Ed could say anything, something happened. He didn't know how to describe what had happened but there was a major shift in the alchemic energy. Judging from Mustang's face, he felt it too and Ed thought Scar might've as well. All the Animals in the room resembled bottle brushes as they pressed against their human or – in Chester's case – the closest thing to their human. Red energy glowed from underneath the gold-toothed man and Ed watched as nauseatingly familiar black hands reached out of the circle and destroyed the five soldiers standing around the array. Not a single other soldier seemed to notice or care about what had just happened to their fellows.

"Ed!" Chester yowled in fear and Ed looked down to find Chester slowly being torn apart by little black hands that appeared out of nowhere.

"No! Chester!" Ed cried out, reaching out instinctively to try and help the leopard as fear for him and Al grew rapidly. Before he could take a step, Ed felt a force stop him and he looked down at his feet to find the black eye he'd only seen twice before blinking back up at him. "No," Ed gasped, voice laced with fear, as little black hands started tearing pieces of him away from his body and retreating back into the portal.

"Ed, what's happening?!" Nala cried as Mustang held her back from trying to help. From Ed's right, Ayala was making fearful noises as the hands reached for. Whatever was holding Ed in place was doing the same to her as she found herself unable to move. Ed didn't even register the lioness' question as he tried to fight against what was happening before he rapidly came to the stomach-churning conclusion that nothing he did would do anything to stop this.

"Ayala!" Ed tried reaching for his wolf just as she and Chester both disappeared before his eyes in the exact same manner Alphonse had done all those years earlier. "No!" Ed could hear the gold-toothed man laughing with glee as his array succeeded in what it was meant to do. The last thing Ed saw before his vision whited out was the fearful expressions on Mustang, Nala, Hawkeye and Soren's faces. The last thing he heard before he disappeared was Mustang calling his name, his voice drenched in panic and fear for him.


When Ed's vision returned, he found himself lying on his back in the underground lair belonging to Father. Gingerly, Ed sat up as he struggled to get his mind working as it should've been. Before he could stop himself, he wracked his brain to try and remember what had happened to have him be in the room with Mustang and the others while the gold-toothed creep was talking one moment and in Father's lair the next. He gasped sharply as his memories for what happened came flooding back and he found himself stunned as he realised that not only had he visited Truth once more – or at least went through his Gate of Knowledge – but that he came out of it with no missing limbs and that somebody had been able to force himself through it. Ed jolted when the memory of Ayala and Chester being pulled apart swam to the front of his mind and he frantically looked around for his wolf or his brother's leopard.

Spotting the golden coat of Ayala, Ed headed over to her immediately. "Ayala?" Ed called softly as he knelt next to his wolf and shook her shoulder. "Ayala, wake up!"

"What?" Ayala slurred as she opened her eyes. They looked at Ed with a glazed expression before they sharpened as Ayala's memories came back. "Ed! Are you alright? What about Chester?" Ayala asked as she took in his appearance and scanned the room for the missing leopard.

"I'm alright and I don't know," Ed answered, resuming his own search for Chester now that he knew Ayala was alright. He decided not to think too hard about the fact that both he and Ayala passed through his Gate untouched considering the last time he did so, Ayala wasn't with him and he came out of the ordeal with a missing leg. He'd rather not let himself get lost in thought over it. "There he is," Ed said as his eyes finally picked up on the Sunda-Clouded Leopard, partially hidden by the pipes and shadows he lay near.

"Is he alright?" Ayala asked as they both approached the leopard as quickly as they dared.

"I don't know," Ed told her as he shook Chester's shoulder in the same manner he'd done to Ayala earlier. "Ches? Wake up!" Ed called but the leopard stayed unconscious, causing Ed to frown. He used the energy he held for Chester to check on his physical health but saw no reason for his unconsciousness. "I don't get it," Ed said, brow still furrowed.

"Ed?" a familiar voice called in confusion and both Ed and Ayala spun, standing defensively in front of Chester's prone form only to relax when they saw Izumi and Koda standing a few metres away.

"Teacher?" Ed couldn't believe his eyes. He hadn't even considered that Izumi would've been pulled through her portal as well. "Are you alright?" he asked as Koda approached him to give both him and Ayala a hug before she fussed over them and the unconscious Chester.

"More or less," Izumi said as she followed her Animal. "You?" Ed nodded in confirmation and Izumi's eyes flicked to the still leopard. "What's wrong with Chester?" Izumi asked.

"We don't know. He won't wake up," Ed told her, stepping aside as Izumi moved forward to check the leopard herself. "Do you know why we're here?" Ed asked and Izumi looked at him.

"Considering you're here as well, I'd assume it has something to do with us being sacrifices," Izumi said. "We're probably being gathered since it's nearly time for the eclipse," she said.

"If that's the case, where's Al?" Ed asked but no sooner had the words come out of his mouth did a familiar crashing sound echo through the room. "Al!" Ed shouted, eyes frantically searching for his brother.

"Over there!" Koda said to both Ed and Izumi, pointing one big paw to their left and Ed saw Al's armour gleam dully under one of the few streams of light that managed to make its way into the room.

Ed scooped up Chester before he joined the others in hurrying over to Al, who – like his leopard – was still unconscious. "Al?" Ed called before tapping the side of his helmet once he'd placed Chester on the ground next to Al. "Snap out of it!" he ordered but the words had no effect on either his brother or the leopard.

Both Ayala and Koda turned to face the same direction, both standing in front of their human and Al as they growled at an approaching figure neither Ed nor Izumi had noticed. Ed took in the being in front of them with abject horror. It stood a full head taller than the average human male and all Ed could think of was that it was like one of Pride's shadows had decided to separate from their container to take the form of a human itself. Mostly black, the creature before them was covered in red eyes with one wide mouth where it usually sat on a human's face. It took Ed a moment to be able to pull his eyes away from the creature's overall appearance but when he did, he noticed his father's head protruding from the creature's gut. Calix, when Ed looked around, was slowly edging around the creature to join Ed.

"One, two, three, four of you are here now," the monster in front of them said before Ed could say anything. "That still leaved us one short. I wonder if the fifth is being created as we speak," the creature mused. Its voice seemed to break Izumi and Ed from their shock.

"What is that thing?" Izumi asked, staring at it with disgust and fear.

"Hohenheim!" Ed called, his instinct to check on his father outweighing his desire to never speak to him again. Ed hadn't heard anything from Calix to suggest anything was wrong which was why seeing his father in such a position was more than shocking, to say the least.

"Edward?" Hohenheim said confusedly as he looked around the room, straining his neck to try and locate his son. His eyes fell on his shocked son and slid down to find the unconscious form of his youngest son. "Oh, he got Alphonse as well," Hohenheim said before noticing Izumi. "And Izumi Curtis too," he hummed and Ed wondered if the creature was somehow affecting his father's mind because the man didn't seem to be completely aware of just how much trouble they were in.

"What is going on here?" Izumi asked demandingly.

"it's not complicated," Hohenheim started explaining but the creature cut him off.

"Be careful to mind your place," the creature hissed. Ed nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt something heavy nudge his shoulder but he calmed down as soon as he realised it was Calix. "I plan to take your Philosopher's Stone at my leisure but I can speed up the process if you prefer," the creature warned him.

"Hohenheim!" Ed called, getting the man's attention. "The fuck is that hideous thing?" Ed asked, glancing up at the monster.

"It's Homunculous," Hohenheim said. "The original one," he amended, apparently thinking Ed wouldn't have understood who he was talking about.

"You're saying this is that bearded bastard?" Ed asked disbelievingly and no one could truly blame him considering what Father had looked like last time they saw him.

"Yes, that's right," Hohenheim said, nodding his head. "I destroyed the leather bag he was in but –" whatever else Hohenheim was going to say was cut off by Father somehow manipulating his own body to swallow Hohenheim completely.

"Enough," Father snapped. "I warned you to keep your mouth shut." Father sighed as though he was dealing with an unruly child. Shaking his head, Father fixed the eyes on the front of his body onto the five conscious people and Animals in front of him and stretched the ghastly mouth affixed to his face in a mockery of a smile. "Greetings to the three of you. My pretty sacrifices," Father said, looking at all of them and it took everything in Ed to not step forward and clock him for calling them 'pretty sacrifices'. It also took Ayala and Koda stepping in front of him to stop him but he paid no notice. "Welcome to my castle! Please, everyone, make yourselves at home!" Father said warmly. Ed couldn't help but notice how Father's eyes seemed to pay no mind to the Animals snarling at him.

Turning back to his brother, Ed once again tried to rouse him. "Al, time to get up now! Things aren't looking that great for us," Ed said, tapping the helmet once more before reaching over to shake Chester. "Ches? Get up!" Ed tried calling the leopard to consciousness but to no avail. Neither one of them showed any signs of waking up any time soon.

"Ed? Anything?" Izumi asked, not taking her eyes off of Father's still form.

"No," Ed said. "I don't know what's going on. It's not like Al's seal failed and he's gone because Chester is still here and his life force is just as strong as it should be," Ed said, voice choking slightly at the thought of his brother possibly being dead but he shoved the emotions down. Al wasn't since Chester wasn't and there was no point in worrying about something that hadn't happened. Ed turned to face Calix, needing something to distract him from the unconscious form of his brother and his leopard. "How the hell did you not think that that," Ed gestured to Father, "was something I needed to know about?" Ed asked.

"I couldn't contact you," Calix said. Ed gave him a disbelieving look. "Who were you with before you appeared here? Can you contact their Animals to find out what's happening?" Calix asked. Ed rolled his eyes before reaching for his link with Nala. However, when he went to sent her a message, he found something blocking his ability to talk to her. He could still feel her emotions though they were diluted but no matter how hard he tried; he couldn't send her a message.

"Why can't I speak with any of them?" Ed asked, having tried Soren next then Mark, Leo and Lilith before realising he simply could not get through to any of them.

"I don't know but he's done something to this room that stops anyone inside this room from contacting someone they're bonded to outside of the room," Calix told him. "You'd have noticed your bond with them isn't destroyed so you'll still be able to keep an eye on them and make sure they're alright," Calix soothed and Ed nodded. His worry at not being able to speak with any of the Animals he was bonded to drowned his irritation at Calix speaking to him like that.

"Okay," Ed said, "you couldn't contact me. What the hell happened?" Ed asked, glancing back at Father from where he could see the monster between Izumi and Koda.

"Your father sent Lan Fan away to find Ling since he knew she would be distracted and he didn't want her getting in the way of him or Homunculous," Calix explained. "They discussed what Homunculous had done in Xerxes and what he was planning on doing to Amestris," Calix told him. "Van goaded him into fighting by using the fact that he created the homunculi and asked they call him 'father' while he refers to them as his children to show that he wanted the same thing humans did; the same thing your father had always wanted back as nameless slave: a family," Calix told him. "When Homunculous fought back, he stabbed your father through the back with his bare hand but Van had expected that. Using the physical connection he had with Homunculous, your father infected him with some of the souls residing in his Philosopher's Stone. When he did so, Van turned the souls remaining in Homunculous' stone against him and for a few moments, it looked like Van would win," Calix said sadly. "We didn't realise that Homunculous had managed to evolve enough that destroying his container wouldn't kill him as it would Pride. He created the body you see now and swallowed Van so he could absorb his Philosopher's Stone. Van is fighting against the absorption as best he can but he'll eventually lose the fight if we don't get him out of there soon," Calix warned him and Ed groaned.

"Of course the dumb bastard went and got himself caught," Ed muttered, glaring at Father's gut where he'd last seen Hohenheim's head. "Might as well try and save his stupid arse."

"We'd both appreciate it," Calix said and Ed rolled his eyes.

"I'm only doing this because Al would bitch me out if I didn't," Ed informed the horse, who nodded at his words. Ed moved to speak with Izumi and bring her in on the planning when a massive red and black hole opened up and swirled above their heads.

"Ah," Father said as he looked up at the swirling mass, "it would seem our fifth has joined us."


"He disappeared!" Hawkeye gasped in horror as she stared at the spot Ed had just been.

None of them moved from where they'd been standing as they'd watched Ed, Ayala and Chester be pulled apart in front of them. Hawkeye couldn't believe she'd just stood there as she watched someone she cared about disintegrate in front of her. Mustang was still crouched on the ground, holding Nala close. Originally he had been holding his Animal back to stop her from being caught up in whatever was happening to Ed but now he was holding her to comfort her. Mustang was staring at the spot his youngest subordinate had just been blankly but Hawkeye knew he was struggling to process what had just happened. Scar looked just as freaked out as they were and Hawkeye almost jumped out of her skin when Soren landed on her shoulder. She appreciated his attempt at trying to cheer her up by nuzzling her cheek but she could still feel the shock of what happened affecting her.

"What did you do?" Mustang growled, straightening from his crouch and glaring dangerously at the gold-toothed man in front of them. Hawkeye recognised the look on his face and knew that the gold-toothed alchemist only had a few seconds to tell Mustang what he'd done to one of the few people Mustang cared about before the Flame Alchemist attacked.

"You need not worry where he's gone," the gold-toothed man told him, looking extremely unconcerned or unaware of how angry Mustang was. "You'll be joining him yourself soon enough," he told Mustang, who twitched minutely. "Now then, I need you all to stay still and not fight so I'll need you to cooperate with them," the man said, nodding to the seven remaining soldiers. Both Hawkeye and Mustang raised their weapons while Scar twitched his fingers. Nala and Soren let out roars and screeches, showing their displeasure and willingness to fight. The gold-toothed man sighed and shook his head in apparent disappointment. "Secure them," he ordered and the seven soldiers sprang into action immediately.

The soldiers were quick to separate Mustang, Hawkeye and Scar from each other so they couldn't help one another in fending off the soldiers. Nala and Mustang fought against three soldiers by themselves while Hawkeye and Soren were taking on two and Scar took on the final two. As had happened before, they didn't seem to be able to significantly injure the soldiers during the fight. To Mustang's annoyance, one of the soldiers managed to get Nala away from his side so she was fighting him while Mustang fought the other two. The gold-toothed man was muttering something about how incompetent everyone was but Mustang paid no attention to him as he fought.

Mustang heard a shocked gasp from off to his right and he looked over in time to see that one of Hawkeye's guns had failed her. Soren let out an angry screech as he dived at the closest soldier, talons stretched out as he tried to gouge the soldier's eyes out to give Hawkeye time to fix her gun but the soldier swung his sword and knocked Soren out of the air with the hilt of the weapon, causing both the owl and Hawkeye to let out pained noises. Hawkeye soon had two swords against her throat and Mustang watched as she dropped her weapon, her eyes fixed on Soren's crumpled form.

"Lieutenant!" Mustang called, trying to fight his way to her to try and help her. "Go and get Soren!" Mustang snapped at Nala. The lioness hesitated only for a moment but when she saw the fallen form of the owl and the danger he was in of being trampled on, she moved. The soldier she was fighting made to move after her but Mustang snapped, sending flames billowing towards him to stop him. This move, unfortunately, left him open to attack himself and he hissed in pain when the tip of a sword sliced through his array and the top of his outstretched hand.

"Roy!" Nala shouted as Mustang felt his arms being grabbed roughly and held apart, his hands being held so he couldn't snap with his other glove while a blow to the back of his knees sent him to the floor. The only reason he didn't fall face first on the floor was because of the hold the two soldiers had on him and the moment his knees had touched the floor, Mustang felt the cold edge of a sword kiss his neck. Mustang looked over to his lioness to see her standing a few metres away with Soren lightly grasped in her mouth. The owl was still unconscious and Mustang didn't need to look over to his lieutenant to know she was worried about him.

"Get him to Hawkeye if you can," Mustang said, speaking through the bond. Right now, she only had the third soldier who had been fighting the two of them earlier on her. Scar was still fighting valiantly against the other two soldiers and Mustang hoped that the Ishvalen man would be able to get himself free from them.

"I don't know if I can," Nala admitted and Mustang focused back on his lioness. While the soldier wasn't holding the sword against her throat like the soldiers were doing with himself and Hawkeye, he hadn't put enough space between himself and Nala to give the lioness the chance to move. Even if Nala tried going backwards to put more space between her and the soldier, they both knew the soldier would be on her in a matter of moments. She couldn't do anything without putting herself and Soren at risk.

"Alright, stay there," Mustang said. Hopefully the soldiers would relax after a few minutes and Nala could get to Hawkeye's side than without getting herself of Soren hurt.

A noise came from slightly behind Mustang and he managed to turn his head enough without hurting himself on the sword to see that Scar had been subdued. The gold-toothed man clapped his hand together once he'd noticed they were all caught. "Alright, good!" he praised the soldiers. None of them looked like they were affected by the praise. "Just hold him there," the man instructed and Mustang felt the edge of the sword press minutely closer to his neck. "Colonel Mustang, I'm afraid we're out of time. At this point you've got no choice but to cooperate with us," the gold-toothed man informed Mustang. "I'd like you to perform some human transmutation and open up a portal for me," he said and Mustang's jaw would've dropped if he didn't have the self-control he did. Nala's eyes widened as she looked between her human and the crazy man in the centre of the room.

"Are you serious?" Mustang asked, unable to quite stop that reflex in time but who could blame him? The whole situation was ludicrous!

"It doesn't matter who," the gold-toothed man said. "You could bring back a parent you lost or a friend or a lover! The choices are endless!" the man told him. "I'll just get things set up for you over here," he said as he crouched on the ground, a couple of metres away from the array he'd activated before, the one that took Ed, Ayala and Chester.

"You mean I'm a sacrifice?" Mustang asked, the thought weighing heavily on him. All this time, he and the Elric brothers had been trying to figure out who the fifth sacrifice could be so they could try and get them out of the country and the homunculi had had their sights set on him.

"Well, no. Not yet anyway," the insane alchemist said as he continued sketching the array, "but as soon as you open the portal, you'll soon become one."

"The Elric brothers told me human transmutation was impossible. That it wouldn't matter what you offered as payment or who you tried to bring back, it would fail," Mustang said. He could feel Scar's and Hawkeye's eyes on him but he refused to look at them. "Why would I try to do it, even if there was someone I'd want to bring back, knowing I would fail?"

"You're right of course," the man said with a nod, "but I don't really care that you'll fail. All I need you to do is open the portal and return alive," he told him, smiling encouragingly.

Mustang was already shaking his head before the gold-toothed man had finished speaking. "No, absolutely not!" Mustang snapped. "If you want a portal that badly, you open it yourself! I won't put myself or my Animal through what the Elric brothers and their Animals went through for you bastards!" Mustang snarled and the gold-toothed man's attempt at a smile disappeared quickly.

"I told you that we've run out of time," the man said, voice flat and dangerous.

A deliberate nod from the man to one of the two soldiers holding Hawkeye hostage had the soldier deliberately moving his sword. To Mustang, Nala and Scar's horror, crimson blood spurted out from Hawkeye's neck from the wound the soldier had inflicted. Hawkeye's eyes widened in pain and shock as she slumped into the soldier still holding her hostage. Another nod from the gold-toothed man had the two soldiers moving Hawkeye so she lay in the centre of the array at the gold-toothed alchemist's feet.

"Lieutenant! Lieutenant!" Mustang shouted, his eyes wide as he struggled against those who held him as he watched helplessly as Hawkeye moved her hands to her neck to try and stem the blood gushing from the wound. Mustang felt nauseous when he saw blood seeping between her fingers as it fought to flow freely. There was so much blood running down her hands and he could tell that the wound wasn't survivable without immediate medical help.

"Now then," the insane alchemist said, looking at Mustang expectantly. "Maybe you've had a change of heart, hm?"

"Roy, you can't," Nala said, her voice choked with emotions as she watched Hawkeye bleeding out. She could feel Soren's heart beating still but she knew that without medical help, Hawkeye and Soren wouldn't last more than a few minutes.

"I'll kill you!" Mustang snarled viciously at the other alchemist, ignoring his Animal for the moment. "Lieutenant, are you still with me?" Mustang asked but didn't receive a response. "Answer me!" he demanded, his heart pounding in his chest as Hawkeye didn't answer. Was she already gone? Had his refusal to give in to their demands just cost him one of his best friends and most loyal subordinates?

"She's alive, Roy. Soren is still breathing," Nala said, trying to calm her human down so he could think rationally.

"Now perform the transmutation and become the fifth sacrifice!" the gold-toothed man ordered, looking completely unfazed by Mustang's death threat and the woman at his feet who was bleeding out. "Come on," the man coaxed, "if you don't hurry, the lieutenant will be lost to you forever," the man said. Mustang made no move to do as he was told and a look of understanding crossed over the gold-toothed man's face. "Ah, I understand now," he said. "Would you prefer to transmute her after she's already dead? That can certainly be arranged," he told Mustang, looking all too willing to end Hawkeye's life right then and there.

"I'm not going to die." The strained voice of Hawkeye reached Mustang's ears and he visibly sagged in relief at the sound of it. "What you don't realise is that I'm under strict orders not to die today." Mustang almost huffed as Hawkeye repeated the orders he'd given her, Breda, Fuery and Havoc earlier that day before the battle for Amestris had started. Trust his lieutenant to be clinging to life because of an order he'd issued in a moment of soft-heartedness.

The gold-toothed man glanced down at her. "If it were that easy to gain an immortal body, my dear, it wouldn't be very fair, now would it?" the man said condescendingly. "So tell me, Mustang. What will it be?" the gold-toothed alchemist's attention was back on the flame alchemist. "Your most loyal lieutenant is about to die. If you don't act quickly, she'll bleed to death, taking her precious Animal with her and you'll be responsible for both their deaths," the man informed him and Nala snarled as best she could with Soren still in her mouth. "Luckily for you, I happen to be a doctor who knows some things about alchemy and I have this Philosopher's Stone to add to the bargain as well," the doctor said, producing a liquid stone contained in a small glass jar from his pocket and Mustang felt a stab of hope pierce his heart. If he could get that stone...

"I'm sure you realise what that means. I am certainly able to save this woman and her Animal from certain death but only if you come to a decision in time. It won't be too much longer before even I could do nothing to save them,' the gold-toothed doctor continued talking. "Whether you like it or not, their fate is in your hands now, Mustang. Do you really want their blood on your hands forever?" The gold-toothed man looked down at the rapidly paling Hawkeye and tsked lightly. "She doesn't look too good. So quiet and still. Perhaps she's already dead, hm? What do you think?"

"She's still alive, Roy!" Nala cried and Mustang glanced at her, tearing his eyes from his lieutenant and the pool of blood rapidly forming under her face and neck as he warred with himself. Could he really choose to let Hawkeye die, someone he'd had by his side every day for the last ten years, someone he fought alongside of during the Ishvalen War, someone he owed his and Nala's life to dozens of times over? Could he really do that when he had no certainty that her death would put a stop to the homunculi's plans?

"Colonel," Hawkeye's quiet voice grabbed his attention before he could say anything to Nala, "you don't have to do this. Don't sacrifice everything for me," she told him.

"But you will, won't you, Mustang?" the gold-toothed doctor said, grinning knowingly. Mustang lowered his head as he came to his decision and he sighed.

"Alright," he said and the gold-toothed man clapped his hands in joy while both Nala and Hawkeye made protesting noises before Mustang could finish speaking.

"Good! I knew you'd see reason," the doctor said.

Mustang lifted his head and glared at the alchemist. "Alright, lieutenant," Mustang said, feeling a tiny curl of pleasure at the shock those two words caused the gold-toothed alchemist. "I won't perform the transmutation," he told her, meeting Hawkeye's eyes and getting a small smile in return from her. The red liquid pooling in front of her reflected the smile gruesomely.

"You'd forsake her? How very cold-hearted of you," the doctor said and Mustang glared at him.

"You seem to have no trouble treating these men as your sacrificial pawn while I'm honouring my lieutenant's wishes and refusing to let myself be used for the homunculi's gain. You have no right to call me cold-hearted when you don't even have one," Mustang snapped.

"These men are more than happy to lay their lives down for me," the gold-toothed doctor informed him. "They were abandoned, left without their parents. They all would've died without my care. I saw to their education. I gave them a reason to keep on living, I infused their very existence with purpose," the doctor told him. "I even saved them from being held back by their Animals! In one of their first tests to show just how loyal they were, they were instructed to slay their Animal when it appeared and all of them, without exception, did as they were told," the doctor said, smiling proudly while Mustang's face screwed up in horror at the thought. "For the kindness I've shown them, they remain grateful to me," the gold-toothed man informed Mustang, the gloating in his voice obvious.

"They're in position," Nala said suddenly and Mustang thanked her.

"And that's just the sort of overconfidence that could get you killed," Mustang told the doctor.

"Hmm? What do you –" the doctor started saying before he suddenly disappeared from where he stood. Mustang, Nala and Scar watched as the small glass jar containing the liquid Philosopher's Stone hit the head of one of the soldiers and bounced to the ground, rolling away a few feet.

"Oh yeah, we're grateful alright!" They heard the voice of Jerso say, slightly mumbled as he held the doctor in place with the gooey spit produced by his mouth. "Let me show you just how grateful we are," he said and the doctor yelped in fright.

"No! Let me go!" the doctor cried and Mustang felt some vindictive pleasure roll through him.

"Let everyone down there loose right now or I'll kill you before you can blink," Jerso threatened darkly.

"No! Wait!" the doctor cried and Mustang wished he was in a position where he could see what Jerso was doing to the man. After everything he'd done though, it probably wasn't enough. "I'm the only doctor here and I can use alchemy! Without me, the woman will die! Don't you understand?"

Jerso chuckled, the sound echoing slightly from inside the opening he held the doctor in. "Heh, nice try but you're more useless than you realise," Jerso informed the man just as the doors behind Mustang and Scar burst open, emitting Mei, Zampano and Darius.

The soldiers who weren't holding a hostage secure met them halfway but the chimeras and Mei managed to dodge them with an ease Mustang envied. Mei took care of the two holding Scar still, freeing the Ishvalen from their clutches so he could join in the fight once more. Darius and Zampano took on the soldiers holding Mustang and Nala at bay and the moment Mustang was free, he grabbed the sword one of the soldiers behind him was holding and buried it into the leg of the other, using his fury and the distraction caused by the others to do so.

"Get out of my way!" Mustang ordered the two soldiers who tried blocking him but Nala brought one down while the other found himself with a face full of fire as Mustang rushed past them and headed for the still body of his subordinate. "Lieutenant!" Mustang called as he collapsed to his knees next to her and rolled her onto her back. "Come on, stay with me!" Mustang ordered as he tore a strip from the white jacket Hawkeye wore so he could apply pressure to the wound. Nala and Soren joined him and Nala laid the owl down next to Hawkeye's head, out of the blood. "Lieutenant, open your eyes! Lieutenant!" Mustang called desperately but Hawkeye's eyes stayed shut. Soren's, however, blinked open and Mustang watched as the owl tried to crawl his way closer to Hawkeye.

Mustang felt something rush past him and looked around in time to see Darius in chimera form pummeling one of the soldiers who had been creeping up behind Mustang to strike him down. "You alright?" Darius grunted as he fought the man and Mustang nodded, both in answer and thanks.

Mustang continued applying pressure to Hawkeye's wound as he tried to figure out a way to save her when he saw the young Xingese girl scrambling around the room. She wasn't fighting anyone unless they got in her way. In fact, it looked like she and the panda on her shoulder were searching for something. A small moan from Hawkeye brought his attention back to the blonde in his arms and he ignored the Xingese girl once more. "Don't you dare die! Stay with me, Hawkeye!"

A shrill scream of frustration sounded and Mustang looked up in time to see Mei racing for him. "She comes first!" Mei yelled. "Let me help her!" she said and Mustang gave a swift nod as he placed Hawkeye back on the ground before he gathered Soren, mentally apologising for picking him up without permission, as he and Nala moved backwards. Mei used the toe of her shoe and Hawkeye's blood to draw out an array quickly before she threw five kunai with practiced ease. Alchemic energy flared when Mei activated the array for a few moments. When it finished, Mei stood up with a sigh. "I've managed to stop the bleeding but she still needs to see a doctor," Mei told Mustang as she cleared her kunai and broke the array.

"Thank you. I owe you," Mustang said and the young girl gave a nod before she headed back to find whatever she had been looking for. Mustang moved closed to Hawkeye and placed Soren on her chest, ensuring the two could feel each other.

"Colonel, I'm so sorry," Hawkeye said. Mustang made stopping motions with his hands as his eyes fell to the wound that had been partially healed.

"No, don't speak. Don't antagonize your injury," Mustang ordered. "Mei said she'd only managed to stop the bleeding. That injury isn't fully healed. Don't start emanating Fullmetal's mindset when it comes to injuries now," Mustang said, trying to lighten the situation slightly and it worked somewhat if the way Nala and Hawkeye smiled slightly was any indication.

"I can't believe you understood my signal," Hawkeye said and Mustang scoffed.

"We've been working together long enough for me to figure out that that glare had meant 'use human transmutation and I'll shoot you'," Mustang said and Hawkeye's smile grew slightly.

"I hope that means that you'll be able to accurately translate the rest of my glares when we get back to the office after all of this is over and done with," Hawkeye said and Mustang laughed.

"We'll see," Mustang said in response as Nala rolled her eyes, making sure Hawkeye saw it.

"That's the last of them." Darius' announcement caught Mustang's attention and he looked up to find the seven remaining soldiers dead on the ground. In his worry for Hawkeye, he hadn't even noticed the fact that the chimeras and Scar had managed to defeat the soldiers.

Wrapping one arm around Hawkeye's back and under her armpit, Mustang helped the injured lieutenant to her feet. Hawkeye clutched Soren close to her chest as the owl was still woozy from being knocked out and Hawkeye was in no shape to try and heal him. Nala helped by pushing Hawkeye into a standing position with her head before moving to Hawkeye's other side and walking next to her, just in case she fell and Mustang couldn't catch her.

"Everyone," Mustang called, getting the attention of the five people in front of him. "Thank you for all your help dealing with them and saving the life of Lieutenant Hawkeye," Mustang said gratefully.

"Sure," Darius said with a shrug. "It wasn't like it was a hardship for us. Besides," Darius smirked slightly, "it's not like Ed would've been too happy if we'd just abandoned you lot," Darius said and Mustang grinned.

"No, he definitely wouldn't have been," Mustang agreed before he looked at Nala. "Have you spoken to him?" he asked but Nala shook her head.

"No," she told him. "I can't get through to him. I've been trying but it's like he's blocking me again. Except," Nala said slowly and Mustang gestured for her to continue, "well, I can still feel him, which is something I can't do if he's the one blocking me so I think someone or something else is," Nala told him.

"What on earth would be able to stop an Animal or human from talking to someone they're bonded too?" Mustang asked but Nala shrugged.

"I don't know for certain but all I can think is that it's as unlikely for someone to be able to do that as it is for someone to turn off alchemy," Nala said, "and we know that there is one being who can do that," she reminded him and Mustang nodded once.

"You think that Father has Fullmetal and is blocking him from being able to talk to any Animal he's bonded to," Mustang stated. It wasn't a question but Nala nodded.

"The stone!" Mei suddenly gasped and Mustang watched as the small girl darted forward towards the liquid stone the gold-toothed doctor had dropped only to stop with a frightened gasp as Bradley stepped into the room.

"It's been quite some time, eh, Colonel Mustang?" Bradley said as he snatched up two swords that had been dropped by the soldiers. Mustang almost grimaced as he took in the Fuhrer's appearance; specifically, the missing eye. Mustang kind of wanted to ask about the eye when he remembered something Nala had passed along to him from Rachel.

"Indeed it has, Sir," Mustang said, making sure none of the respect he usually showed Bradley was evident. "I would be lying if I said you were looking as good as ever. Is it because you were born human and infused with a stone that you can't heal yourself of your injuries?" Mustang asked, needing a way to remind everyone that Bradley wouldn't come back to life like a normal homunculous would.

"So I've been told," Bradley said, glancing between Mustang and Hawkeye, who Mustang still clutched close to his side. "I had thought your weakling heart would've prevented you from allowing someone close to you to die if it was within your means to save them, even if it meant using human transmutation," Bradley said.

"There was a time where I might have but that time is long behind me," Mustang said, looking at Hawkeye and Nala. "Luckily, I have people by my side now who will stop me from being so reckless," Mustang said. "I doubt Nala or the Elric brothers would have ever forgiven me if I used human transmutation knowing full well that I wouldn't succeed in bringing anyone back, not after the devastation I've seen their failed transmutation cause Fullmetal, his brother and their Animals," Mustang stated, standing his ground as he kept eye contact with Bradley.

"Here I was under the impression that you're all pathetic creatures that could never learn a lesson properly," Bradley said with a sigh. "Apparently there are those like you who can learn; who can change." Bradley's expression hardened as he snarled. "That's one more reason I can't stand you humans. It infuriates me when I can't predict how you'll behave." Bradley stepped forward, standing underneath Jerso and the gold-toothed doctor he held captive.

Mei gasped suddenly and Scar turned to her. "What's wrong?" he asked and Mei trembled as she stared at Bradley's feet.

"He's under us," Mei said as she felt the massive chi energy pulsate beneath them. "Their leader's still down there somewhere."

"No!" came the shout from the gold-toothed doctor. "I won't let you interfere with him!" he screamed.

"Oh, give it up," Jerso snapped. "You're not going anywhere," Jerso told him before the sound of slicing and grunts of pain came from where the pair were. The next thing everyone knew, both the gold-toothed doctor and Jerso were crashing to the ground, blood gushing from numerous wounds on Jerso.

"Jerso!" Zampano shouted as he rushed towards his fallen comrade, followed closely by Darius. "Get up!" he ordered as he grabbed Jerso by one arm and wrapped it around his shoulders.

"This is bad!" Darius said as he copied Zampano's actions on Jerso's other side.

"He's right!" Mei said as she watched where the three chimeras were struggling to move. "Something's coming. Something awful," she warned. The three chimeras had barely managed to get back to where Mustang, Nala, Hawkeye, Soren, Mei and Scar stood when a bunch of shadows poured down the pipe above Bradley. Once the shadows cleared, Selim Bradley stood there, watching them impassively.

"Please look after them for now," Mustang asked as he carefully moved Hawkeye and Soren into Darius' arms. He didn't give the gorilla chimera the chance to say anything as he and Nala readied themselves for what they were about to do.

Nala and Mustang launched themselves at Bradley and Selim. Mustang was using his one good glove while Nala was bounding towards the Fuhrer, ready to tear the homunculous' throat out. Bradley dodged the wave of fire while Pride used his shadows to create a shield to stop the flames from reaching him. In a swift move that Bradley shouldn't have been able to pull off in the condition he was in, he dodged Nala's furious claws and teeth and landed a kick to Mustang's chest that sent the man skidding backwards several feet. Before Mustang could do anything, Bradley was on top of him.

Nala roared in rage and worry and raced for her human but a shadow from Pride sent her flying back to the group of chimeras and humans. Mustang's head and side exploded in sympathy pain as his lioness hit the ground hard. Before he could do anything, his left hand exploded in white-hot pain, followed shortly by his right hand. When he looked, Mustang saw that both his hands were pinned by the swords that had been wielded by Bradley. Blood pooled in his palms, running down his hands and soaking into his gloves.

"Colonel!" He heard Hawkeye shout but he couldn't do anything as he swallowed his screams of pain.

"Good job!" the gold-toothed doctor said as he got to his feet and eyed the pinned colonel. "Well done, Bradley. That's the kind of mad I brought you up to be," the man said with a smile. Before he could do or say anything further, Pride sent two shadows for him and wrapped them around the doctor, creating an almost cocoon to hold him in. He positioned the doctor above Mustang and the colonel watched as shadows protruded from the blackened bundle to connect to the shadows circling him that Mustang hadn't even noticed.

"Well, Colonel Mustang, it looks like you're our fifth," Pride said and Mustang felt his skin crawl at the unnatural voice emitted by the young boy.

"That's right," Bradley said, still on top of Mustang. "The last sacrifice."

Mustang felt shadows wrap around his wrists and Pride nodded to Bradley. "I have him secured, Wrath. Get out of the circle so I can use the good doctor to activate the array," Pride instructed. Mustang bit back the screams that bubbled in his throat as Bradley pulled the swords from where they pinned Mustang's hands and Bradley moved out of the circle. The moment he was clear, Pride did something and Mustang could feel the alchemic energy building up around him. "I was really hoping I wouldn't have to resort to this but there's no choice now. We're out of time."

"Whether you like it or not, Mustang, we're going to force you to open your portal," Bradley informed Mustang, face neutral as he watched the array being activated. "Prepare yourself."

"No," Mustang bit out, struggling against his bonds and the massive amount of alchemic energy he could feel trying to drown him. "I won't do it."

"As I said, you no longer have a choice in the matter," Bradley said. "I wonder what will be taken from you in exchange, Mustang."

"Roy!" Mustang could hear his lioness scream and he glanced over in time to see Nala pull Bradley down by the back of his neck. Mustang felt a small amount of pleasure as Bradley's eye widened in surprise before the weight and momentum of the lioness pulled him back in a stumble. "Hang on, Roy!" Nala cried as she moved out of the way of the furious swipes of the swords but Mustang knew it was too late.

"I'm sorry, Nala," he whispered as he watched small black hands reach for his lioness before his vision went white. Hawkeye and Nala's screams of his name echoed in his mind as he lost consciousness.

A/N - Sorry this is a little later than it usually is but I got it up as quickly as I could! The second part of Promised Day is under way and we got to see Izumi and Olivier kick Lust's arse just like I promised in my last author's note we would! I do hope you all enjoyed this chapter and that I did the character's justice for this chapter. Of course, I won't know whether I did or not unless you leave me a review with your opinions so if you could leave one, that'd be lovely.

To WS - I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter and yes, poor Ed having to act as Central Command for the Animals but at least the Animals are nice enough to only pass on messages to him when necessary. I hated Al being inside that dome and I thought that since I made something of a big deal of Ed having water alchemy at the start of the story, I ought to utilise it at some stage in the story in a big way and this is what I came up with. Personally, I like my outcome better XD Yeah Kimblee's a partypooper but he got what was coming to him so it's not all bad. Besides, like you said, Pride needed to be released. I'm sorry I didn't have Roy kill Lust but when I decided to spare Maes, Mustang had no reason to lose control like that against Lust or for Al and Hawkeye to be in that room and situation with Mustang and Havoc seeking answers about Hughes' death so it couldn't have happened. I think having Lust get her arse kicked by two of the most formidable women in the series is a pretty good substitute though so I hope you like that scene as well. As for dreading and looking forward to the story ending, I feel exactly the same way XD I hope you liked this chapter!

See you all next week!