Author's Note: Thank you to those who caved in to my demands and reviewed. As I promised... three reviews, one new chapter. And if you all want to see the next chapter, you should start reviewing ASAP.
Of course, this chapter probably sucks. I'm really bad at writing action.
The riot broke out ten days after the school was destroyed. A mob of Central citizens was trying to storm the Ishbalan sector in retaliations for the attack, and the Ishbalans were fighting back. All the Alchemists in Central were ordered to stop the riot before it could engulf the entire city.
It was Izabel's first day back, and Al could almost feel her anger coming off in waves.
"It's like a war zone," someone said as the State Alchemist surveyed the riot. "What do we do?"
"We bust some heads." Grace growled, leaping into the fray.
Most of the Alchemists, like Al, adopted a strategy that mostly involved separating the combatants, but more than a few took their frustrations out on the rioters. Al quickly lost track of Izabel in the chaos… until someone shouted, "Cover!"
Al dropped to the ground and managed to shield his eyes just before the dazzling burst of light engulfed the city street. That gave the Alchemists a bit of time, since they were the only ones who had managed to cover their eyes before the blinding light hit.
Al did not see her again, for what seemed like hours, but he knew it could only have been a few minutes. She was kneeling beside a man who had had his head caved in, drawing an array on the ground with his blood. She pressed her stained fingers to the circle, and it exploded in light.
The sky broke open; rain and lightning sheeting down like the wrath of God. It drove the rioters and the Alchemists apart, much like throwing a bucket of water on two dogs can get them to separate.
Al stood in the pouring rain and watched it was away the blood on the street.
Scar was a suspicious man by nature. One could even say he had some trust issues.
One person he most defiantly did not trust was Brigadier General Dolph Wagner. Despite being an Alchemist, he hadn't gone with the others to quell the riot.
Scar knew this because he'd just seen the man walking away from the hospital, right under Abraham's window, and towards the main administration building, which had been largely evacuated in fear that there might be another attack.
Scar had followed him. He wanted very badly to know several things that only Wagner could answer.
All and all, the Ishbalan wasn't very surprised to see Wagner enter the Furhur's office, one of the few still occupied, as Mustang had outright refused to hide from any threat. Nor did the explosion that followed overly surprise him, shaking the building to its foundation and cracking all the windows.
The rain leaking through the new cracks in the ceiling was a bit of a shock, but not enough of one to stop Scar from bursting into what was left of the office… or falling through the hole where the office floor had been.
For someone who had just been through an explosion, Wagner looked surprisingly neat as he stood over the stunned Furhur, the rain beating down on them. Wagner was laughing, though the storm tore the sound away. Both Scar and Mustang watched in horror as the man rolled up his sleeve, revealing the array tattooed on his right arm, glowing an evil red.
His plan was clear to Scar. Kill the Furhur. Blame the Ishbalans. Incite the people to genocide.
Wagner hadn't reckoned on two things, however. The first was that Mustang wasn't one to go down without a fight. The second was Scar.
Even as Wagner bent to put an end to the one eyed Furher's life, Mustang's foot lashed out, catching the Brigadier General in the crotch. The murderous traitor let out a howl and folded a little, trying to force air back into his lungs. This stopped him just long enough for Scar to close the distance. The Ishbalan grabbed Wagner's right arm just above the elbow, unholy energy pulsing through his own arm.
Wagner only just had time to register what was going on before Scar unleashed the destruction on him, blowing the Brigadier General's arm off. The man howled with pain and fury, and in his eyes Scar saw madness, anger… and overwhelming grief.
"This ends here." Scar growled, slamming his forehead into Wagner's face. It took a second slam to force the man into unconsciousness.
Scar sank down to the ground next to the incapacitated Wagner, locking eyes with Mustang.
They stared at each other for what felt like a very long time.