Ignite

There was no time to lose.

Colonel Roy Mustang melted like a shadow into the darkness that lingered within the depths of the tunnel. Every few seconds he snapped his ignition glove to light up the space around him before the flame snuffed out into the gloom. The tunnels were never-ending and fathomless; there was a beginning but there was no end. He could imagine those boys being trapped in the sickly underground for six weeks. Never seeing the Sun.

Forgetting what fresh air was like to breathe.

Alphonse would have felt like he was trapped in that stuffy suit of armour again.

And now his men needed him. He only wished he had not been so disorientated and sent some of the team members sooner. Major General Armstrong would have called him weak for not acting sooner. Survival of the Fittest or whatever the unsympathetic mantra was for her Briggs soldiers. Some officers would have not acted at all or sent their pawns to do their dirty work for them.

Roy could never do that. How could he leave his team members alone in the dark when they had risked their lives for him and their country on countless occasions? They were the ones who made the decisions that he was too weak to make and their bravery astounded him.

He only had to look to his right side to see his Queen. She had agreed to follow him into Hell and back, and here she was. This mission was not a part of her duty- she had chosen to stay true to her morals. Hawkeye's eyes were narrowed as she surveyed the surroundings, watching out for key changes in the brick walls that occupied this gloom. He could see the careful thought lined on her face as she counted the number of steps that would bring them to the place where the transmutation marks were. Even though Roy's path was a treacherous one and uncovering the corruption of the military involved in the making of Philosopher's Stones, which could result in the colonel and his subordinates being trialled as war criminals (I'll do my best to atone for my sins, people of Ishvala. I will I will I will) and found guilty. But Hawkeye shared his dearest wish to see the next generation safe from bloodshed. When he had enrolled as a member of the military, he had not expected to have his master's daughter choose to follow him. She had entrusted the secrets on her back to him and she unwavering watched his back. It was hardly Equivalent Exchange.

Mustang had entrusted his Rook to controlling operations back at Headquarters. Lieutenant Breda acted as a glue to hold his subordinates together if he was absent. He was a skilled politician, in terms that he knew which battles to fight and how to do so. Roy always heeded his advice and warnings, and in turn Breda admired the courage and dedication the colonel demonstrated to his staff. Roy would watch the danger from the front, and Hawkeye from the back, but Breda would guard the sides and ensure nobody was left behind.

The Knight jumped swiftly across the chessboard, surprising the opponent in the most unexpected ways. However, the Knight stayed true to its course and proved to be a valuable asset with its unique skillset. Jean Havoc had taken the longest to warm up to the colonel; he had heard of the tales of the Hero of Ishval growing up as a country boy in the east. But the Civil War had destroyed many rural towns; Havoc's had been grazed from the fighting. That had conjured up antagonistic feelings within the younger man. However, Roy found that Havoc needed someone to put their faith into him; he would not fail them. And although Havoc could become restless waiting, he would spring to battle with a single word.

Few others were blessed to have a walking encyclopaedia as one of their subordinates. But that was all many saw Warrant Officer Vato Falman for. He was so much more, even if the man denied the fact adamantly himself. Roy's Bishop knew his strengths and worked with the other members of the team to utilise his skills to the best of his ability. Like with the mission to Turinene, he knew that he would be more useful at HQ than accompanying the others on the mission. Roy trusted Falman to keep Breda from sneaking on one too many lunch breaks and to contact their commanding officer when necessary.

His Pawn. Never the weakest piece on the board. Never a piece for someone to walk over and give less than a shit about. All one had to do was watch and wait as Kain Fuery came out of his shell and the world saw him for the compassionate and intrinsic soldier he was. He adored the members of the team and the Elric brothers. As with Falman, he usually remained behind to work on strategy and communications; however, he had challenged his fears and decided to come to Turinene. He was the youngest and least experienced soldier. Fuery was afraid of the unknown, but that had not stopped him from reaching the end of the chessboard.

And Hughes…well he was just Hughes.

Roy could not be where he was without them. His strong legs carried him forwards to the Fuery and Hughes. Some of his team were by his side. Some had been left behind. But all of them would catch up and meet him at the top. Despite the gloom, the thought encouraged a smile to cross his face.

But first they had to go through Hell.

The first confrontation with Kimblee had been abysmal; Fuery was captured, he had shattered his leg and the brothers had been found in pieces. With alchemy, this would be one of the hardest battles. And he was still running on next to no sleep. He promised himself he could sleep for a weak when this was over. He could return to his office with its shit coffee and carry on to rise through the ranks until Roy could achieve his goal.

However, he found that his limbs ached less and the pounding in his head had dulled since the transmutation. 'Marcoh' and his acquaintance, or rather the acquaintance alone, had worked quickly and shown him the Stone. Roy had held the item for a few moments and asked the souls to grant his request. Aloud he had stated:

"People of the Ishvalan Desert. I am an alchemist that helped with the destruction of your people. I cannot atone for my sins and I seek not to ask you for forgiveness. Let me use you to help your people, but not to give me peace of mind. I only wish to return the Holy Land to your descendants still living."

He could have said so much more, but he had started babbling. Before tears could roll down his cheeks, he had told the doctors to start their transmutation. The Crimson Alchemist was nowhere to be found.

When the red crackle of the transmutation ended, his body simultaneously seized up in pain and he had coughed blood. But then he listened to the pumping of his heart. It thumped with a greater vigour, as if life had been poured back into his soul. Touching every corner of his body, he found the strength to rise and walk and run.

Wait for me.

-What if you cannot stop Kimblee? That man is a menace.-

I know dammit!

And Roy found the strength to push his Shadow into the recesses of his mind, pooling it with bright light. Not only had he found himself possessing more physical strength, but the mental strength to fight off his demons had intensified too.

"Sir," and with that one word that Hawkeye muttered, Roy knew. This was it.

With his left hand he produced a spark and held it aloft. He rubbed his right hand across the transmutation marks; the alchemy looked flimsy, but still at a high enough standard to be missed if he did not have a markswoman standing by his side. With a flick of his wrist, he shoved off the right ignition glove and gasped.

There was a draught beneath the layers of brick!

More tunnels had to branch off from this main one. He indicated with a tilt of his head for Hawkeye and Havoc to feel for the draught. They nodded their heads in synchronisation, too wary to speak. Havoc snuffed out his cigarette with his boot and pocketed the remaining tobacco. He reached into his other pocket and pulled out the map of the tunnels. Hawkeye watched what he was doing and carefully marked an X with their position. True enough, there was a blank space correlating to their spot on the map.

So not only were there a secret stash of tunnels running through at least one town, but there was additional tunnel secret to the records. These must have been the tunnels that Kimblee had had excavated purely for his use.

Was there anything that this man had not thought of?

Roy swallowed the bile in his throat. There were no guards or signs of life around him. Had Kimblee planned to lure them into his trap all of this time?

Yet it was hard to rationalise the thinking of a madman.

Fuck the impossibility.

Roy gestured for the other two to step back and he sketched a transmutation circle into the ground, not the wall. He was not going to fall into the deranged doctor's hands that easily. He had to rummage through his mind for the alchemic formula needed to transmute concrete.

Slapping his palms onto the array, the concrete shifted willingly in front of him, forming a makeshift ladder with footholds. He climbed down first and once he had climbed down about six feet, he drew another transmutation circle on the side of concrete directly below where he had found the transmutation marks. Nobody should have attempted alchemy that was this dangerous; the chances of failure were high. The only person who would have been this reckless transmuting this much concrete was Fullmetal, who had opened the Portal and also specialised with rock and metal in his alchemy.

Roy liked fire. He liked the finite art of calculating how much flammable gas he needed to combust to draw the results he needed. And how he could temper fire to be a roaring inferno or a gentle ember. It was a far more delicate art than hurling rocks into the air. Roy inwardly chuckled: he could hear Fullmetal's protests in his mind.

Fullmetal had given Roy his fair share of verbal abuse over the years and Roy had made an effort to remember only the best comebacks. He didn't know why but with the fiery alchemist, Roy found himself having a short-term memory.

What was it that Edward had said about transmuting large masses of rock?

"You always need a support, otherwise the structure will crumble later on. Simple really."

It was simple for a prodigy, obviously, Roy thought, his brow creased.

Concrete was relatively fire-proof, so it could not be used as a structural booster. Roy thought about the components of concrete: aggregate, cement and water. When the ratio of water to cement was higher, this made the concrete weaker. Therefore, if he evaporated some of the water from its integral structure, the concrete would become stronger. The transmutation was simpler than he thought.

Fullmetal, you were right this once.

With another flash of blue, the alchemy's work was completed.

Lighting his flame again to the barest of flickers, Havoc and Hawkeye joined him in this makeshift tunnel and together, they began to journey towards the belly of Hell or whatever else was hidden down here.

He blinked his eyes open slowly. And he waited for the torrent of pain to flood through his essence, choking him and suffocating him while he tried t breathe through the drowning agony. He waited-

Nothing.

Alphonse wondered if he was dreaming. But even then, the pain persevered and followed him into the night-time realm. Sleep offered little solace, unless he had taken painkillers. Medication could not be the answer to everything though.

So he was confused. This experience was similar when he had first awoken in his real body. He had gone from a lack of feeling and gaining the sensation of touch again. The pain was his companion. Without it…there was nothing was ground him, remind him what a useless pathetic boy he was-

Al blinked again and rubbed his eyes with arms that did not hurt. He leaned forward and braced himself for the torrent of pain that rushed through his legs and hips when he tried to stand up. Shakily, one leg lifted itself up, followed quickly by the other leg. He may have pulled the sheets to the side on the bed and he may have tugged out the IV but he was running, soaring.

He was flying.

This quiet world was his and he was free. Free from the pain and NoName and the memories of those six weeks settled like feathers for the first time. He could look at them without his gut tightening. He could see people chattering in the background as he sprinted across the hospital ward, but nobody made any move to stop him. The younger Elric brother was not bound to that floor by chains anymore. Al didn't have to return to the room. He was safe and free and it was the most exhilarating sensation in the world.

His bare feet tingled as they came into contact with the floor each time. But the feeling was fleeting because his foot was rising above the ground immediately after they made contact. The white hospital gown billowed out behind him. Suddenly, his leg cramped. Al stopped, panting with his hands on his knees.

Of course. His body was still weak. Even if he had been healed, he couldn't overexert himself.

Through the floor, Al could feel the vibration of footsteps. He turned around and saw an overwhelmed Major Armstrong rush up towards him, shirt abandoned and grasped him into a hug. Al barely had time to hold his breath before he was squished by the muscular man, who was crying onto Al's face.

In the back of his mind, Al knew that he still was not able to hear. But still he thought he could hear the major crying his name.

Al thumped his fist on the back of Armstrong's neck, and he was finally put down. Al had to take several moments to find his breath. And as Al looked up at the major's worried eyes, Al realized that he was not with his brother (was he okay?) and he needed to find his brother (right now right now).

"Ed…" he gasped, moving his head from left to right as if he hoped his brother was just coming back from the bathroom. Or Brother had found a convenient place to nap. Or Brother had left to clear up the mess they had both left behind.

Alex Louis nodded and offered Al a hand. Al took the offer and was lifted to his feet. His heart was thumping, and it was not from the running.

The walk to Ed was long and laborious. It took seconds- The walk to Ed was long and laborious. It took seconds- years. Al could not control his heart rate during that time. When he willed his worried body to relax, it stiffened and his heart would accelerate again. He needed to see Edward. And that was all.

There was a curtain drawn around Brother's bed. The Armstrong doctor swept the curtain back and the surprise was evident on her face when she saw him accompanying the major. She exchanged a few words with Alex before she gestured for Al to go on ahead. Viola Cadence carried on with her other duties around the mansion.

As he tentatively took several small steps forward, Al realized that Armstrong had remained where he was. The beefy man nodded and Al smiled. His fist clamped. He could do this. It was Brother. And he was alive. He had started pulling the curtain to the side when a flying wrench landed on his face.

Al saw his brother's flesh leg kick in the air alongside his automail leg. Granny Pinako let go of her grip of Ed's leg and Winry opposite her released the grip of Ed's arm. He sat up abruptly and began to test the automail, his eyes closed and a serious expression on his face.

Ed then stiffened.

"Al?"

And then Winry turned around, remembering her wrench and she saw Al. Without waiting for the tears to fall down her face, she flung herself towards the younger Elric brother and Al welcomed the embrace. Granny Pinako hesitated, but then she shook her head and hobbled up towards Al to hug him around the legs too.

Al gazed past them. Ed was staring at him, his glazed golden eyes seeing nothing but everything. He leapt out of bed and took three confident steps towards Al.

"I will always find you," Ed mouthed, and his short hair had been washed and cut. Still, it was strange to see Ed without the lustrous golden wave falling down his back. And he too joined the embrace of their little family.

Al was happy to be held by them for a long moment. He knew that none of them were speaking, and instead their actions were expressing what words did not need to.

However, Al's stomach grumbled which caused the hug to dissipate and the others to begin laughing. Al blushed and sat down on the edge of the bed as Ed's expression changed from being light-hearted to thoughtful. His mouth opened and closed. Viola Cadence appeared and she nodded in response to Ed's short replies.

He relayed to Al about the successful transmutations, but how his mind had slipped again. He had been sedated and awoken to calmness. The memories of Kimblee remained. He told this with the help of Granny and Winry. Both had supported them through so much. He and Ed had already come so far- they could talk about what happened like it was a nightmare. That was all that it was…

But it would take a long time yet before he could accept that the nightmare had passed.

Small steps, Al.

She wished she could pierce their gut with her spears. Not that it would achieve anything after Envy regenerated, but her androgynous sibling was being more of a nuisance than they usually were.

"Lust, why is Envy so happy?" Gluttony asked innocently by her side. Lust leaned back on the pipe she was resting on and stared up at the cavernous ceiling, lined with pipes pumping Philosopher's Stones across the city and country. The plan Father had set in motion was in its final stage. Their father had waited for four hundred years for the moment. She had been alive for over half of that time, since she was the second Homunculus to be born.

Even Gluttony, who was just over a hundred years old, had learnt the value of patience better than Envy. They were dancing around the lair, feet stomping and Lust closed her eyes, hoping her patience was not worn any thinner. She did not have much patience remaining and if she snapped-

It was not an attractive sight.

"Who knows, Gluttony? I do not know how that fool and I came from the same essence," Lust complained miserably, extending her claws and retracting them to pass the time. "It should not be long before Pride debriefs us about the next stage of the mission."

"Will I get to eat someone?" Gluttony asked, eyes wide with anticipation.

"Oh yes," she smirked. Lust retracted her claws and cupped Gluttony's cheek with her hand, "there have been lots of naughty humans. You can eat the naughtiest."

She patted her sibling on the head and turned back to face Envy. They had just noticed that Gluttony was no longer listening to them.

Sloth was out excavating with Pride keeping watch, while Pride gathered intelligence with Wrath on the surface. Father was making preparations with the golden tooth doctor (Lust did not waste her energy to remember his name). And Greed had not been spoken of for a hundred years.

That left her and Gluttony to be Envy's source of entertainment.

"And the best part is, both of the Kimblee brothers believe we're on their side! Those miserable humans have a taste for power and they're so quick to lap it up, it's hilarious!" Envy cackled, stepping up towards Lust and changing their form. A second later there was a man with greying hair, brown eyes and brown hair. She had not been acquainted with him personally, but she knew that the Iron Blood Alchemist had recruited him to make the Ishvalan Philosopher's Stone.

"Doctor Marcoh?" she guessed, playing along with Envy, although she could not deny that she was intrigued.

"Correct, ten souls for Lust," the younger Homunculus joked, and when Lust did not reply, they continued: "I'm leaving now, anyway. I just came to say goodbye to my favourite sister!"

"Your only sister…" Lust drawled.

"Still, I don't know why Father wants a crest of blood in Turinene. It isn't even a part of the nationwide transmutation circle…" Envy mused, still in the guise of Marcoh.

"We trust Father and Pride," Lust cut Envy short. It was well-known amongst the Homunculi that her and Pride were the ones to obey Father. She had thought it over and deduced it was because they had been extracted first, meaning their essences were closest to Father's. Greed had defied that theory, but he was a wasted thought.

She was not an alchemist or a human. She was something far more superior.

"I might see you there, I might not," Envy laughed as they spun towards the exit of the lair. "I'll tell the Fullmetal pipsqueak you said hi!"

The plan was in motion, but she had to confirm with the older woman once more.

"Are you certain?" Viola Cadence asked for the third time, albeit phrased slightly differently.

"Yes, that doctor alchemist was not from the West Area. He was running along a station platform, shifty as ever, trying not to be noticed by the damn military!" Pinako protested, her hand fiddling with the pipe in her lap.

The Elric brothers and the blonde mechanic sat on the bed together. Pinako was sitting forward in a chair and Viola occupied the other. Michael and Alex stood behind her, the brains and muscle respectively.

Through the woman's glasses, she saw her eyes. And there were no lies buried within there. Viola gained the impression that Pinako Rockbell spoke her mind, or if she did not think you were worth the effort, she would not speak at all.

"That man that Kimblee brought with him must be an imposter then," Viola mused. Solf J. Kimblee had shown up with two alchemic doctors knowing the situation the Elric brothers were in. It was already too suspicious to believe. Viola had accepted and gone along with their plans however; the Elric brothers were in critical condition and as a doctor, she put her patient's needs first. However, she had a family with a rich history with the military, and she could not tolerate traitors and miscreants.

Many saw this side of her to be similar to her relative Oliver Mira Armstrong.

"Kimblee's squadron is ready to depart for the town centre," Michael announced, revealing nothing on his face.

Another bizarre thing, Viola thought, twiddling a finger through her hair. As soon as the Elric brothers have been healed and Mustang's men have gone for a run around in the tunnels, Kimblee is adamant to reach the town centre. It does not add up.

"Good. We will be joining him shortly," Viola stood up at the back of her chair. "I did have one quick question for you, Edward."

"Hmmm?" the blind alchemist looked up expectantly.

"The reason that Kimblee wants to go to the town centre is due to something alchemical, am I correct?" Viola asked.

Without hesitation, Ed nodded, "probably. The centre of a circle is a grounding aspect of an array. It enables an array to remain stable long enough for the transmutation to take place.

"Even if an alchemist activates an array from the edge, the transmutation always begins from the centre."

"That's where that bastard is going then," Pinako muttered through gritted teeth.

"But why?" Winry interrupted. She gazed at Edward and Alphonse and straight at Viola. The Elric brothers were her patients, just as they were Viola's. There was an element deep within her that wanted them to see no harm. However, the rational side of her mind quelled the compassionate one- it was logic and tactics that won a fight, which is what they needed now.

"We chose this path. We must walk it," Edward said almost sarcastically as he rubbed his automail leg. Without Winry, he wouldn't have been able to walk.

"Will you be okay though?" Winry cried, her face evidently straining to hide away her tears.

"We'll be back," Ed promised, facing her direction. "You're needed here. But it won't be long. Wait for us here."

"I won't!" she shouted, slamming Ed's shoulder. The boy gasped and his eyes widened, but it was from shock rather than an approaching flashback.

"Fine then, dumbass. We will wait for you," Ed sighed, scratching his short hair.

"Better," Winry said smiling, swinging her legs contentedly into the air, humming a melody.

"Enough gossip. We have work to do," Viola turned her back on the hospital bed and headed towards the front door of her mansion. They had discussed and arranged their plan, and now they had to carry it through. What the enemy had planned, she had no idea.

She only hoped it was not too late to salvage the damage apparently done to Turinene from the shadows.

I'm sorry I have to be so vague about the plans, but I cannot spoil the finale (it's going to be long like the Promised Day, don't you worry). I'm expecting there to be about 4-5 chapters for this, but this could depend based on what the characters want to do. We'll have to see :)

Hope you enjoyed!