Ok finally we meet Scar! I wanted to try and make this as close to the episode as possible, but after writing a lot, I figured it would be too boring so I had Linor jump in- give her and Scar some good interaction. More about Linor will be explained in the next chapter- a LOT more such bits of her past, her appearance (because we all know Ishvalans don't have black hair), and her alchemy.
"Where is he, Major?" Roy barked to Linor who had her hand out of the cracked window of the speeding car.
"I-I don't know, Colonel," She stuttered, trying to control her breathing to not upset the vibrations she was picking up with her alchemy. "The rain is making it hard to pick up vibrations and the cars are too loud…" Linor admitted uneasily, swallowing a lump in her throat and looking at her wristband that glowed with a dim, blue light. The car sped around a corner making Linor slide quickly into Falman who shared the back seat with her. Scrambling back over to the window, Linor looked out into the rain. Struggling to pick up on something, anything, Linor held her breath. Feeling a small, irregular tremor Linor hastily leaned over the center console of the car. "They're close! Right turn, Lieutenant Hawkeye!" Quickly swerving the wheel and knocking Linor into Falman's lap, the car soon jolted to a stop, the several other vehicles behind them doing the same. Pushing herself off Falman, Linor jumped out of the car with her comrades to see a familiar red jacketed boy laying on the floor, a towering man hovering over him.
The screaming of Alphonse pierced through the veil of rain as the stranger reached for Edward. As the rest of the Eastern Command group readied their weapons, Roy popped a shot into the air.
"That's enough!" The Colonel barked, earning the attention of both Scar and Edward. "You won't be killing anybody else today, Scar." When the murderer looked over to the interferer, he was met with a squad of pistols aimed directly for him. Linor stood next to Falman, her pistol pointed at the infamous man as well, her heart pounding violently in her chest. "I'm taking you into custody where you will answer for the murderers of at least 10 State Alchemists." Roy informed, as Scar slowly pulled his hand away from Edward.
"Alchemists alter things from their natural form," Scar began, his deep voice obscured by the rain, but loud enough for the soldiers to hear. "converting them to something else, something grotesque." The squad was silent, curious and confused at what the man was saying. Linor observed the man as he spoke, her glasses being pelted by raindrops. His appearance intrigued her- dark skin, only a shade or two darker than hers and the white hair… "They profane God, the true creator of all things." Linor's arm faltered a bit at his appearance, but she shook the thoughts out of her mind and kept her aim steady. "As an agent of God, I'm here to hand down his judgment. If you interfere, I will eliminate you as well." A bolt of fear rushed through Linor at his bold words- was he crazy? The man was held at gunpoint by State Military and he had the nerve to threaten Mustang?
"Oh, is that right?" Roy drawled, suddenly handing his gun to Riza who took it with shock. "You guys stay out of it," The Colonel instructed to his troops, pulling on his glove tighter and taking a few steps forward.
"Colonel Mustang, sir!" Riza barked, though her words fell on deaf ears. With a scowl, Linor re-holstered her gun and rushed to stand in front of Roy.
"With all due respect, Colonel," Linor began, her gaze never leaving Scar. "You can't do much in the rain." As if forgetting his obvious weakness, Roy went silent.
"Colonel Mustang? So, this is the Flame Alchemist," Scar muttered, stepping off from over the Elric boy. "This is truly an auspicious day!" He spat, making a beeline for Linor and the man behind her. Feeling her heart nearly stop, Linor quickly smacked her hands together and held them out in front of her, a small sonic wave smacking Scar in the chest and pushing him back, skidding across the pavement.
"You hit him!" Fuery called excitedly, though Linor only swallowed the lump in her throat.
"Yeah, but it won't keep him back. It's not exactly a warzone." The woman muttered, realizing her alchemy wasn't exactly the strongest in their current situation. Scar straightened himself, quickly brushing off the blunt impact and sneered.
"The Roaring Sound Alchemist," Scar said, making Linor go rigid. "I know how you work," He informed, taking a few steps forward. "You should be an easy kill as long as I keep the sound to a minimum."
"So, you've done your homework?" Linor quipped, a forced smile on her face. Without another word, Scar rushed forward and Linor clapped once again but was interrupted by a large fist almost connecting with the side of Scar's face.
"You have to be quick to avoid my fist," Armstrong's voice rang out. "Not bad, not bad at all," He praised, taking Scar's attention away from the Eastern personnel. Relaxing slightly, Linor rushed over with Havoc to Edward who still laid helplessly on the wet pavement.
"Ed, are you alright?" Linor asked, helping the boy sit up. His automail arm was missing and Linor noticed it strewn to pieces on the street. The child uttered a dazed 'yeah' as he watched Armstrong and Scar go at it. When Alex demolished a large part of the street pavement, Havoc quickly stood up.
"Major, watch what you're doing! We don't want to destroy the city, do we?" The smoker barked, earning a lecture about alchemy from Alex. Standing up herself, Linor pushed her glasses up onto her face more.
"Allow me to assist you, Major," Linor suggested, approaching the two. "With all the noise you're making, perhaps I can make myself useful." Clapping her hands together, Linor released another small shockwave aimed straight for Scar. Quickly jumping out of the way, Scar sneered at the woman.
"Fine, I guess I'll have to purge all of you." Scar replied, slamming his hand into the ground, the pavement lifting and shattering in a line towards Linor. With another clap, Linor rushed out of the way and sent a more powerful blast which Scar easily avoided. Not allowing the criminal time to breathe, Alex rushed forward and threw a series of punches his way, though not a single one connected. Slowly the duo backed the man into a corner and with a resounding 'bang' from Hawkeye's rifle, Scar stumbled back and his shades fell to the floor with a silent clatter. Linor froze, her breath caught in her throat at the red eyes that stared back at her.
"You're Isvalan," She muttered, her own hidden red eyes unmoving from his. No one moved, every soldier silent and shocked still, but Linor took a few cautious steps forward. As Scar rose his hand to attack, Linor reached up and removed her sunglasses. With an inaudible gasp, Scar's hand faltered and their eyes locked. "Why are you doing this?" Linor asked after a prolonged silence. A deep scowl spread across Scar's face at her question.
"I think I should be asking you why you betrayed our people!" He bit back harshly, making Linor mimic his expression at his sudden outburst. "You're one of them!" He barked, making Linor clench her fists.
"I haven't betrayed our people! I'm trying to help them!" She screamed, her eyes narrowing dangerously at him. A skeptical scoff passed the Ishvalan man's lips.
"By helping the dogs that destroyed our homeland? The military that massacred our people?" It felt like he had punched her in the gut with his shouts and Linor gritted her teeth. "By going against the Great God Ishvala, you're no better than the Amestrians that killed our kin!"
"What do you know!?" She spat back angrily. "What you're doing is wrong!"
"I'm taking revenge for my people!" Scar snapped back quickly, making Linor take a step back from his harshness. "For all the innocent lives lost in Ishval by those dogs!" Hearing enough, Linor quickly clapped her hands together, but Scar swiftly slammed his own hand down onto the pavement, making it shake and explode in front of him. Dust and rubble filled the air and when it cleared, the Ishvalan was nowhere to be seen.
"Damn, he escaped into the sewers," Roy grumbled, warning his troops to stay back and let him go. Finally turning to face her allies, Linor shied her eyes away from Alex who looked at her with surprise.
"You're an Ishvalan too," He whispered to her as she replaced her glasses back to their rightful place on her face. Muttering a solemn 'yeah', she brushed past Alex to approach Mustang.
"Well, it seems we have a lot to discuss," Mustang said to Linor, Alex, and Hughes who had been safely back on the sidelines the whole time. The female crossed her arms over her chest uncomfortably as the group diverted their attention to the Elric brothers- one of which was a broken, hollow suit of armor completely exposed to the Central soldiers. "A lot to discuss," He added as he eyed the youngest brother. Hunching her back, Linor's palms began to sweat at the impending conversation back at command.